CrewSettle Private pilot

For small share-based fishing boats

Turn fish tickets into crew settlements — without spreadsheets.

Take a photo of each fish ticket and receipt, check the numbers, and send every crew member a clear settlement slip. Built for skippers, owners and bookkeepers on boats that pay crew by share.

●Working prototype. Accounts, storage and delivery are not live yet, and no real trip data is accepted until the data terms are published.

Example

Trip settlement

F/V Northern Reach · Kodiak, AK · 2 fish tickets

Gross catch value$105,355.00
−Expenses before split$23,680.00
=Settlement basis$81,675.00
−Vessel/owner share (52%)$42,471.00
=Crew pool (48%)$39,204.00
÷Total crew shares6.1
=One share is worth$6,426.89

How it works

Three steps after every trip. The split and each man's shares are set up once from your crew agreement and remembered for the next trip.

  1. Snap the paperwork

    Fish tickets, fuel and bait receipts, invoices and lost gear. The app reads species, pounds, prices and totals from the photo, or you type them in.

  2. Check the numbers

    Every scanned number is checked against the photo before it counts. The app flags possible duplicate expenses and reconciles everything to the cent.

  3. Send the slips

    The owner approves, and each crew member gets a slip showing his share, his deductions and the tickets and receipts behind it.

Nothing hidden. For the crew or the skipper.

Settlement disputes usually come from numbers nobody can see. Here, everyone can check the same thing.

  • Every number has its paper. Crew can open the fish ticket or receipt behind each line once the settlement is ready.
  • Changes are logged. If an expense or a ticket changes after the settlement, the old and new amounts are shown. Nothing is changed quietly.
  • Personal deductions stay personal. Advances, license and gear come off one man's pay, not the crew share.
  • An honest skipper has proof. The same record that protects the crew protects the boat.

What it handles

  • Several fish tickets and species per trip
  • Expenses charged before the split, to the owner only, to the crew only, or by your own percentage
  • Lost gear: groundline, anchors, buoy line, buoys
  • Full and partial shares, advances and personal deductions
  • Warnings for possible duplicate expenses
  • A year-end 1099 preparation report to review with your accountant. The app does not file with the IRS.

Who it's for

Skippers

Finish the settlement while the trip is fresh, from your phone, without rebuilding a spreadsheet.

Owners

Consistent records for every boat, and a clear view of how proceeds and expenses were split.

Bookkeepers

Organized inputs with the photos attached, documented calculations, and year-end numbers ready for 1099s.

15years on autoline
longliners

Built by a Norwegian longline fisherman

I'm Thomas Brudvik. I've worked 15 years on autoline longliners, and I still go to sea on a six-weeks-on, six-weeks-off rotation. I know what a settlement looks like from the deck, and how much trust depends on it.

The goal is simple: make the settlement easier to prepare, easier to check, and easier for the crew to understand.Thomas Brudvik, founder

Your catch data stays yours

  • Never shared between boats, never sold, not even anonymized.
  • No fishing locations stored. The app doesn't need to know where you fish.
  • Crew see numbers only after the trip is landed and settled.
  • Export everything to a spreadsheet whenever you want.
  • Storage, deletion and data-handling terms will be published before any real trip data is accepted.

Set up for your crew agreement

Settlement rules differ from boat to boat. The split, how each expense is charged, and how shares are set must follow your own crew agreement, and the app is set up to match it. Tax questions belong with a qualified US accountant.

Join the private pilot

I'm looking for a few US boats to test the app on real settlements and tell me what doesn't fit.

Free during the pilot

Free through the pilot season. After that, founding boats pay $25 a month (or $250 a year), locked for as long as you stay. The regular price will be $40–50. No automatic subscription, and you can stop at any time.

5 boats this season. I set up and follow every pilot boat myself, so I'm keeping the pilot small.

A good pilot boat

  • Pays crew by share of the catch or proceeds
  • Normally fewer than 10 crew
  • Does settlements today in Excel, accounting software or by hand
  • Will run one settlement in the app next to the usual method and compare
  • Can give honest feedback after one trip

Apply in about two minutes

A short form: your name, your boat, your home port, and how you do settlements today. I read every application myself and reply within 24–48 hours.

Apply for the pilot ↗

The form opens in a new tab. Rather talk first? Email thomas@crewsettle.com or message me on WhatsApp.

Questions skippers ask

What if the scan reads a number wrong?

Every scanned number is shown next to the photo and has to be confirmed before it counts. You can correct anything, or type the ticket in by hand.

Who sees my catch data?

Only people on your boat that you invite: owner, skipper, bookkeeper and crew. Crew see their settlement after the trip is landed and settled. Data is never shared with other boats and never sold, and no fishing locations are stored.

Do I have to change how we split the catch?

No. The split, how each expense is charged, and each man's shares are set up to match your own crew agreement.

Does it file my 1099s?

No. It adds up each crew member's shares through the year and gives you a preparation report to review with your accountant, who files the forms.

Does it work offline at sea?

Not yet. Today you need a connection to add tickets and receipts. Offline use is planned, and pilot feedback decides how it should work.

What does it cost after the pilot?

The pilot is free through the pilot season. After that, founding pilot boats pay $25 a month (or $250 a year), locked for as long as they stay. The regular price will be around $40–50 per boat per month. Nothing is charged without your agreement.

What if I stop using it?

You can export everything to a spreadsheet at any time. During the pilot there is no subscription to cancel.

Apply for the pilot ↗

Questions? Get in touch.

I'm in Norway and part of the time at sea, so I answer within 24–48 hours. Email or WhatsApp works best.

Emailthomas@crewsettle.com
Phone / WhatsApp+47 457 72 218
Open WhatsApp