A kayak float plan with a clear return check-in
Before a kayak or canoe outing, leave a float plan with a responsible person who is staying ashore. Include the launch, intended route, landing, people and craft involved, expected return and what to do if you do not check in. A phone app can support that arrangement, but it does not file the plan with rescue services or replace appropriate on-water communication, equipment and skills.
Leave a plan that remains useful when the map stops
The US Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Float Plan Central provides a form intended for recreational vessels, including kayaks and other paddlecraft. Its purpose is to put the details with someone who can follow up if you do not return as planned. Use the official form when you need its fuller set of fields; this guide helps you think through the contact arrangement around it.
A live map is only one part of that arrangement. Your recipient may need the intended landing, the color of your craft and the number of people even if no new position has arrived. Keep the written details accessible independently of the phone being carried on the water.
The general trip-plan guide explains choosing a contact and sharing an itinerary. For paddling, extend those details to the craft, access points and route on the water. Do not assume that a familiar river or lake name is enough to identify the outing.
Record launch, landing and identifying details
Two access points on the same waterbody can be far apart. Name the launch and intended landing separately, even for a return-to-start trip. Describe the route clearly enough that the contact can explain it without interpreting a screenshot under pressure.
These prompts are a compact planning aid, not the official float-plan form or a complete equipment checklist. Use the local requirements and an appropriate paddling-safety source for the outing you intend. Do not treat completing a form as evidence that conditions or skills are suitable.
| Part of the plan | What the contact should have |
|---|---|
| People | Who is going and useful contact/identifying details. |
| Craft | Type, color and other identifying details, with a current photo if useful. |
| Access | Launch, planned landing and vehicle or shuttle arrangements. |
| Route | Intended waterway/area, direction and agreed alternatives. |
| Timing | Departure, expected finish, time zone and check-in method. |
| Response | Who follows up and the relevant local emergency contact route. |
Agree when the paddling outing is complete
Reaching the landing, loading the craft and getting back to a vehicle can be different moments. Choose which one ends the contact’s responsibility and explain how you will confirm it. If the trip uses a shuttle, include enough detail that a change of vehicle does not look like an unexplained change of destination.
For an illustrative one-way paddle, the contact may hold a plan naming the upstream launch and downstream landing, plus a message expected after the paddlers are safely ashore. A later drive can have a separate arrangement if needed. This is an example of defining the endpoint, not a recommendation for a particular route or time allowance.
Do not infer duration from distance alone. Wind, current, tides, water level, stops and the capabilities of the group can change what is practical. Holler’s return-time calculator is built around land-activity inputs. It is not a paddling-time model and should not be used to set a tide or current safety threshold.
Add an app only for the job it can perform
Holler can store an optional return time and give Guardians a private live link they can open without an app or account. Save the time while connected and confirm it matches the written plan. If you do not check in five minutes after the deadline, the server can send selected Guardians an overdue alert through the configured channels.
That saved deadline is separate from sending new positions. If the phone loses its connection, the contact may see only the last reported location. An overdue message cannot say whether you landed somewhere else, lost signal or need help. The tracking versus check-in guide explains why the written plan still matters.
Continuous browser sharing needs the page open and screen on. That requirement deserves particular thought around water. Do not make an unsuitable phone arrangement merely to keep a dot moving. The iPhone app is in private beta, and its availability is not a claim that Holler provides marine-grade communication or monitored rescue.
The current return-time setting reaches up to 23 hours from when you save it. It does not cover a multi-day canoe journey with one distant deadline. If a trip needs communications outside phone coverage, choose the appropriate independent equipment and plan before launching.
Send the plan and confirm someone has accepted it
Use the outing-plan tool to begin a message if it is convenient, then add the craft and water-access details separately. The tool is a general note builder. Copying its output does not notify a contact, create a saved outing or submit anything to the Coast Guard.
A message structure is: “We will launch at [place] on [date], follow [route] and land at [place]. Our craft are [descriptions]. We expect to confirm we are ashore by [time and time zone]. The attached plan has our details and agreed follow-up. Can you hold it and be available?” Review the completed version together.
Make the contact’s role explicit. Someone who is also paddling may be useful company but should not be the only person expected to notice that the whole group has not returned. The Guardian guide covers availability and handoffs. Several recipients do not automatically mean that one of them is taking responsibility.
Before departure, also check the communication equipment you will carry and how it can be reached. A return alert sent later to someone ashore is a different layer from being able to request immediate help on the water. Follow applicable local paddling guidance, conditions, equipment requirements and your training.
Give the contact a response they can carry out
If the expected check-in does not arrive, the contact should use the agreed plan, try to establish what is happening and seek appropriate help when needed. If there is evidence of an immediate emergency, contact emergency services promptly. No saved deadline or extra allowance requires someone to delay an emergency call.
Keep the route details, planned landing, number of paddlers, craft descriptions and last reported location with its timestamp ready. Be clear about which details were planned and which were actually observed. An older point should be described as a last known report, not a confirmed current position.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary’s emergency guidance accompanies its float-plan system. Use the relevant local emergency procedure for the place you are paddling. Do not assume that a contact in another region will automatically reach the authority responsible for your waterway without explaining the location.
Close the loop when everyone covered by the plan is ashore at the agreed endpoint. End the relevant app outing and tell the person holding the plan. If they have already contacted authorities, give them the updated information promptly so the response can be updated. Keep any later change of plan explicit rather than relying on a map disappearing.
Questions people ask
Is this an official float plan?
No. This guide explains the contact workflow and points to the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s official resource. Holler’s general outing-plan tool does not file a float plan or certify that all required information has been supplied.
Does Holler call the Coast Guard if I am overdue?
No. Holler notifies selected Guardians through configured email or supported push. It does not contact emergency services. The person holding the plan must respond and use the appropriate emergency channel when needed.
Can my contact track a kayak without phone coverage?
Fresh phone-app positions need a connection to reach the service. A saved return deadline can still be processed, but that does not create live tracking or transmit an SOS from an offline phone. Select communications suitable for the trip.
Can a paddleboarder use a float plan?
Yes. Float Plan Central includes paddlecraft. Adapt the identifying details, route, access points and timing to the actual outing, and follow suitable paddleboarding guidance rather than treating the form as an equipment checklist.
Can I copy the plan once and reuse it?
You can keep stable details as a starting point, but review the people, route, conditions, timing and contact availability for each trip. Send the current version and confirm the recipient has it before leaving.
Keep reading
Questions people ask about this
Sources: US Coast Guard Auxiliary: Float Plan Central, US Coast Guard Auxiliary: boating emergency guide, NPS: backcountry trip-plan details, Holler: current availability.