Three zones, three sets of rules
| Where | Plans | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Lakes, rivers, marinas | Any Roam plan | None beyond the plan’s data. marinas, coastlines and inland waters show black on the map but have service for stationary use. |
| Coastal (to 12 nautical miles) | Any Roam plan | without Ocean Mode, Roam use in territorial waters is limited to 5 days in a row and 60 days a year |
| Offshore (past 12 nautical miles) | Roam Unlimited + Ocean Mode | 6 usd/GB, billed until you turn it off |
Which plan
- Weekend lake boat: Roam 100GB ($55/mo), paused or cancelled off-season.
- Coastal cruising for weeks at a time: Roam Unlimited ($175/mo), with Ocean Mode on when you pass the coastal day limit or go offshore.
- Living aboard and cruising: look at the newer Personal Maritime plan (reported at $185/mo) and Global Priority (from $250/mo). Both are outside this site’s depth; confirm terms on starlink.com.
Mounting on a boat
- High and clear: Starlink wants an unobstructed 360° view of the sky from 20° above the horizon up. Marinas are full of masts.
- Starlink recommends its Performance kits for boats; Starlink calls the Standard 4 X “more sensitive to obstructions” on boats and recommends Performance kits for marinas.
- Mounts sit at a fixed 8 ° tilt for water runoff.
- use removable thread locker (such as Loctite 222) on all mount fasteners so they don’t shake loose.
Offshore costs add up
At 6 usd/GB, ten offshore days at 5 GB a day is 50 GB. And Ocean Mode also works on land, billed per GB, at higher priority than Roam data, so switch it off when you’re back inside 12 nautical miles. The price rose from $2 to $6 per GB on Sep 27, 2026 (changelog).
Who shouldn’t get Starlink for travel
- Your trips are short and your routes have good cell signal. A cellular hotspot plan is cheaper and simpler. The picker checks this first.
- You camp mostly under heavy trees and won’t carry a pole. Expect drops. Read campgrounds with trees.
- The plan you’d need doesn’t fit your budget. Cancel between trips, pick a smaller allowance, or go cellular only. The cost page shows each pattern.
- You need guaranteed service while driving, for safety or work. Read the in-motion rules first, and never set up or adjust gear while driving.
- You live outside the US. This site covers US accounts and US prices only.
Questions people ask
Does Starlink Roam work on a lake or river?
Yes. Roam covers inland waterways and marinas, including while moving, on every Roam plan.
How far offshore does Roam work?
Up to 12 nautical miles, in territorial waters, and without Ocean Mode only 5 days in a row and 60 days a year there. Beyond 12 nautical miles you need Ocean Mode on Roam Unlimited, billed per GB.
What is the Personal Maritime plan?
A boat plan reported in late August 2026 for small vessels, with unlimited use in territorial waters and no land use. We haven’t confirmed its terms on starlink.com yet, so treat the details as reported.
Sources
- Can I use Starlink in-motion? (Starlink help center), read from starlink.com’s published data, checked Oct 5, 2026
- What areas are considered land vs ocean? (Starlink help center), read from starlink.com’s published data, checked Oct 5, 2026
- What is Ocean Mode? (Starlink help center), read from starlink.com’s published data, checked Oct 5, 2026
- How do I opt in for additional data? (Starlink help center), read from starlink.com’s published data, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Roam plans and kits for US addresses (starlink.com public order data), read from starlink.com’s published data, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Starlink introduces $185/month Personal Maritime plan for small boats (RV Mobile Internet) (secondary), published Aug 28, 2026, checked Oct 5, 2026
- How to install Starlink on boats (Starlink help center), read from starlink.com’s published data, checked Oct 5, 2026
- Local and Global Priority plans for US addresses (starlink.com public order data), read from starlink.com’s published data, checked Oct 5, 2026