Getting started

This is the walkthrough from a fresh account to your first booking. Budget 30–60 minutes for setup if you enter your fleet by hand, or about 10 minutes if you import it from a file.

1. Create your account

Sign up at outfitterhq.ca with your business name and email. You'll verify your email, and your outfitter gets a unique slug (a short name used in your online booking link — you can change it later in Settings).

The first account is an admin — it can do everything, including billing and inviting teammates. See Team, roles & settings.

2. Set up your operation (onboarding)

The onboarding page walks you through the three things the app needs to know before it can schedule anything. You can do it two ways:

Option A — import a JSON file (fastest). Upload one file that creates your access points, boat types, and boats in a single step. Boats reference types and lakes by name, so you can write the file in any editor. Any section can be omitted. The onboarding page documents the exact format.

Option B — enter it by hand. Three short sections:

Access points — the lakes and launches you operate on. For each one you can record practical details the scheduler uses: is there a key dropbox? Can a boat be left there? Does it require a staff drop-off? See Fleet & access points.
Boat types — e.g. "16' Prospector Canoe". Each type carries a daily rate, recommended and max capacity, and a skill level (novice-friendly or experienced). Rates drive every quote, so set them first.
Boats — your actual fleet. Each boat has a code (what's painted on the hull), a type, and a home lake. You can add boats one at a time or in batches ("12 of this type at this lake").

3. Configure settings

In Settings, before you take bookings:

Tax rate — applied to every quote.
Delivery fee — a flat per-boat fee added when a booking needs delivery.
Deposit size — deposits default to 1 day's rental per boat; this is configurable.
Online booking mode — auto-confirm bookings instantly, or require your review first. See Online booking.
Payments — connect a Stripe account if you want deposits charged online and paid directly to you. Without it, the app saves customer cards securely for you to charge later. See Payments.
Features — turn individual features (deliveries, fleet, access points, smart assignment) on or off for your team.

4. Invite your team

Settings → Team. Invites go out by email. Staff accounts can run the grid, bookings, and deliveries; admin accounts can also change settings and billing.

5. Make your first booking

Two ways to try it:

Staff booking: Bookings → New. Pick dates, lake, party size — the app suggests boats (you can override), shows a live quote, and creates the booking. Walk through Bookings.
Online booking: open outfitterhq.ca/book/your-slug — the same page your customers see. Check availability, book, and watch it appear on your grid. Walk through Online booking.

6. Learn the grid

The grid is where you'll live during the season: every boat, every day, every booking on one screen — including on a phone at the dock. A weak signal still lets you read a recent grid; saving changes needs a connection for now. Walk through The scheduling grid.