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The advanced GPS trackers are beneficial in knowing the real-time locations of your loved ones and belongings and assist in their security. They are often used to track your vehicles on the road. However, there are boat trackers available in the market that assist in tracking offshore too. You can use advanced GPS tracker for boats to track the precise locations of boats, yachts, jet skis, or any other watercraft.
Whether you own a boat for personal use or occupation, a GPS tracker will come in handy all time. They allow you to monitor your boat when you are not on board and assist in various safety measures. Water transport is way more challenging than land. You can face much unknown trouble while traveling by water. Issues like engine breakdown, thunderstorms, and losing paths, are common while you travel by water.
Using a GPS tracker for boats while passing through a waterway can be lifesaving in many situations. It lets you send the accurate locations when you can’t escape the water in emergencies. If you wish to get yourself a boat tracker, you need to learn what it can offer.
Table of Contents
Best Boat trackers for boats
*The list below does not represent ranking.
Family1st 4G Real-Time GPS Tracker – Best Budget Boat Tracker
Buy from Family1st Buy from Amazon Buy from Ebay
Price: $28.95
Monthly Subscription: $19.95
Battery Life: Two weeks
Warranty: Lifetime warranty
The Family1st GPS tracker is amongst the best GPS trackers for boats with all the useful features at an affordable price. This tracker can help you track kids, teens, the elderly, vehicles, boats, assets, or anything that moves.
With a powerful battery, you can keep using the tracker for at least two weeks. It is a waterproof device and has an SOS button that assists in reaching out to your contacts in emergencies. This tracker has coverage in the USA, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Canada, and Mexico. The Alexa integration and indoor tracking are a few of the unique features of the Family 1st GPS tracker.
Pros
- Best for personal tracking
- Easy to use
- Good battery life
- Great customer support
Cons
- Limited area network coverage
Tracki Mini GPS Tracker – Best Boat Tracker With Worldwide Coverage
Buy from Tracki Buy from Amazon Buy from Ebay
Price: $28.88
Monthly Subscription: $19.25
Battery Life: One month in battery save mode
Warranty: Lifetime warranty
Tracki is amongst the smallest GPS tracker available in the market. This mini GPS tracker can track your kids, pets, teens, the elderly, boats, drones, assets, etc. Because of its tiny size, it can fit into any small place you want. It works anywhere in the world with a coverage of 190 countries. Tracki allows you to check the historical data for up to five years.
Pros
- Mini GPS tracker
- SOS alert system
- Lightweight
- Worldwide coverage
- Removable battery
Cons
- Slow charging
- Battery backup is not up to the mark
LandAirSea 54 4G LTE GPS Tracker – Best Boat Tracker For Hidden Tracking
Buy from Land Airsea Buy from Amazon Buy from Ebay Buy from Walmart
Price: $29.95
Monthly Subscription: $19.95
Battery Life: One to three weeks
Warranty: 30 days money-back guarantee
LandAirSea is a round-shaped, waterproof, real-time, mini GPS tracker with a plethora of features. This tracker is known for its discreet nature thus you can use it as a hidden GPS tracker to track someone suspicious.
It has an option of “Dark Mode” that allows you to turn off the LEDs of the device to enhance the hidden tracking. This tracker sends you alerts on Geofence, speeding, and low battery. The “ShareSpot” feature allows sharing the device location with your dear ones at the same time.
Pros
- Value for money
- Long-lasting battery
- Built-in magnetic mount
- Best for hidden tracking
Cons
- Slow charging
Spot Trace GPS Tracker – Best Boat Tracker With Low Monthly Subscription
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Price: $99.95
Monthly Subscription: $9.99
Battery Life: 8 days with five-minute updates
Warranty: One year Warranty
Spot Trace is a small-size sturdy real-time GPS tracker. It sends you a notification on sensing a slight movement, low battery, and a daily status message that lets you know your asset is safe.
The Dock Mode allows you to track any object underwater. Thus it is one of the best trackers for your boat or any other watercraft.
Pros
- Strong body
- Excellent anti-theft abilities
- Easy to setup
- Cost-effective device
- low price monthly subscription
Cons
- Battery drains faster on regular use
Americaloc GL300W GPS Tracker – Best Lightweight Boat Tracker
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Price: $100
Monthly Subscription: $25
Battery Life: 14 days
Warranty: One year
Americaloc GL300 is one of the mini real-time GPS trackers available in the market. It is an efficient tracker to track vehicles, people, and assets. The tracking data is accessible from any computer, mobile, or tablet with one year of tracking history. It has all the necessary alerts such as movement, idle, speeding, device on/off, low battery, entering or leaving zones, and SOS.
You can configure this tracker for location updates every 60, 30, or 10 seconds with no additional cost.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Long battery life
- No activation fees
- Great tech support
Cons
- No two-way communication
- Limited network area coverage
Jiobit Small Pocket GPS Tracker – Best SOS Boat Tracker
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Price: $129.99
Monthly Subscription: $14.99
Battery Life: One week
Warranty: 12 months
The Jiobit Small Pocket Tracker is one of the tiniest GPS trackers that can be attached to any strap, belt, collar, waistband, etc. It’s a waterproof tracker specially designed for kids to record their locations and daily activity.
The SOS mode allows you to share the accurate location with the 911 dispatch team in an emergency. Through the Trusted Places feature, you can assign your child’s favorite places on the map.
Pros
- Lightweight
- User-friendly device
- SOS alert system
Cons
- Expensive device
- No two-way communication
Garmin InReach Mini – Best Sturdy Boat Tracker
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Price: $379.99
Monthly Subscription: $14.95
Battery Life: Up to 24 days in save mode
Warranty: One year warranty
The Garmin InReach Mini has a choke-full of features that make it an efficient boat tracker. It’s a palm-sized satellite communicator that lets you send and receive messages, track real-time locations, and send SOS alerts in emergencies.
It has an optional weather forecast service that you can add to the basic plan. You can also access downloadable maps, US NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) charts, and color aerial imagery through the Garmin Eathmate App.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Rugged body
- Two-way communication
Cons
- Costly device
TKSTAR 905 GPS Tracker – Best Waterproof Boat Tracker
Buy from TKSTAR TK905 Buy from Amazon Buy from Ebay Buy from Walmart
Price: $50.98
Monthly Subscription: No monthly fee
Battery Life: Three weeks
Warranty: Lifetime warranty
TKSTAR TK905 is a real-time GPS tracker with a super-strong body. It uses GPS and LBS to provide you with accurate location positioning. It is an IP65 waterproof device that is suitable for your offshore tracking.
The 5000 mAh battery is too good for a boat tracker and works for one to three weeks. The built-in magnets help in mounting the device on any iron surface. With its rugged body, you can use this tracker as roughly as you want.
Pros
- Strong body
- Portable and handy
Cons
- Not easily available
What should you look for in Boat Trackers?
Tracking something on land and tracking something on the water are poles apart. The first thing that comes to mind when talking about any device or tech for a boat is waterproof. Likewise, several other features must be unique to a boat GPS tracker. So, here’s a list of features that are must-haves when it comes to an ideal GPS boat tracker:
Real-Time Location Tracking
One of the major concerns about traveling on water is getting help in case of an emergency. When you own boats, knowing their whereabouts and conditions is one of the major concerns. Using a GPS tracker on your boat will allow you to know their real-time location anytime you want. Knowing the accurate location of your watercraft will let you make the appropriate decisions. You might want to send your family boating without you.
Be it your kids for boating, teens for surfing, or the elderly for fishing, in any of these cases, you can stay carefree when you know exactly where they are. Boat trackers allow you to check whether they are choosing safe spots for boating or not. After their boating, you can always guide your loved ones about the areas they need to be cautious about and be aware of next time.
Waterproof Device
The whole point of buying a boat tracker is to use it on and off in the water areas. The boat GPS tracker should be a water-resistant device so that you can use it in any part of your vessel without worrying about it getting damaged. Many advanced trackers have the option of magnetic mounting. It won’t be an issue for a waterproof tracker if you mount it even under your watercraft. A waterproof GPS tracker is also helpful for people involved in water sports, rescue services, and deepwater divers.
Smart Alerting System
A boat tracker must send you notifications on many different activities. It should come with a smart alerting system assisting you in many different ways. The best GPS trackers with alerts include:
- SOS Button: To send alerts to your contacts or emergency services in case of emergencies
- Geofence Alert: To set virtual boundaries and get alerts if your boat enters or exit that preset area
- Alert On Shock/Collision: To alert you when your watercraft meets an accident
- Movement Alert: To alert you when your anchored boat or is moving (could be due to storm or theft) in your absence
Customized Alert Messages
Many boat trackers provide you with the feature to preload the message, which can be sent to the predefined contacts with a single button. This feature comes in handy for sending unobtrusive signals, notifications, or emergency alarms to someone. It is always better to send a coherent message rather than just using the SOS alarm feature.
Two-Way Communication
Some boat trackers provide you with the feature of two-way communication. You can use this feature to send a direct message to a contact and receive a reply from them. It is one of the best features as it makes your tracker equivalent to a cell phone. The two-way communication could be either by message or by calling.
User-Friendly Mapping
It is one of the main factors in choosing your boat tracker. You need to check how your chosen tracker displays your positions. While some trackers don’t have a mapping portal and integrate with mapping apps, other trackers have their own mapping portal with a brilliant user interface. You get to see all the details of signs and locations on their maps.
Why do you need a boat tracker?
A boat tracker is precisely used to track the locations of boats and other watercraft. However, you can use it as a multipurpose device in your daily routine. A boat tracker can be helpful in many ways. Here are some of the best advantages of using a boat tracker:
Safety
If you are using a boat for transportation, safety should be the primary step for yourself and your family. A boat GPS tracker provides you with accurate location and alerts. You can monitor where your family members travel through a boat and guide them for necessary safety measures accordingly. It is the best device that can even work underwater.
Routes
With a boat tracker, you can keep track of the routes where you or your family travels. This way you can analyze the better and safer routes that are appropriate for your boat as well. Moreover, you can save fuel when you have good knowledge about the paths.
Save time and money
Choosing appropriate tools can help in saving your time and money. A boat GPS tracker can prove to be a cost-effective device as it has multifaceted functions at an affordable price. You can use the tracker to find your paths, and it may reduce the expenditure in your day-to-day task or business.
Help in emergencies
As the alert system in boat trackers has improved with time, it is a godsend to you in case of emergencies. With your boat tracker, you can easily contact your dear ones or any emergency service through the SOS alert or two-way communication features.
Durability
Although a boat tracker has no direct effect on the life of your boat, yet it helps you to keep your boat safer and damage-free. With the help of a boat tracker, you know when and where you should travel. You get a good idea of the conditions of the routes and prevent your vessels from getting damaged.
Help in spying
You can use a boat tracker to keep an eye on someone suspicious. If you think anyone is befooling you and you want to know their real intentions, you can use the tracker to spy on them. For instance, if someone is using your boat for smuggling illegal goods, the tracker may help you find it out with their locations and suspicious actions.
FAQs
Where should I install a boat tracker?
Mostly, the boat trackers are portable devices. You can keep them anywhere they fit. It could be a pocket, bag, toolbox, etc. If the tracker is a fixed type, you can attach it to your watercraft with the help of a magnetic mount case.
What is the location update interval for a boat tracker?
A boat tracker may provide you the updates in (5,10,30, and 60)-minutes intervals. It depends on what brand you are choosing.
What is the weight of a boat tracker?
Generally, a boat tracker weighs between 3 to 5 ounces.
Carson Rogers is a technology writer and reviewer. With over 5 years of experience in the industry, he has established himself as an expert in the technology niche. His passion for all things tech and his keen eye for detail enable him to provide thorough and insightful product reviews that help readers make informed decisions. Carson enjoys hiking in his free time when he's not busy reviewing the latest gadgets. His love for the outdoors also inspires him to write about tech gadgets that are useful and make life convenient.