In Skippo, you can see both AIS boats and “Skippo boats” directly on the chart. It’s a handy way to get an overview of boats in the area – but it’s also common that some boats don’t appear. Here’s why.
What is AIS?
AIS stands for Automatic Identification System. It shows other vessels in real time – like a digital radar. AIS works by having a transmitter on board that sends signals via VHF, which are picked up by the Swedish Maritime Administration’s receiver stations.
What are Skippo boats?
Skippo boats are recreational boats that share their GPS location through the Skippo app. They appear with a yellow icon on the chart – but only if:
- The user is near the water
- The Skippo app is active on their device
- They have granted location sharing permissions to the app
Common reasons why boats may not appear:
- You’re not connected to the internet (AIS data requires an online connection)
- The Skippo app doesn’t have access to your location
- The boat is out of range or in a radio shadow
- The user has disabled location sharing
- The Skippo app is not running in the background on their device
- The boat has no AIS transmitter and is not an active Skippo boat
- The boat is filtered out in your chart settings (check your filters)
- Our providers may filter out boats for privacy reasons
Tips: How to find boats in Skippo
- Go to Chart settings and make sure boats are enabled
- Search for a boat by name, MMSI, or callsign in My Skippo
- Tap on a boat to see more details: position, status, and the option to follow it
Good to know
AIS and Skippo boats are helpful tools – but should always be used with good judgment and seamanship.