Observed arrival · 2026-10-17
Helmsmate turns a family canal log into a trip planner
An Android app for planning narrowboat cruises, tracking progress, and sharing the trip with fellow crew.
○Open
⊠Login
$Paid
†Ads
✦Pretty
●Pro
◎Niche
◉Human
⚑Risk
ƒJS
- For
- Narrowboat crews planning canal trips
- Worth noticing
- Its backstory names the family boat Mandarin and traces the tool to a spreadsheet used on trips across the canal network.
Field notes
The maker says he grew up making several canal trips a year with his family, and that his father planned each journey in a spreadsheet before someone logged times at locks and junctions. The site describes route planning around travel dates and daylight, including lock and tunnel counts. Its account also notes that closures or delays could force a recalculation; the app is presented as a more flexible way to manage that changing schedule.
Observed signals
Read the marks
Editorial observations of this landing page, not a rating.
○OpenPublic substance visible
✦PrettyNotable craft visible
●ProPolished or operationally mature
◎NicheUnusually specific use
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