DockWise Risk
Understand your risk. Make better decisions on the water.
DockWise brings together the operator, the boat, the marina and the exact dock, so you can see your strengths, the areas that need attention, and practical ways to be better prepared before you leave the slip.
Start with Operator Readiness, completely free. No payment or credit card required.
A free account is required to securely save your answers, track your progress, and keep your completed report. You can stop and return at any time. No payment or credit card required.
Built by a USCG-licensed captain & boating instructor
DockWise Risk is decision support built on practical boating experience. It is not a license, a certification, an actuarial insurance risk score, or a guarantee of safe operation.
The operator. The boat. The marina. The exact dock.
Each assessment looks at a different part of your setup. They are separate reports, not a single combined score, and together they give you a broader picture of where the real difficulty sits.
Operator Readiness
FREEBeing a capable boater is about more than years of experience. Education, professional instruction, demonstrated handling skills, and good judgment all play a role. This free assessment helps you understand your strengths, identify areas that need attention, and see practical ways to become better prepared on the water.
Boat Risk Assessment
$99.95Not all boats handle the same way. Size, weight, propulsion, windage, and equipment can make one vessel much easier or harder to maneuver than another. This assessment helps you understand your boat’s handling characteristics and the challenges they create, so you can make better decisions about the vessel you own or are considering buying.
Marina Risk Assessment
$99.95Not all marinas are the same. Prevailing wind direction and speed, fairway widths, and marina layouts can create very different docking challenges. This assessment helps you understand those differences so you can choose a marina that better matches your boat, experience, and skill level.
Dock Risk Assessment
$99.95Two sides of the same dock can present very different docking challenges. Prevailing wind direction and speed, fairway width, and approach conditions can make one side much harder than the other. Dock condition, type, and material also matter: a light graze against wood may have a different outcome than contact with concrete or metal. This assessment helps you understand those differences so you can choose a slip that better matches your boat and skill level.
The Boat, Marina and Dock assessments are still being built. Prices shown are planned prices and nothing on this page can be purchased today. You can already record your boat and its details, at no cost, ready for when the handling analysis arrives.
Why all four matter
Risk changes when any part of the setup changes.
Docking difficulty is rarely just one thing. It is all four working on each other at once. Change any one of them and the day gets easier or harder.
A capable operator can still face a difficult vessel.
A manageable vessel can become challenging in a tight marina.
A good marina can still contain a difficult exact slip.
The same operator can face very different demands depending on the boat, wind, current, fairway and dock.
Each assessment is a separate report on a separate part of your setup. DockWise does not combine them into a single validated risk score, and no such combined score exists today.
What your reports can show you
See what goes into your assessment and how the results can help you make better decisions. Operator Readiness is available today; the Boat, Marina, and Dock examples show what we're building next.
Operator readiness
Available now- A clear readiness score out of 100, with an easy-to-understand rating.
- A breakdown of your experience, education, instruction, handling skills, and judgment.
- A separate evidence-confidence rating showing how well your assessment is supported.
- Prioritized recommendations to help you improve, with important safety concerns highlighted.
- A saved report you can print, save as a PDF, or share securely.
Boat handling characteristics
Illustrative preview- Understand how your boat's size, weight, windage, propulsion, and equipment affect maneuverability.
- Identify handling characteristics that may make certain conditions or maneuvers more demanding.
- See practical considerations to help you operate your current boat or evaluate one you're considering buying.
Marina exposure and layout
Illustrative preview- Compare prevailing wind conditions, fairway widths, and marina layouts that can create different docking challenges.
- Understand how the same marina may become easier or harder to navigate under different conditions.
- Identify considerations that can help you choose a marina better suited to your boat and skill level.
Exact-slip docking difficulty
Illustrative preview- Understand how the two sides of a dock can present different challenges based on wind, approach direction, and fairway geometry.
- Review dock condition, type, and material, including how contact with wood, concrete, or metal may have different consequences.
- See how your boat fits the exact slip and which approach considerations may help you dock more safely.
Sample Operator Readiness Report
See a completed DockWise Operator Readiness Report and how scores, evidence confidence, and improvement recommendations are presented.
Discover your strengths. Know what to improve.
Your free Operator Readiness assessment gives you a clearer picture of your boating experience, skills, and judgment, along with a practical plan to help you become better prepared on the water.
- Your readiness score: See your result out of 100 and understand what it means for your current level of preparation.
- A detailed breakdown: See how experience, education, instruction, handling skills, and judgment contribute to your result.
- Your strengths and areas for improvement: Understand what you do well and where additional practice or training may help.
- A personalized improvement plan: Get prioritized next steps, with important safety concerns clearly highlighted.
- Evidence confidence: Understand how well your assessment is supported by documentation and professional observation, separately from your score.
- A report you can keep and share: Save your results, return later, print or save a PDF, and share securely.
How it works
- 1
Tell us about your boating background
Share your experience, education, instruction, handling skills, and how you approach important safety decisions.
- 2
Discover your readiness and next steps
Receive your score, understand your strengths and areas for improvement, and get a personalized plan to help you become better prepared.
- 3
Explore your complete boating setup
As the Boat, Marina, and Dock assessments become available, you'll be able to evaluate those additional factors separately and gain a broader understanding of the challenges you may face.
Operator Readiness is completely free. No payment or credit card is required, and you never have to purchase another assessment to complete or keep your report.
Understand the complete picture before you leave the slip.
Your readiness is only one part of the equation. The boat you operate, the marina you choose, and the exact dock you use can each create different challenges. DockWise Risk brings these separate assessments together so you can better understand your entire boating setup and make more informed decisions.
- Operator ReadinessFREE, included
- Boat Risk Assessment$99.95, included
- Marina Risk Assessment$99.95, included
- Dock Risk Assessment$99.95, included
- DockWise PremiumSold separately · 12 months included
What the 12 months of Premium unlocks
- Compare Docks: rate any slip's real difficulty
- Anchor Guidance with real depth, tide and scope
- Unlimited vessel profiles and saved docks
- Multi-day forecast at every saved dock
- Sea state and wave conditions tuned to your boat
- Boater Resources: safety checks, education, training
These are the DockWise Premium features available today. Premium is normally $69 for a year on its own, and existing Premium pricing is unchanged.
Complete Risk Assessment Package
Coming soon$249.95
- Paid risk assessments separately
- $299.85
- Complete Package
- $249.95
- Risk assessment savings
- $49.90
Plus 12 months of DockWise Premium included
No checkout, no payment and no card details are collected today.
Useful beyond the dock
Built from real boating experience.
DockWise Risk was developed by Captain Robert B. Kolb, a USCG-licensed captain, boating instructor, and member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Decades of recreational boating experience on the Great Lakes and in coastal waters inform the practical approach behind the assessment.
- USCG-licensed captain
- Boating instructor
- U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary member
- Decades of recreational boating experience
Your completed reports can help you document your boating experience, professional training, vessel characteristics, and the steps you’ve taken to better understand and manage your risks. You can also share relevant information with an insurance agent or underwriter.
Know more before you leave the slip
Better preparation starts with understanding your risks.
Understanding your boating risks can help you make more informed decisions, identify areas that deserve attention, and take practical steps to improve your preparation. Some insurers may consider relevant education, training, or documented experience when evaluating applicants or discounts. Eligibility, acceptance, and pricing remain entirely with the insurer. DockWise is not insurance and is not approved, recognized, or endorsed by any carrier.
The readiness model is an expert-designed decision-support framework. It is not a calibrated actuarial model, a certification, a vessel survey, or a guarantee of safe operation. It does not replace your judgment, professional instruction, or an insurer’s own evaluation.