Questions, answered.
How a ride on the bay works, how a home or a building gets its own stop, how boats and captains join, and how to invest. Sorted by who is asking.
69 questions, sorted by who is asking.
Riders
Private boats on demand, dock to dock across Biscayne Bay and the Miami River. What a ride is like, what it costs, and how to get on the list.
Where does the boat pick me up?
At a dock, always. Every pickup and drop-off is at a registered dock: a public stop on the rider map, or a private dock you have access to, like your building's or your home's. A person reviews every dock before it goes live.
How many people fit on one Nava boat?
Up to 6 guests, the US Coast Guard limit for an uninspected boat carrying passengers for hire. Every ride is private: your group only, no strangers on board. Bigger groups ride on more than one boat.
How much does a private boat ride cost?
The app shows the fare for each boat size before you request. Fares are a base plus distance and time, with a minimum for each size, and can rise on the busiest nights. Where a marina charges a dock fee, it is added to your total. See the fare table.
How do I pay for a ride, and can I tip?
In the app. Your card is authorized when a captain accepts and charged when the trip is complete, so nothing changes hands on the dock. After the ride you can rate the trip and add a tip, and the tip goes to your captain.
Can I cancel a ride?
Yes, in the app. Canceling is free until a captain accepts your ride; once a captain accepts, a cancellation fee applies. If the captain cancels, you are not charged.
Who drives the boat, and are rides insured?
A USCG-licensed captain who has passed a background check and been reviewed by a person. Captains are independent and boats are independently owned. Captains and boat owners carry their own insurance, as drivers do on rideshare apps, and every boat needs an insurance certificate on file before its first trip. What Nava checks.
Residents and buildings
Homes and condos on the water already have the dock. A private Nava stop makes it your way out: you and your guests board downstairs, and nobody else can book to it.
How can I get picked up at home?
If your home has a dock, register it as a private Nava stop. Captains pick you and your guests up at your dock and bring you back, and the dock never appears on the public map. It is free to list and takes about five minutes on the web. How it works for homes.
Can a boat pick me up from the dock in my backyard?
Yes, once the dock is registered as a private stop and a person has reviewed its approach. Every Nava pickup happens at a dock: the boat ties up alongside and you step aboard. If your home has no dock, use the nearest public stop on the map. Register your dock.
Who can use my private dock?
Only you and the people you give access to. Guests get an access key for your dock and enter it in the Nava app; without one, nobody can book a boat to it, and it never shows on the rider map.
What does it cost to list my home or condo dock?
Nothing. Listing is free and private docks carry no fee. Residents and guests pay for their own rides in the app, like any rider.
Will boats come and go from my dock all day?
No. A private stop only sees trips that you, your residents or your invited guests request, on the hours you give us during review. You can pause the dock any time from the partner dashboard.
Can my guests come to my place by boat?
Yes. Give them access to your dock and they can book a boat to it from any stop on the map, then ride home the same way. They arrive at your dock, without a car in your driveway.
What kind of dock works for a Nava pickup?
A fixed or floating dock with room for a boat to come alongside for a minute. You tell us the longest boat it can take, and a person confirms the approach during review. Lifts and davits are fine as long as there is a clear face to tie to.
Do I have to be home for a pickup at my dock?
No. If you have given a guest access, they can request a boat to or from your dock on the hours you set, whether or not you are there.
Who should register a condo dock, the manager or the board?
Whoever is authorized to speak for the dock. Proof of authority is uploaded on the dashboard after signup, and the dock is held for review until a person clears it.
Can our building's dock be public later?
Yes. Tell us during review, or write to info@ridenava.com any time after. A public stop appears on the rider map as a destination anyone can book to, on the hours you set.
Do we need staff or equipment at the dock?
No. Captains handle the approach, the lines and the boarding, and there is nothing to install. You tell us the hours the dock takes boats during review.
Boat owners and fleets
One boat you drive yourself, or a fleet with hired captains. How a boat gets on Nava, what it takes, and how the money moves.
How do I sign up my boat with Nava?
Apply on the owners page with the boat, where it lives and whether you drive it. Then sign in to the owner portal with your phone, add the boat with photos, and put its registration, insurance and Coast Guard papers on file. A person reviews every boat before its first trip. Apply for your boat.
What do I need to list my boat?
Florida registration or USCG documentation, an insurance certificate, and photos of the boat and its home dock. You also need a USCG-licensed captain with a current license and a passed background check: you, or someone you add. What it takes.
How do I add a captain to my boat?
In the owner portal, invite the captain by phone number and set their share per ride. They accept the invitation in the captain portal, and they need a current license and a passed background check before they can go online. Owner portal.
How do I get paid for trips on my boat?
Fares are captured when a trip completes. Finix, the payments platform Nava uses, settles the boat's side to your bank on its daily schedule, and the app shows every trip and its split. You connect your bank in the app.
Which Nava tier is my boat?
Length and capacity decide it, and a person confirms during review. A 25 ft center console is NavaGo. A 45 ft express cruiser is NavaLuxe. Fifty feet and up with a cabin is NavaPrime. See the fare table.
Do I need my own captain, or can I drive my boat myself?
Either. If you hold a USCG license you can drive it yourself and keep the whole 84 percent side. If not, add a captain you trust and agree on a share per ride.
I already charter my boat. Does Nava get in the way?
No. Nava dispatches a trip only when your captain is online in the app, so charters keep their days and Nava fills the rest.
Who pays for fuel and upkeep?
The boat does, as with any charter, and the fare table was set with those costs in mind. When a hired captain runs the boat, owner and captain settle fuel between themselves.
How many passengers can my boat carry on Nava?
Up to 6 guests per trip. That is the US Coast Guard limit for an uninspected boat carrying passengers for hire, and Nava enforces it on every request.
Can I list more than one boat?
Yes. Add each boat in the owner portal and invite the captains you approve, each with their own share per ride. The split is fixed the moment a captain accepts a trip, and owner and captain are each paid their part.
Nava has not launched yet. Why apply with my boat now?
Boats are reviewed ahead of launch so they can take trips on day one. Applying costs nothing.
Captains
Independent, USCG-licensed captains run every Nava trip, on their own boat or an owner's. How to get on the water, what is checked, and how you are paid.
What license do I need to captain for Nava?
A current USCG credential for carrying passengers for hire, such as an OUPV (six-pack) license. We confirm the license type and its expiration date during review, and a lapsed license cannot go online.
Is there a background check for captains?
Yes. Every captain passes a background check, and a person verifies the license and a government ID, before the captain can go online. What Nava checks.
Do I need my own boat to captain for Nava?
No. Boat owners on Nava invite captains and agree on a split with them before any trip. If you do own a boat, add it and captain it yourself.
Can I choose when I work?
Yes. Requests come to the app only while you are online, and you accept the ones you want.
What insurance do I need as a captain?
You carry your own insurance, the way drivers do on rideshare apps, and the boat needs an insurance certificate on file before its first trip. The captain agreement you sign during onboarding sets out what you carry.
Where do I pick up riders?
Always at a dock: public stops on the rider map, and the private docks of homes and buildings that have registered. A person reviews every dock's approach, and the size of boat it can take, before it goes live.
How many passengers can I carry on a Nava trip?
Up to 6, the Coast Guard limit for an uninspected boat carrying passengers for hire. Nava enforces it on every request, so a larger group rides on more than one boat.
When can I start running trips?
Nava is launching in Miami. Captains who apply now are reviewed first and are the first to run trips. Already applied? Your paperwork lives in the captain portal. Captain portal.
Docks and venues
Restaurants, bars, hotels, marinas, yacht and beach clubs, event venues: any waterfront place with a dock a boat can tie up to. How a dock becomes a stop.
How do I list my dock on Nava?
Register on the web: verify your phone, enter the dock's address, and tell us the longest boat it can take. It takes about five minutes, and a person reviews the approach before the dock goes live. See the dock types.
Does it cost anything to list a dock?
No. Listing is free, and there is nothing to install and nothing to staff.
Can my marina charge a dock fee?
Yes. Marinas and fuel docks can set a fee per pickup and per drop-off once their payout account is connected, after launch, in the Nava Dock app. It is collected with the rider's fare and settled to the marina's bank through Finix, and the partner dashboard lists every fee. For marinas.
Do restaurants, hotels or clubs get paid per trip?
No. Restaurants, bars, hotels, clubs, venues, condos and homes list for free and carry no fee; only marinas and fuel docks can charge one. What a public stop brings is guests who arrive by water and walk straight in.
Public or private: who can book a boat to my dock?
Your choice. A public stop appears on the rider map as a destination anyone can book to, on your hours. A private stop never appears on the map, and only people you give access to can book to it.
Do we need staff on the dock?
No. Captains handle the approach, the lines and the boarding. You tell us the hours the dock takes boats during review, and you can pause it any time from the partner dashboard.
Can we pause the dock for a private event?
Yes. You give us the hours the dock takes boats during review, and you can pause it from the partner dashboard for a private event, a regatta or a busy service.
What kind of dock qualifies?
A fixed or floating dock a boat can tie up to for a minute or two, with an approach a captain can make safely. You tell us the longest boat it can take; a person reviews the rest.
How many guests can arrive at our dock at once?
Up to six per boat, with boats landing minutes apart on your hours. Guests book their own rides, so a busy night spreads across many captains rather than one shuttle.
Can guests book a boat home from my restaurant?
Yes. A public stop works in both directions: guests request the ride from their table and board at your dock.
Nava has not launched yet. Why register our dock now?
Docks are reviewed and mapped ahead of launch so they are live on day one. Your account is real the moment you verify your phone, and you sign in to the partner dashboard with the same number. There is nothing to pay. Partner sign in.
Investors
Nava is building the on-demand water network for Miami. How to see the deck, who to talk to, and where the company stands.
Can I see the Nava pitch deck?
Yes. Join the investor list on the investors page with your name, email and firm, and Theo follows up with the full deck and the financial model. Join the investor list.
Why is Nava starting in Miami?
Miami lives on the water. Homes, condo towers, restaurants, marinas and venues line Biscayne Bay and the Miami River, many with their own dock, and the bay connects them. Nava turns those docks into stops.
Ask us anything.
Not on the list? Ask it here, tell us who is asking, and the Nava team replies by email.