THE REASON BEHIND SENSEAFLOAT
Because trouble can start while you're away.
A boat doesn't have to be underway to take on water. Some of the most consequential leaks begin quietly at the slip, long before someone notices a problem.
Our goal: clearer awareness of high water where it matters. SenseaFloat is in development, not yet a certified safety system.
WHERE SINKING CLAIMS OCCURREDBOATUS · 2012 SAMPLE
69%
of sinking claims happened
at a dock or mooring
Dock / mooring 69%Underway 31%
Historical BoatUS insurance-claim sample, not the share of all U.S. boats that sink each year. Source & methodology ↓
THE DOCKSIDE REALITY
It often starts with something small.
In the same BoatUS claim analysis, 39% of dockside sinkings were linked to wear, tear, or corrosion. A deteriorating hose, fitting, or seal can allow water into the bilge. A pump may manage the water for a while, but that does not repair the source of the leak.
Read the BoatUS findings- A SMALL FAILURE
A part weakens
Wear, corrosion, or a loose connection creates a path for water.
- UNNOTICED ENTRY
Water enters the bilge
The level can rise while no one is watching the boat.
- ESCALATING RISK
Pumping isn't enough
A pump may lose power, fail, or be overwhelmed as the leak continues.
This sequence illustrates a possible failure path; it does not describe every sinking. Inspection and functioning bilge pumping remain essential.
U.S. COAST GUARD · 2024
The scale of water-related incidents.
Coast Guard Table 17 records how often these event types appeared within federally reportable recreational boating incidents in 2024.
What these numbers mean: They are event occurrences in reportable incidents, not a national count of individual boats that sank. Categories can overlap. The associated damage amounts must not be added together or described as insurance payouts.
THE FINANCIAL STAKES
A sinking can become an insurance claim.
Water damage creates exposure for boat owners and insurers alike. State Farm reported more than 14,000 boat claims and over $118 million paid from 2017 through 2021. Sinking accounted for approximately 10% of its boat claims during that period.
These are all boat-claim totals, not a figure for sinking-only payments or losses prevented by an alarm. Public data do not establish how many sinkings early detection would have prevented.
Read State Farm's claims summarySTATE FARM 2017–2021 · FIVE-YEAR TOTALS
14,000+
boat claims
$118M+
paid on boat claims
~10%of claims involved sinking, across the same period
WHY WE'RE DEVELOPING SENSEAFLOAT
Know when the water level changes.
The premise is simple: when a high-water float switch activates, the condition should be visible and easy to understand.
SenseaFloat is being developed around a round marine display with a teal / blue-green normal status and an unmistakable red high-water alarm state, alongside a planned external alarm output.
Important: Early warning only helps when an alarm is observed and acted on. SenseaFloat is not a bilge pump, leak repair, substitute for maintenance, or guaranteed safeguard against sinking. Hardware, wiring, and alarm-output performance are still being validated.
VISUAL ALARM CONCEPT NOT A LIVE DEVICE
NORMAL
LOW WATER
LOW WATER
ALARM
HIGH WATER
HIGH WATER
Conceptual visual states. Final production behavior and electronics are under development.
TRANSPARENT RESEARCH
The sources behind the “why.”
We distinguish historical insurance-claim samples from nationwide incident reporting. All figures are dated and presented in the scope in which they were reported.
01
BoatUS · 2014 findings from 2012 insurance claimsDock/mooring share (69%) and dockside wear, tear and corrosion (39%)
↗02U.S. Coast Guard · Recreational Boating Statistics 2024Table 17 · event occurrences and associated property damage
↗03State Farm · March 2022 newsroom release2017–2021 aggregate boat claims, payments, and sinking share
↗Historical figures do not predict an individual boat's risk, and the page makes no claim about a quantified reduction in sinking risk or insurance premiums from using SenseaFloat.
THE NEXT STEP
Have a question about high-water awareness?
Talk with WaterWorld about SenseaFloat, prototype development, installation planning, or dealer opportunities. Regional inquiries: Las Vegas, NV and Phoenix, AZ.