Johan D.

Review of The Mobile Company

Short version: Only use their Waterkaarten app if ...

Short version: Only use their Waterkaarten app if you don't mind that you will be damaged in your boat, because the map contains various gross errors.

Long version:
The ANWB has transferred the issue of the digital water map to this company. Only it is really made here. During an initial check I found several errors of varying severity. The worst mistakes can cause you serious damage to your ship, or an expensive salvage action must take place.

It starts with a trip in Friesland. According to the map, it is over 7 meters deep, which in itself is very unlikely. However, the locks are 2 meters deep, so you could conclude that you can sail here with a ship of 1.7 meters draft, for example. WRONG! If you do this, you are guaranteed to get stuck and your ship must be put on a low-loader with a crane. The canal has recently been dredged to a depth of 1.5 meters and therefore also has a permissible draft of 1.3 meters. And so I have already found more places where depth is not correctly indicated.

But it is also about the height of bridges. The map shows a bridge drawn in South Holland on a busy shipping line with a height of 2.45 meters. In reality, this bridge is barely 2.35 meters. And here too they have reported incorrect bridge heights in more places. But I have also found a canal (where even commercial shipping comes) where they do not even know that there is a bridge, even if it has been around since 2009!

Will The Mobile Company reimburse the costs if you are damaged by their mistakes? No, they must have covered themselves against that.

But there are also minor errors. For example, the Waterkaarten app is useless if you are looking for a place to moor. Apparently, an inhibition work for a bridge or lock can also be used or a place where only commercial shipping is allowed. But they have also invented various mooring places where nothing can be found, not even nearby and may never have existed.

But they also do not know the operating times in various places, or not the costs of a port, or no idea of the tourist tax, and so on.

Yes, you can forward improvements to them. That is a smart idea, you pay for an app for which you have to provide the information for free and / or correct the errors. And the risk? That is entirely up to you.

Therefore, this app is of no use, even if it were free, I would advise against it because of the big mistakes it contains.