Float Plan

A float plan is a recreational-boating itinerary a skipper leaves with a trusted shore contact before departing: vessel description and registration, persons on board, intended route, departure and expected return times, and what to do if the boat is overdue. It is not a statutory commercial document; it is a small-craft safety practice promoted by the US Coast Guard and equivalent bodies so a search can start quickly with a known last position. The contact, not a coast station, holds it and raises the alarm if the return deadline passes.