BUOY

Terms of Use

Effective July 4, 2026 · Document version 2026-07-03-v1

These are the terms for using Buoy. They're written in plain English on purpose, and they describe the service as it exists today — a free platform for boaters in pre-launch beta. Our data commitments live in the Privacy Policy and the Data Promise.

1. The agreement

By creating a Buoy account, joining the waitlist, or using our sites and app, you agree to these Terms. When you accept them at signup, we record the document version you accepted; if we materially change the Terms, we'll ask you to accept the new version.

2. The service today (beta)

Buoy is a free platform for boaters, launching first in Somers Point / South Jersey. Today it includes boater accounts, the beta waitlist, and public information pages. We are building a marketplace that will connect boaters with marinas and marine service providers — slips, service, fuel, and more. During beta, features may appear, change, or be withdrawn as we build, and availability is not guaranteed.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use Buoy. To enter into transactions with marinas or service providers when the marketplace opens, you must be old enough to form a binding contract where you live (18 in most U.S. states). If you use Buoy on behalf of a business, you confirm you're authorized to bind that business to these Terms.

4. Your account

Keep your account information accurate, keep your password to yourself, and let us know at hello@buoylist.com if you think your account has been compromised. You're responsible for activity that happens under your account. One account per person, and it's yours — don't transfer or sell it.

5. Acceptable use

Use Buoy the way it's meant to be used. Don't:

  • break the law, or use Buoy to help anyone else break it;
  • impersonate another person or business, or misrepresent an affiliation;
  • post fake, paid-for, or manipulated reviews, or otherwise game rankings;
  • scrape, harvest, or bulk-collect data from the platform;
  • probe, overload, or interfere with our systems or other users' access;
  • upload malicious code or attempt to access accounts or data that aren't yours.

We may remove content or suspend accounts that violate these rules.

6. The marketplace, when it opens

Buoy connects boaters with independent marinas and marine service providers. Those businesses are not owned or operated by Buoy, and Buoy is not a party to the agreements you make with them. The marina berths your boat; the mechanic turns the wrenches; we make the introduction and the booking easy. We work to keep listings accurate and providers legitimate, but we don't guarantee the quality, safety, legality, or completion of any provider's services — those obligations run between you and the provider.

7. Reviews and your content

Content you post on Buoy — reviews, photos, posts — stays yours. By posting it, you grant Buoy a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, display, and distribute it as part of operating and promoting the platform. Reviews must reflect your genuine experience: no fake reviews, no reviews-for-pay, no reviewing your own business or a competitor's. We may moderate or remove content that violates these Terms.

8. Weather and conditions data

Conditions shown on Buoy (weather, tides, alerts, sourced from NOAA) are informational only. They are not navigational advice and are no substitute for official sources, current charts, or your own seamanship. The captain is always responsible for the vessel.

9. Termination

You can stop using Buoy and ask us to delete your account at any time — deletion is handled as described in the Privacy Policy. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, create risk for other users, or where the law requires it. Sections that by their nature should survive (content license, disclaimers, limitation of liability, governing law) survive termination.

10. Disclaimers

Buoy is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied — including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-interruption. This is a beta: we're building in the open, and things will occasionally break.

11. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Buoy will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising from your use of the platform or from services provided by independent marinas and providers. Our total liability for any claim will not exceed the greater of $100 or the amounts you paid Buoy in the twelve months before the claim — which today is nothing, because Buoy is free for boaters. Some jurisdictions don't allow certain limitations, so some of the above may not apply to you.

12. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in New Jersey, and both sides consent to their jurisdiction.

13. Changes to these terms

These Terms carry a version (currently 2026-07-03-v1). When we make a material change, we'll publish a new version, give you notice, and — where the change requires it — ask you to accept before continuing to use Buoy. Continued use after notice of non-material changes constitutes acceptance.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms: hello@buoylist.com.

This document is pending review by counsel and may be updated.