A free trial is the cheapest evaluation you will ever run, and the easiest to waste. Most trials go the same way: someone in the office signs up, clicks through the sample data, builds one checklist, gets pulled into other work, and the trial expires before anyone on a ship has touched it. The decision then goes back to the brochure and the demo. Fourteen days is enough to learn what matters, as long as you test on a real vessel, with real crew, in the conditions where software usually fails. That means no signal in the engine room, a surveyor who wants a report without logging in, officers with different permissions, and a crew with no shore team standing behind them. This guide sets out what to test first, in what order, and how to decide at the end. Marine Inspection's trial runs for 14 days with full access to every feature, so you can start your free trial and follow the plan below day by day.

One vessel, fourteen days, four tests

Skip the sample data. Put the app in the hands of the people who will use it at sea, and test the four things a demo cannot prove.

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Trial pass14 days
Vessels1 real ship
UsersCrew and office
DataYour checklists
Tests4 core
T1 OfflineT2 ReportsT3 PermissionsT4 Crew use

Have these ready before you sign up

A trial clock starts at sign-up, so spend half an hour preparing first. Clear objectives and the right people in the trial matter more than which features you click on. If you have not yet spoken to vendors, our 20 demo call questions are a useful first filter.

3People
  • A master or chief officer on a vessel that will be in port or on a short passage
  • A chief engineer for the maintenance side
  • A superintendent who will review from shore
3Pieces of data
  • Two checklists you actually use, such as a weekly safety round and a PSC pre-arrival check
  • The vessel's equipment list or main machinery list
  • One recent inspection report, to compare the output against
4Pass criteria
  • Offline inspection syncs with original timestamps
  • Report readable without a login
  • Each role sees only what it should
  • Crew complete inspections without prompting

The 14-day test plan

Each day has one job, and the hardest tests come early while there is still time to repeat them. The colours group the days into five phases. If a vessel's schedule slips, move the whole block rather than skipping a phase.

Day 1Create the vessel, import the equipment list, add users
Day 2Load your two checklists and assign roles
Day 3Brief the crew on board, run the first inspection online
Day 4Offline test: airplane mode, full inspection with photos
Day 5Reconnect, check the sync, test two users editing at once
Day 6Generate the PDF report on board and send it to shore
Day 7Mid-point review call with vessel and office
Day 8Raise a defect and follow it through to a closed work order
Day 9Permissions test: log in as each role
Day 10Give a guest inspector limited access
Day 11Stop helping. The crew use it unassisted
Day 12Count usage and collect three pieces of crew feedback
Day 13Export your data and check what comes out
Day 14Complete the decision sheet: pilot, extend or stop
SetupOfflineReports and permissionsReal crew useDecide

The four tests that matter most

Everything else in a trial is nice to know. These four decide whether the software will work on your ships. Run them as written and record the result, not an impression.

T1Offline captureDays 4–5
How to run it
  1. Put a crew phone or tablet in airplane mode.
  2. Complete a real checklist in the engine room or a cargo space, with at least ten photos, a signature and one defect.
  3. Leave the device offline for several hours, then reconnect.
  4. From shore, check every item, photo and timestamp.
Pass ifEverything arrives, nothing is duplicated, and times show when the work was done, not when it synced.
Watch forLogin prompts while offline, missing photos, or timestamps that match the sync time.
T2Report outputDay 6
How to run it
  1. Generate the PDF report on board, while still offline.
  2. Send it to the superintendent and compare it with your current report.
  3. Check the photos, signature, vessel details and finding numbers.
  4. Ask whether a surveyor or charterer could use it as it is.
Pass ifAn outsider can read the report without a login, and it replaces your current format rather than adding to it.
Watch forReports viewable only in the portal, cropped or compressed photos, or no signature block.
T3PermissionsDays 9–10
How to run it
  1. Create users for the master, chief engineer, a junior officer, the superintendent and one outside inspector.
  2. Log in as each one in turn.
  3. Try to edit a closed record, approve your own deferral, and open another vessel.
  4. Check what the audit history shows afterwards.
Pass ifEach role sees and approves only what your SMS allows, and every change to a closed record is traced.
Watch forAdvice to share one ship login, or closed records that change with no trace. See our guide to role-based access.
Want help setting up the trial vessel? Our team can load your checklists and equipment list and create your users, so the fourteen days go on testing, not setup.
Book a setup call Start free trial
T4Real crew usageDays 11–13
How to run it
  1. After the briefing, stop prompting the crew.
  2. Count the inspections completed without help over three days, and by how many different people.
  3. Ask three crew members for one thing they would change.
  4. Compare the time per inspection with your paper or current system.
Pass ifRoutine inspections carry on without anyone ashore chasing them, and more than one person on board uses the app.
Watch forOnly the person who set up the trial ever logs in. Our crew training plan helps if uptake is slow.

What a healthy trial looks like

Usage over the fourteen days tells you more than any feature list. In a healthy trial, activity climbs through the setup and testing days and holds up once the shore team steps back on day 11. In a stalled trial it peaks during setup and fades once the novelty wears off.

Inspections logged per day, two example trials
Crew unassisted 0246 13579111314
Healthy trialStalled trialDay of trial

Illustrative example, not customer data. The shaded area marks days 11 to 13, when the shore team stops prompting the crew.

How trials get wasted, and the fix

Each of these turns a fourteen-day evaluation into a two-day click-through. They are easy to avoid if you know them in advance.

Testing only in the office
Put the app on a ship in week one. Office Wi-Fi hides every offline problem.
Using the sample data
Load your own checklists on day 2. Sample data always works.
One enthusiastic user
Count how many different people use it, not how many inspections are logged.
No pass criteria
Write the four pass statements down before you start, then score against them.
Letting it expire quietly
Book the day-14 decision in the calendar on day 1. Ask for an extension if a vessel's schedule slips.

Close the trial with a decision sheet

A trial should end in a decision, not a feeling. Record each test result, the evidence behind it and what happens next. Here is a completed example. For comparing several platforms, carry these results into our vendor evaluation scorecard.

Trial decision sheetExample: one bulk carrier, 14 days
T1 Offline capturePassEngine room round with 14 photos synced after six hours offline, with original times
T2 Report outputPassSuperintendent accepted the PDF in place of the current Word template
T3 PermissionsPartialRoles correct. Guest inspector access needs narrowing before rollout
T4 Real crew usagePassNine inspections by four crew members over days 11 to 13, without prompting
Decision: move to a paid single-vessel pilot, fix guest access, then evaluate for the fleet.

A trial proves the software works on one ship. A pilot proves it works in your operation. Our single-vessel pilot guide covers that next step, and if you are replacing a current system, plan the switch around your survey calendar.

Frequently asked questions

Is fourteen days long enough to evaluate inspection software?
For one vessel and the four core tests, yes, if you prepare before signing up. Complex business software can need longer, so ask for an extension if a port call or passage moves your test days.
Should we trial on more than one vessel?
Start with one. A second vessel doubles the setup and splits attention. Add more vessels in the paid pilot once the four tests pass.
Do we get the full product during the Marine Inspection trial?
Yes. The 14-day trial includes every feature, and our team can help set up your account and trial vessel.
What happens to our trial data if we continue?
It stays in your account, so inspections and history from the trial carry straight into the paid plan. Check the export on day 13 either way, so you know what leaving would look like.
Start your 14-day trial on a real vessel

Full access to every feature, help with setup if you want it, and no setup or hardware fees on paid plans.

14 daysAll featuresAssisted setupCancel any time
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