When Starlink launched its new $185/month Personal Maritime plan last week, one of the biggest concerns was a surprisingly restrictive vessel-size limit. Starlink's legal terms described the plan as for "small watercraft" and the example in the terms listed vessels over 40 feet in overall length (LOA) as prohibited. Here are the original terms:
"Use on larger craft or yachts (e.g., watercraft exceeding 40 ft. in length overall) is prohibited."
Starlink has now quietly changed that language, raising the limit from 40 feet to 60 feet LOA.
The revised terms now state:
"Use on larger craft or yachts (e.g., watercraft exceeding 60 ft. in length overall) is prohibited."
This is a significant improvement as many typical long-distance cruising monohulls and catamarans exceed 40 feet.
It also quickly became apparent that Starlink wasn't fully or consistently enforcing a length restriction to begin with, as customer service agents approved some vessels larger than 40ft while denying others. The short length and Starlink's inconsistent application of eligibility rules created frustration and confusion in the boating community.
With the change to 60ft, Starlink may now be finally resolving the inconsistent application, but it remains to be seen whether 60 feet is a hard limit or not since the wording still says "e.g." rather than establishing an absolute 60-foot cutoff, and Starlink does require vessel registration and other documentation before approving service as conditions for eligibility.
We found no other substantive changes to the Personal Maritime terms. The plan still provides unlimited data in territorial waters, removes Roam's normal international travel time limits, prohibits land and commercial use, and charges $6/GB for Ocean Mode when offshore.
However, besides the length limitation, several other questions also remain unresolved. Personal Maritime is still not listed on Starlink's normal plan-selection pages and most of the support FAQ. The plan is invite-only, at least for now, though some customers without an initial invitation have reportedly obtained it through support by submitting a ticket.
Additionally, Starlink still has not clearly explained whether Personal Maritime includes inland waterways, marinas, the Great Lakes, and similar locations. The terms do not mention these areas, unlike the Roam plans.
While it's great Starlink is finally starting to deal with a confusing rollout by more reasonably defining a length limit, this remains an annoying pattern with Starlink: Major unannounced changes that aren't fully thought through and are poorly implemented.
Key Mobile Internet Related Considerations:
- Starlink has increased the Personal Maritime vessel-size guideline from 40 feet to 60 feet LOA, making the plan viable for many more typical cruising boats.
- Starlink still needs to clarify whether inland waterways, marinas, and other non-ocean waters are included with the plan.
- Personal Maritime remains a special plan requiring customer service to activate and is unavailable to order on the Starlink website.
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Related Content at the Mobile Internet Resource Center:
- Guide: Starlink Satellite Internet For Mobile RV And Boat Use(opens in new tab)
- Starlink Resources: Starlink Resource Collection(opens in new tab)
- Content Collection: Mobile Satellite Internet Resources(opens in new tab)
- Gear: SpaceX Starlink(opens in new tab)
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