My Outboards & Outboard Passport Help Centre

Welcome to the Outboardbits Help Centre. This guide explains how to manage your outboard engines, maintain their records and understand Outboard Passports.

Whether you own one small outboard or several engines, My Outboards provides a place to organise your engine information. An Outboard Passport provides a dedicated identity and record for an individual engine, designed to preserve its history over its lifetime.

Use the sections below to learn how the system works.

Find Help by Topic

Getting Started with My Outboards
Adding and Editing an Outboard
Understanding Outboard Passports
Creating a Passport and Using QR Codes
Understanding Engine Status
Recording Servicing and Maintenance
Engine History and Installation Records
Photos, Receipts and Supporting Documents
Public and Private Passport Information
Transferring a Passport to a New Owner
Frequently Asked Questions
Keeping Your Records Useful

1. Getting Started with My Outboards

What is My Outboards?

My Outboards is your personal register of outboard engines. It allows you to record information about engines you own or manage.

Depending on the fields available, you can record technical specifications, purchase information, installation details and service information.

How do I open My Outboards?

Create an OutboardHome account or log in to your existing account.
Open My Outboards from the website menu.
View your existing engine records or choose the option to add an outboard.
Select an engine when you want to view or update its information.

Can I register more than one engine?

Yes. You can keep multiple engines in your personal register, including main engines and auxiliary outboards.

Is My Outboards the same as an Outboard Passport?

No. My Outboards is your personal engine register. An engine can be recorded in My Outboards without having a Passport.

An Outboard Passport is an additional record associated with an individual engine.

2. Adding and Editing an Outboard

How do I add an engine?

Log in to your OutboardHome account.
Open My Outboards.
Select Add Your Outboard.
Enter the available engine information.
Check your entries and save the record.

Complete as much information as you can. You can return later to update details where editing is available.

What information should I enter?

Useful information includes:

Manufacturer and model
Year of manufacture, if known
Horsepower
Serial number
Engine type and technical specifications
Shaft length
Starting system and steering type
Purchase date and price
Original supplying dealer
Current boat or installation details
Engine hours
Service and maintenance information

The exact fields available may depend on the version of the system.

Why is the serial number important?

The serial number helps identify the physical engine. Enter it carefully and check it against the manufacturer’s identification plate.

Do not assume that two engines with the same make, model and horsepower are the same individual engine.

How do I edit an existing engine?

Open My Outboards.
Find the engine you want to change.
Open its details and select the available edit option.
Update the relevant fields.
Save your changes.

Always check that you are editing the correct engine.

Can I add a photograph?

Where the photo controls are available, use them to add an image of the engine. A clear photograph can help identify the engine and make its record more useful.

Make sure the photograph shows the correct engine and does not unintentionally reveal personal information.

3. Understanding Outboard Passports

What is an Outboard Passport?

An Outboard Passport is a dedicated record for an individual outboard engine. It is designed to preserve the engine’s identity and recorded history over its lifetime.

The central idea is simple: the Passport belongs to the engine, not permanently to the boat on which it is installed.

An outboard can be removed from one boat and fitted to another. Its identity and recorded history can remain associated with that engine.

What can a Passport contain?

Depending on the information recorded and the features available, a Passport can include:

A unique Passport identity
A QR code linking to its public record
Engine specifications and photographs
Original dealer information
Recorded service and maintenance history
Repairs and parts replacements
Installation history
Ownership-transfer history
Supporting documents where available

The completeness of the record depends on the information entered and the supporting evidence supplied.

Does every engine need a Passport?

No. You can use My Outboards without creating a Passport for every engine.

A Passport is an additional option for an engine whose identity and history you want to maintain over time.

Is the Passport attached to the boat?

No. The Passport is associated with the individual engine. If that engine moves to another boat, the engine’s Passport should remain with it.

This helps distinguish an engine’s lifetime history from the history of any particular boat.

Does a Passport prove that an engine is genuine or mechanically sound?

A Passport preserves recorded information, but it does not automatically certify an engine’s authenticity, condition or service history.

Buyers should check serial numbers, inspect the engine and consider the supporting evidence. A recorded service entry is not necessarily an independently verified service.

4. Understanding Engine Status

The My Outboards list can help you distinguish between engines that have a Passport and those that do not.

My Outboard Only

This means the engine is recorded in My Outboards but does not have an active Passport associated with it.

You can still use its personal engine record to organise the information available to you.

Passport Active

This indicates that the engine has an active Passport.

The Passport provides a dedicated identity and can hold recorded engine information and history.

Transfer Pending

This indicates that an ownership transfer is underway for the Passport.

A pending transfer does not necessarily mean the new owner has accepted it. Follow the transfer status and instructions shown by the system.

5. Creating a Passport and Using QR Codes

What is the QR code for?

A QR code provides a convenient way to open the public Passport record using a compatible smartphone.

Someone viewing an engine can scan the code to access the record associated with that Passport.

How do I scan a Passport QR code?

Open the camera on a compatible smartphone.
Point it at the engine’s Passport QR code.
Tap the link displayed by the phone.
Review the public Passport record.

The exact appearance of the page depends on the information available for that engine.

What if the QR code does not work?

Check that the code is clear and not damaged. Try scanning it with another compatible phone or QR-code reader.

If the link opens but the record does not display as expected, check that the Passport is active and contact the site administrator if necessary.

Does the QR code contain the entire engine history?

The QR code provides a link to the Passport record. The information displayed comes from the record itself; it is not all stored directly inside the printed code.

6. Recording Servicing and Maintenance

Keeping service information organised can help owners maintain their engines and give future buyers a clearer picture of the recorded maintenance history.

How do I record a service?

Open the relevant engine in My Outboards and locate the Service & Maintenance area.

Use the fields available on the form to record information such as:

Last service date
Next service due
Service notes
Work carried out
Parts used, where the relevant record fields are available

Save your changes and check that the updated information appears in the engine record.

Can I change the next service date?

Where the Next Service Due field is available and editable, update it to the appropriate date and save the record.

For example, after an annual service, you might record the date of the completed service and enter the next planned service date.

Always follow the manufacturer’s service schedule and the advice of a qualified marine technician.

Can I keep multiple service records?

A lifetime service history is most useful when separate services can be recorded with their own dates, engine hours, work carried out and supporting evidence.

Use a dedicated service-record entry option if it is available on your engine form. Do not assume that changing the last-service date alone creates a separate historical entry.

If your form only provides a last-service date, next-service date and notes, use those available fields until the full service-record facility is confirmed on your version.

What should a service record contain?

Where supported, useful details include:

Service date
Engine hours at the time of service
Type of service
Work carried out
Parts replaced
Dealer or technician
Invoice or reference number
Next service due

Accurate dates and engine hours make the history more useful to the current owner and future buyers.

Will the system remind me when a service is due?

Check the Service Alerts area in My Outboards for any warnings displayed by the system.

A displayed alert is not necessarily the same as an email, text message or phone notification. Do not rely on an external notification unless that feature is specifically provided and tested.

7. Engine History and Installation Records

Why keep an engine history?

An engine can have a long life across several boats and owners. Keeping a chronological record helps explain what happened to the engine over time.

Where the relevant history features are available, useful entries include:

Passport creation
Installation on a boat
Removal from a boat
Servicing
Repairs
Parts replacements
Ownership transfers

Why is installation history important?

An outboard may be transferred between boats without being replaced or sold with either boat.

Recording installation changes helps preserve the distinction between the engine’s history and the history of the boats it has powered.

Can I correct a historical entry?

Use the editing options provided by the system. Take care when changing historical information, as accurate dates and details are important for maintaining a useful record.

If an entry is incorrect and cannot be edited safely, contact the site administrator for assistance.

8. Photos, Receipts and Supporting Documents

Why add documents?

Supporting evidence can make an engine record more useful. Examples include purchase receipts, service invoices, parts receipts and photographs.

Where document-upload features are available, use them to attach relevant evidence to the appropriate engine record.

What should I check before uploading a document?

Check that the document belongs to the correct engine and is readable.

Before making a document public, check for personal information such as:

Home addresses
Personal telephone numbers
Private email addresses
Payment-card or bank details
Signatures
Other information that should not be publicly accessible

Keep an unredacted copy privately where appropriate and only publish a version that is safe to share.

Will an uploaded document automatically appear on the public Passport?

Not necessarily. Document storage and public display are separate matters.

Check the visibility options provided by the system and then view the public Passport to confirm what visitors can see.

If a document is intended for public viewing but does not appear, do not assume it has been published successfully.

Can I make a document private?

Use the available document-visibility controls where provided. Private documents should not be shared through the public Passport.

Never upload sensitive personal or financial documents on the assumption that they will automatically remain private. Check the available permissions before uploading.

9. Public and Private Passport Information

What is the public Passport?

The public Passport is the record that people can view through its public link or QR code.

It is intended to show useful information about the engine without unnecessarily exposing the owner’s private information.

What might visitors see?

Depending on the record and its visibility settings, the public Passport may show:

Engine identification and specifications
Engine photographs
Passport status
Dealer information
Recorded history
Publicly available service information
Documents approved for public viewing

The exact content depends on what has been entered and what the system makes available publicly.

Is the owner’s personal information public?

Personal information should be protected. Previous owners’ private contact details should not be exposed simply because an engine changes hands.

Before sharing a Passport, check the public page and ensure that no private information or document has been published unintentionally.

Is every public history entry verified?

No. A public Passport can display recorded information and supporting documents, but publication does not itself prove that an entry is genuine or independently verified.

Visitors should assess the evidence available and make their own checks before buying an engine.

10. Transferring a Passport to a New Owner

Why transfer a Passport?

When an engine changes ownership, transferring its Passport allows the engine’s identity and recorded history to remain associated with it.

The aim is to preserve the engine’s history rather than start a new record every time it is sold.

How does a transfer work?

The transfer process is designed to follow these stages:

The current owner starts a transfer using the available transfer controls.
The intended buyer receives or opens the transfer invitation.
The buyer logs in or creates an account as instructed.
The buyer reviews the transfer details.
The buyer accepts the transfer if they wish to proceed.
The system updates the ownership status and records the transfer according to its workflow.

Follow the instructions shown on the actual transfer screen, as the available steps and confirmations may vary.

What does Transfer Pending mean?

A pending transfer means the process has started but has not necessarily been completed.

Do not assume that ownership has changed until the system confirms the transfer.

Does the Passport move to the buyer?

The intended design is for the Passport identity and engine history to remain associated with the engine while ownership changes.

The new owner should not need to create an entirely new lifetime record simply because the engine has been sold.

What happens to the previous owner’s private details?

A transfer should not expose the previous owner’s private contact information to the new owner or public visitors unnecessarily.

The engine’s recorded history and the owner’s personal information are separate things.

Can the previous owner keep the Passport?

The previous owner may need to relinquish ownership or control of the Passport as part of a completed transfer. Follow the confirmation and status information provided by the system.

Never accept a transfer during a demonstration unless you intend to complete it.

11. Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use My Outboards without a Passport?

Yes. My Outboards is your personal engine register. An engine can be listed there without having an active Passport.

Can one person have several engines?

Yes. My Outboards is intended to help you manage multiple engines within your account.

Does a Passport stay with an engine when it changes boats?

The Passport is designed to identify the individual engine, so its record can remain associated with it when installation changes.

Does the Passport stay with the engine when it is sold?

The transfer process is designed to preserve the Passport and its history while ownership changes. Follow the transfer workflow and check that the system confirms completion.

Can I see an engine’s history without owning it?

The public Passport is intended to allow visitors to view information made available publicly through the Passport link or QR code.

Are all documents visible to everyone?

No. Only documents made available for public viewing should appear on the public Passport. Always check the document visibility controls and the resulting public page.

Does a service reminder guarantee that I will receive a notification?

No. A date or alert displayed in My Outboards does not necessarily mean that an email or other notification will be sent.

Does the Passport certify an engine’s condition?

No. It is a record of the information available. Buyers should inspect the engine and check the evidence before making a purchase.

What should I do if something does not appear correctly?

First, save your changes and refresh the relevant page. Check that you have selected the correct engine or Passport and that the information is available to the intended viewer.

If the problem persists, contact the site administrator and describe what you expected to see and what actually happened.

12. Keeping Your Records Useful

For the best results:

Enter accurate engine identification details.
Keep service dates and engine hours up to date.
Retain relevant invoices and supporting evidence.
Record installation changes where the feature is available.
Check document visibility before publishing.
Review the public Passport after important updates.
Keep personal information private.
Check transfer status before assuming ownership has changed.

A well-maintained engine record can help its owner understand its history and give a future buyer more information when assessing the engine.

OutboardHome — keeping an engine’s identity and recorded history together throughout its lifetime.