Certifications & endorsements

Zeil's skipper safety model has two parts that you, as admin, control: certifications (credentials a member holds) and endorsements (permission to skipper). Together they decide who can take each boat out.

If you haven't already, read the member-facing Certifications & skipper status to see how this looks from a member's side — then come back here to set it up.

Step 1 — Define your certifications

Under Admin → Certifications, create the credentials your club recognizes. Each certification has:

• a name (e.g. "ASA 101", "Club Skipper Level 2"),
• a level — an integer that lets boats require a minimum, and
• optionally an expiry rule, for credentials that lapse.

Design the levels as a ladder: higher numbers mean more capability, so a boat can simply require "level ≥ N".

To change a certification's name, code, or level later, open it from the list under Admin → Certifications, edit, and save. You can also delete a certification there, but Zeil refuses while it's still in use — either because members currently hold it (remove those grants first) or because a boat still requires its skipper level (update the boat first).

Step 2 — Grant certifications to members

Once defined, grant certifications to the members who hold them (under the certifications area / grants). The member is congratulated with an in-app notification and an email (the Club updates preference). If a certification expires, it stops counting toward skipper eligibility until renewed.

Step 3 — Grant endorsements

An endorsement is permission to skipper, and it targets either a single boat or a whole boat class — not both at once. Granting a class endorsement clears the skipper for every boat in that class, which is usually what you want for a fleet of identical boats.

Manage these under Admin → Endorsements. As with certifications, granting an endorsement tells the member they're cleared — in-app and by email.

How eligibility is computed

When someone is proposed as skipper for a boat, Zeil checks that:

1. they have an endorsement covering that boat (directly or via its class),
2. they hold a certification at or above the boat's minimum level, and
3. that certification hasn't expired.

All three must hold. This same rule runs everywhere a skipper is validated, so there's one consistent answer to "can this person skipper this boat?"

Renewals and expiry

For certifications with an expiry, plan to renew them before they lapse. An expired certification silently stops counting, so a member may quietly lose the ability to skipper. Zeil emails members a warning before a certification expires so renewals don't slip, but reviewing expiries periodically still keeps your skipper roster honest.