Origins · Why myCloud
A boat.A business.
The story of a refit that no longer fitted in a binder, and of the app built to hold it.
How it started
A boat that needed more than a binder
When we took over myCloud, I thought I was buying a catamaran. Mostly, I inherited a project: a full refit, many contractors and a mountain of paperwork.
Rigging, structure, energy, electronics, comfort: almost every part of the boat went through a professional’s hands. Each job brought its quotes, invoices, warranties, photos and due dates. Amounts came in Pacific francs, euros, US and Australian dollars. Contractors changed from one port to the next.
The refit
Five years of work
- 2022Custom stainless arch, solar panels and wind turbine, new bedding, dive compressor.
- 2023Haul-out and antifouling, new trampolines, air conditioning overhauled, navigation electronics.
- 2024New standing and running rigging, mainsail, saloon windows replaced, anchoring overhauled.
- 2025Mast bulkhead reinforced with carbon, bows and transom strengthened, bridgedeck floor stiffened.
- 2026Forward cabin rebuilt, deck-to-hull joint redone, stanchions, steering, then two passages to Vanuatu.
What broke down
I could no longer keep up
Finances
What did the rigging cost? And the electrics over two years? The answers sat in PDFs and emails.
The technical side
Which pump model, fitted when, under warranty until when? I had to take things apart to read the plate.
Maintenance
Oil changes, anodes, life raft, extinguishers: due dates always came too soon, and never at the right time.
Following the crews
Who did what, how many hours, with which photos? Without records, no way to compare or pick a job back up.
Documents
Registration, insurance, certificates, manuals: 192 files scattered across the boat’s archive.
The boat’s value
All that work is worth nothing at resale if it can’t be proven. It needed an undeniable history.
A boat is a small business: assets, suppliers, a budget and obligations. It had to be run that way.
myCloud’s owner
The answer
So I built myCloud
No tool on the market handled maintenance, finances, contractors and life on board at once. So I wrote the specification, then had the app built, linked to this site.
The site tells the story of the boat, our passages and the people behind it. The private app is the daily tool: every invoice photographed, every job dated, every due date in the calendar. The boat’s entire archive has been brought into it.
And for you?
Going through the same on board?
If your boat takes as much managing as ours, BFO Partners can help you set up the same logbook.