Dockwa Dispatch: February 2026

Introducing Bulk Messaging in Dockwa

Dockwa’s new bulk messaging tool makes it simple to send mass messages to select boaters or everyone docked at your marina tonight.

Note: Bulk messaging actions are limited to Admin and Dockmaster roles to prevent accidental marina‑wide blasts.

Who benefits from this update

Dockmasters and marina managers

Dockmasters and managers are often the ones who need to communicate operational changes quickly—weather delays, dock closures, maintenance schedules, facility access, security alerts, courtesy reminders, you name it.

With bulk messaging, dockmasters can:

• Reach all affected boats in just a few clicks, instead of relaying instructions through staff or sending individual messages, one boater at a time.
• Target messages to a specific dock or reservation type.

Front office and reservations staff

Outbound communication is often managed by front office teams, who spend valuable time sending one-off messages to boaters.

The new bulk messaging experience helps front office staff:

• Draft a message once and send it to multiple recipients directly within the Dockwa workspace, saving you time on repetitive communications.
• Reduce errors and missed contacts by using filters and Select All across pages, instead of tracking ad‑hoc lists in spreadsheets or notebooks.

Owners and operators

For owners and senior operators, the goal is consistent, reliable communication without overloading the team.

The updated bulk messaging tool supports this by:

• Making it easy to enforce communication standards (who can send what, and to whom) through role‑based permissions.
• Providing a repeatable way to keep boaters informed during busy weekends, weather events, or policy changes, without adding headcount.

Boaters and members

For your boaters, it’s simply clearer, more timely updates from your marina.

With bulk messaging, your boaters:

• Receive consistent information at the same time as everyone else affected, rather than hearing news secondhand on the dock.
• Get fewer, more relevant messages, because staff can target the right boaters with the right content.

Not using Dockwa to manage your reservations? We’d love to show you around. Book a demo with one of our experts.

Key improvements at a glance

Audit Log for every launch

You now get a complete, searchable history of each launch—who did what, when, and why, with the ability to filter by boat, customer, or staff member. This gives you the paper trail you need for dispute resolution and damage claims, without digging through notes or camera footage.

Automatic boater notifications

Boaters are notified when their boat hits the water and when it’s back in the rack.
That means fewer status‑check phone calls and radios, and a more professional, predictable experience for your best customers.

“Ready to Return” priority handling

“Ready to Return” boats now float to the top of the launch queue with a clear visual treatment, and staff can set this status directly. Drivers instantly know which boats need to be stowed, reducing congestion at the dock and avoiding boats sitting idle in the water.

Enhanced launch cards for drivers

Launch cards now display boat make, model, length, and rack location, and link directly to the contract or reservation with visible notes. Drivers can prep the right equipment, find the correct rack on the first try, and see any special instructions, reducing calls back to the office.

Stronger protections on launched boats

Once a boat is in the water, it can no longer be canceled by mistake; it must be marked Returned or moved back to Scheduled to update status. This keeps your audit trail clean and your reporting accurate, even on hectic days.

Built‑in lunch break scheduling

You can now define a daily break window that blocks boaters from scheduling launches during driver downtime. No more manual workarounds to protect your team’s schedule.

Enhanced user experience

Scheduled / Launched / Returned labels remain pinned as you scroll long queues, making it easier to stay oriented on busy days. Default launch times now correctly jump to the next available future slot on the boater app, alongside a series of smaller usability fixes.

You asked, we listened

These updates were shaped by real feedback from high‑volume dry stack operations, and they’re designed to support the way your team already works today—and where you want to go next.

Who benefits from this update

Dockmasters and marina managers

Dockmasters are on the hook for safe, efficient daily operations and are often the point person for complaints or damage questions.

This update helps dockmasters and managers by:

• Giving them a defensible audit log when investigating damage, late fees, or “who moved this boat?” scenarios.
• Providing clearer prioritization in the queue so high‑priority moves (like “Ready to Return”) don’t get buried.
• Reducing the need to micromanage every launch over the radio, because the queue makes it obvious what needs to happen next.

Drivers, dockhands, and yard crew

Drivers and dockhands are moving boats all day; every missing detail costs time and increases risk.

For dockhands and yard crew, the new experience:

• Puts all key boat specs (make, model, length, rack location) right on the launch card so they can prep gear correctly and find boats faster.
• Highlights “Ready to Return” boats at the top of the queue, so they always know which vessels to stow first.
• Shows persistent contract notes and quick boat previews, meaning fewer trips back to the office and less guesswork at the forklift.

Front office and reservations staff

Front office teams field calls, manage reservations, and often take the brunt of boater frustration when communication breaks down.

This release helps front office staff:

• Cut down on “is my boat ready?” calls because boaters are notified automatically when boats are launched and returned.
• Answer status questions quickly using a clean queue with accurate, non‑cancelable launched states.
• Avoid manual break‑time workarounds when setting expectations for launch availability.

Boaters

While boaters may not see the back‑office tools, they feel the downstream impact in reliability and trust.

Frequent users of your dry stack service:

• Get timely notifications instead of having to chase updates.
• Experience fewer delays and mix‑ups because drivers and staff have complete at the point of action.
• See your marina as organized and professional—critical for retaining high‑value customers.

Not using Dockwa to manage your dry stack operation? We’d love to show you around. Book a demo with one of our experts.

What’s new with automated late fees

This release centers on three big improvements: flexible configuration, reliable automation, and crystal‑clear communication to boaters.

Flexible fee configuration

You can now configure late fees directly on your contracts, with options that match how your business already works.

• Contract‑level setup
  Configure late fees at the Contract Group level as your default, or override settings on individual contract quotes before they’re signed. This gives you a standard policy with room for exceptions when needed.
• Percentage or flat amount
  Choose between a percent fee (for example, 10% of the current invoice balance) or a flat dollar amount. Note: This fee is calculated once at the time it’s applied and does not recalculate if you later add items to the invoice.
• Clear grace periods
  Set a grace period to give boaters time to pay without penalty. After that window, the system adds the late fee automatically on eligible overdue invoices.

Automatic application on overdue invoices

Once configured, Dockwa handles the busywork of checking dues and applying fees.

• Daily checks, one fee per invoice
  Dockwa runs a daily job to find invoices that are past due and beyond the grace period, then adds a single late fee line item to each eligible invoice.
• Respect for manual overrides
  Late fees behave like regular line items: you can edit or remove them on individual invoices when you need to make an exception.

Built‑in boater communication

To avoid surprises, late fee terms and warnings are surfaced to boaters at multiple points.

• Before signing
  Contracts include late fee terms up front so boaters see them before they agree and sign.
• Before and after due dates
  Invoice reminder emails include a late fee disclaimer; overdue emails show a warning during the grace period; and when a late fee is applied, the boater receives an overdue email reflecting the fee.

How it works with existing and changing contracts

The feature is designed to work smoothly across new, existing, and evolving contracts.

• Existing signed contracts
  Marinas have the ability to add late fees on existing signed contracts from the reservation page. New late fee settings only affect invoices that become due after you turn them on—past‑due invoices won’t be retro‑charged.
• Turning fees off mid‑season
  You can remove late fees on a signed contract at any time. This stops future late fees from being assessed but does not remove any fees that were already charged.
• Contract changes and partial payments
  When contract terms change, new invoices generated after the change will use the updated late fee settings. For partial payments, Dockwa creates a new invoice for the remaining balance; if that new invoice becomes overdue past the grace period, the late fee is calculated on that remaining balance, not the original bill.

Who benefits from this update

Marina operators and managers

Operators are responsible for setting policy, keeping receivables under control, and maintaining customer relationships.

Automated late fees help marina operators by:

• Eliminating manual tracking and one‑off fee entry, so late fee enforcement is consistent rather than dependent on who’s working that day.
• Providing clear, documented terms that reduce disputes and make conversations about late payments more objective and policy‑driven.

Front office and billing staff

Front office and billing teams are often responsible for sending invoices, processing payments, and handling “why was I charged this?” calls.

For billing staff, this release:

• Automates the timing and calculation of late fees, so they no longer need to remember when each invoice crosses its grace period.
• Keeps exceptions under control by allowing manual overrides on specific invoices or contracts, without breaking the underlying automation.

Boaters

Boaters ultimately feel the impact of how fair and transparent your billing is.

For boaters, this update:

• Makes expectations clearer up front by showing late fee terms in the contract and in reminder emails, reducing surprise charges.
• Provides consistent treatment—if they pay within the grace period, there’s no fee; if they pay after, they can see exactly what was charged and why, right on the invoice.

Not using Dockwa to manage your contracts? We’d love to show you around. Book a demo with one of our experts.