Every body of water in America — lakes, rivers, bays and coasts — on one free site.
Tap a state — live regions open now, the rest are in the works.
Wind, waves, tides and weather rolled into a single boating score with a straight verdict — figured for beginners through experts — so you know before you leave the dock.
One map per region: boat ramps, marina fuel, bait, dock-and-dine, storage, services. Every pin carries a phone number or a website, and every popup ends with directions. If it can't be cross-checked, it isn't on the map.
A calendar per region — boat shows, fishing tournaments, parades, sandbar parties and beach events, checked against the organizer before it posts. Event listings are always free.
Restaurants you can actually reach by boat — with dock details a boater needs: slip count, depth, whether the dock is theirs or the city's. No guessing from a parking-lot review site.
Vacation, monthly and yearly waterfront rentals — every one checked for a real dock a guest's boat can use. Cards click straight to the owner's own booking page. Owners and managers list free.
Checked every morning: the lowest ethanol-free and diesel prices around each region's ramps and marinas — because boaters drive out of their way for fuel, and a wrong price burns trust.
Translations are by Google Translate — a machine. Emergency numbers are the same in every language: 911 on land, VHF Channel 16 on the water.
The first-call list every boater in America needs — the same one we run in Tampa Bay, good on any water in the country.
Life-threatening emergency: 911
Distress on the water: VHF Channel 16 — say “Mayday” three times, then your boat name, your position, what’s wrong, and how many people are aboard. The Coast Guard monitors Channel 16 around the clock.
Poison Control: 800-222-1222
Fuel or oil spill: National Response Center 800-424-8802
Towing (not an emergency): TowBoatUS dispatch 800-391-4869 · Sea Tow members — dispatch through the Sea Tow app or your local franchise.
Before you go: file a float plan — tell someone on shore where you’re headed and when you’ll be back, and make sure someone aboard can run the boat and the radio.
16 distress & hailing · 9 hailing & bridge tenders · 22A Coast Guard working channel · 13 bridge-to-bridge
Boaters Nation is built to put all your boating information for your location on one free site — every body of water in America: lakes, rivers, bays and coasts. Local conditions, a boater's map, events, dock-and-dine, fuel prices and waterfront stays with docks — built region by region.
See exactly how every pin, price and rule gets checked: How we check →
Playlists for the water — pick a vibe, tap your service, and it opens in your Spotify or Apple Music app. The same playlists we run in Tampa Bay.
Zone numbers match the numbered zones on the map. A zone's percentage is the share of its catalogued waters fully cross-checked (WaterCheck) — measured, never estimated. Zones that aren't open yet are marked Coming soon. Updated Nov 5, 2026.
Tap your zone to join its waitlist — waitlists decide what opens next.
Free for boaters, always · No verified source, no pin — every feature below is checked the same way.
| Region | Boater’s map | Tides & forecast | Wave report | Today’s bite | Events calendar | New to Boating | State rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay, FL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Daily | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| New England | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Weekly | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chesapeake Bay | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Weekly | — | — | ✓ |
| Florida Atlantic | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Weekly | — | — | ✓ |
| Mid-Atlantic Coast | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Weekly | — | — | ✓ |
| Gulf Coast, FL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Weekly | — | — | ✓ |
| South Florida & the Keys | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Weekly | — | — | ✓ |
| Carolina Coast | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
Today’s bite: Tampa Bay’s report is written daily; the other regions’ reports are weekly — each card says which. Fuel: every open region maps its fuel docks. Prices are printed only where they’re re-checked on a schedule — today that’s Tampa Bay, where prices are verified daily with same-day rechecks on Tampa Bay Boating. Other regions show fuel docks without prices until they get the same treatment — a wrong price sends a boater across the bay for nothing.
One short email a week: new regions opening, the best events on America's waters, and local deals. No spam, ever.
Boaters