Safe Boating

from The Hobart Magazine Issue 15 August 2020

Science

Interview: Stephanie Williams

As a software developer and abalone diver, Steve Fraser’s two jobs have collided to produce a brand new app for boaties.

You developed an app to keep recreational fishers safe. How did the idea come about?

I’ve been a commercial abalone diver for about 20 years, and a software developer for 12 years. It’s an unusual combination, but early last year I launched a business called Offshore SMS that creates cloud-based safety management tools for commercial vessel owners. That business has been growing well and so this year I built an app called SafeBoatie with the aim of giving recreational boaters access to some of the same safety tools that our commercial customers have been using. Safeboatie is a free tool for recreational boaters to use. By putting in some basic information about the boat and where they use it, recreational boaters can know exactly which safety equipment is required for their vessel, keep track of what gear they already have, and save important dates for their boat (like safety equipment expiry dates, licence renewals and trailer regos). There is also a list of emergency plans to remind boaters what to do in case of an emergency (like a person overboard, fire, how to make a mayday call etc). Perhaps the most important thing the app does is allow the boater to do a 30 second safety check before they hit the water. The app will then send a text message to one of their nominated emergency contacts about where they have left from, who’s on board, and when they’re due back. Boating safety is something I’m passionate about and hopefully this app can help recreational boaters keep their boats and safety equipment up to date, and ultimately to be a little safer on the water.

How did you create the app?

Developing native apps is a complex process and there are many tools required to build for both iOS and Android. Fortunately I’ve been developing for web for some time and have been able to create the SafeBoatie and a new Offshore SMS app that I’m about to launch, on my own. I’m a believer in having 100% control over every line of code and have resisted the temptation to outsource the development in favour of knowing every aspect of the app inside out. That said, developing apps is an expensive process and the more that can be done in house, the lower the development costs can be kept. This is especially important when creating a free app. I’m still working on new features for theSafeBoatie app and will release more updates later in the year, like having the app notify a user’s emergency contacts when they don’t check back in by the agreed time, and perhaps a place to keep photos and details about the day’s catch!

Any advice for people who have thought “I could make an app for that!”?

Sure - just do it, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. For non-developers looking to build an app or test out a new idea, I would suggest finding a developer that you can work closely with and try to understand the app development process from start to finish. Focus on building a few key features to test the idea rather than a huge app that does everything. Simple is better, and will cost a lot less. These days the lines between native apps and mobile websites are becoming a lot more blurry and quite often a web app is a faster, more affordable option to quickly scale up and test a new idea.

Where’s your favourite place to fish?

Ha! I don’t get on the water nearly as often as I would like, but I love Tasmania’s South Coast. It’s a spectacular part of the world and one of the most wild and remote places I’ve found.

How can people access the app?

SafeBoatie is available for FREE on both the Apple App Store for iPhones and the Google Play Store for Android phones, and can be found by searching for “Safe Boatie”. The app was only launched a few weeks ago in beta, and feedback is much appreciated to help make the app more useful for Tasmanian recreational boaters.

Steve with boater Ian Melrose at Swan Jetty.

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