Afloat Plan Home: Mobile App Rescue and Backend Stabilisation

Afloat Plan Home is a boating safety app used to help people share float plans and keep emergency contacts informed. When the product ran into serious technical issues, Sirius Signal asked Eager Logic to help stabilise the app, restore confidence in the platform and improve the experience for new users. The work covered backend reliability, security-related improvements and a clearer onboarding journey.

The Crisis

When Sirius Signal's app ran into serious technical issues, we got to work quickly. The root cause was a complex backend problem, caused by a mix of factors including the need for scalable AWS instances and a surge in bot-driven spam traffic. We focused on fixing the immediate issues and restoring Afloat Plan Home's core services.

Smooth Sailing Ahead

We addressed the backend challenges with a practical set of improvements, including notifications, auto-scaling configurations and stronger security measures to reduce unwanted access. These changes resolved the immediate crisis and left the app in a far stronger position for the future.

From Profit to Purpose

As the project evolved, Sirius Signal saw the potential for Afloat Plan Home to do even more. Because of its role in keeping people safe, they moved the app into a non-profit entity, Afloat Plan Home Ltd. We were glad to keep supporting its development.

Redefining the Onboarding Journey

Since the initial overhaul, we have continued improving Afloat Plan Home. We simplified the onboarding journey so new users can get started more easily. The setup process is clearer, which helps people file float plans and add emergency contacts without unnecessary friction.

What We Did

• Backend stabilisation
• AWS and scaling improvements
• Spam and security hardening
• Onboarding improvements
• Ongoing product support

Key Features: Safeguarding Every Voyage

Afloat Plan Home offers essential features to enhance boating safety:

• Quickly file a float plan to inform others of your intended voyage.
• Add emergency contacts for immediate assistance in case of distress.
• Emergency contacts can track your progress on a map, giving them up-to-date visibility of your whereabouts.
• If you don't end your trip within 15 minutes of the due period, contacts are notified by SMS, enabling swift action in case of unexpected delays.

Outcomes

• Restored a safety-critical product: Resolved the immediate backend issues that had stopped the app working properly and brought core services back into a stable state.
• Improved platform resilience: Auto-scaling, notification and security improvements left the app in a stronger position to handle ongoing use more reliably.
• Made onboarding easier for new users: Simplifying the setup flow made it easier for people to file float plans and add emergency contacts without unnecessary friction.
• Supported the product's next phase: The work helped move Afloat Plan Home onto a stronger footing as it continued evolving under a dedicated non-profit entity.

Conclusion: A Beacon of Safety

Afloat Plan Home is an important safety tool for recreational boaters in the US and Canada. Working closely with Sirius Signal, we helped stabilise the platform, strengthen its backend and improve the experience for new users. The result is a more reliable app that helps people head out on the water with greater confidence.