Terms of Service

By accessing or using the Docksy platform (the “Platform”), operated by Docksy Global Ltd (“Docksy”, “we”, “us”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Platform.

These Terms apply to all users of the Platform, including boat owners (“Owners”), renters (“Renters”), and visitors. Additional terms may apply to specific features or services and will be presented to you at the relevant time.

Docksy is an online marketplace that connects boat owners with individuals seeking to rent vessels. Docksy facilitates communication, digital agreements, and payment processing between Owners and Renters.

Docksy is not a party to any rental agreement between an Owner and a Renter. Docksy does not own, operate, manage, or control any vessel listed on the Platform. Docksy does not act as a broker, agent, insurer, or travel agency. All rental arrangements, including the condition of the vessel, the accuracy of the listing, and compliance with local laws, are the sole responsibility of the Owner and the Renter.

To use certain features of the Platform, you must create an account. You must be at least 18 years of age to register. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your account information up to date.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify Docksy immediately if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account.

Docksy reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, provide false information, or engage in fraudulent or harmful activity.

The Platform requires identity verification before certain actions can be completed. Verification is carried out by Stripe Identity, which checks an identity document and a selfie you provide directly to it. Docksy does not receive or store the document image. We receive the outcome of the check and the date of birth it confirms.

Docksy is an adults-only service. Where verification returns a date of birth showing that you are under 18, your account is rejected and suspended automatically. Attempting to register or verify using another person’s identity document is a material breach of these Terms and will result in permanent termination.

Verification status is not a guarantee about any user’s conduct, competence, or intentions. It confirms only that a document was checked and passed.

Before your first booking, you must complete the Platform’s safety training module and pass the assessment at the end of it. Until you do, booking requests cannot be submitted. This requirement applies to every Renter and cannot be waived by an Owner.

Each listing carries a difficulty level and each account carries an experience level. The Platform prevents a booking request where the experience recorded on your profile does not meet the difficulty of the vessel. You are responsible for setting your experience level honestly. Overstating it is a breach of these Terms and may void your position in any subsequent dispute.

Where a listing is bareboat, with no captain included or required, and is rated above the easiest difficulty, you need an approved skipper licence or certificate of competence on your account before you can request it. You upload it once, an admin reviews it, and an expired document stops counting on its expiry date. Everywhere else, the check is between the difficulty level on the listing and the experience level on your profile. Owners may ask for more, and local law may require a specific qualification for the waters involved.

Document review is carried out by our team and is not instant. Approval of a licence by Docksy confirms only that a document was submitted and reviewed. It is not a certification of competence, and it does not replace any qualification required by the law of the waters in which the vessel is operated. That remains your responsibility.

If you list a vessel on the Platform as an Owner, you represent and warrant that:

• You have the legal right to offer the vessel for rental, including any necessary permissions from co-owners, lienholders, or marina authorities.
• The vessel holds valid registration and complies with all applicable maritime laws, safety regulations, and insurance requirements in the jurisdiction where it will be operated.
• All information in your listing, including photos, descriptions, capacity, pricing, and location, is accurate and not misleading.
• You will maintain the vessel in a seaworthy condition and provide all required safety equipment.
• You hold adequate third-party liability insurance covering the vessel, its passengers, and its operation during the rental period.
• You will comply with all applicable tax laws, including reporting rental income and collecting any applicable local taxes.

If you rent a vessel through the Platform as a Renter, you represent and warrant that:

• You are at least 18 years of age and hold a valid form of identification.
• You hold any boating licence, certificate, or qualification required by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the vessel will be operated.
• You will operate the vessel in a safe and responsible manner, comply with all applicable laws and regulations, and not operate the vessel under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• You will return the vessel in the same condition as received, accounting for normal wear and tear, and at the agreed time and location.
• You will not use the vessel for any commercial purpose, sub-charter it, or allow unqualified individuals to operate it.
• You understand and accept responsibility for any damage caused to the vessel, its equipment, or third parties during the rental period, subject to the terms of the individual rental agreement.

Submitting a booking request does not create a binding obligation. A rental arrangement becomes binding only when both the Owner and the Renter digitally sign a rental agreement through the Platform.

Each rental agreement is a separate contract between the Owner and the Renter. Docksy facilitates the creation, signing, and storage of these agreements but is not a party to them. The terms of each rental agreement (including rental period, pricing, cancellation terms, and additional conditions set by the Owner) govern the rental.

Docksy preserves a frozen copy of each signed agreement, secured with a cryptographic integrity check to ensure the document cannot be altered after signing. Both parties may download a PDF copy at any time.

All payments are processed through the Platform using third-party payment providers (currently Stripe). Docksy does not store your payment card details. You agree to pay all amounts due in connection with your use of the Platform.

Docksy charges a platform service fee on each transaction. This fee is clearly disclosed in the rental agreement before either party signs. The platform service fee is non-refundable in all circumstances except where the Owner initiates the cancellation.

Owners are responsible for any taxes applicable to their rental income. Renters are responsible for any taxes applicable to the rental transaction in their jurisdiction. Docksy does not provide tax advice and recommends that users consult a qualified tax professional.

There is no single platform-wide refund ladder. Each Owner selects one of three cancellation policies for their listing, and the policy that applies to your booking is shown on the listing page before you send a request and is locked into the rental agreement you sign:

• Flexible: cancel at least 1 day before the start date for a full refund of the rental amount. Inside that, no refund of the rental amount is due.
• Moderate: cancel at least 7 days before the start date for a full refund of the rental amount, 50% from 3 days before. Inside that, no refund of the rental amount is due. This policy applies where an Owner has not selected one.
• Strict: cancel at least 14 days before the start date for a full refund of the rental amount, 50% from 7 days before. Inside that, no refund of the rental amount is due.

The refundable protection deposit sits outside this ladder and is returned in full on any Renter cancellation, since no trip has taken place against which a damage claim could be made.

Refund percentages are calculated on the full amount the Renter paid for the rental, inclusive of the customer service fee. A full refund therefore returns that fee as well, and a partial refund returns the same percentage of it.

Where the Owner cancels before the rental start, the Renter receives a full refund regardless of which policy the listing carries.

The policy applied to a cancellation is the one recorded in the agreement at the time the terms were locked, not the policy currently shown on the listing. An Owner cannot change the policy on their listing after a booking in order to alter a Renter’s refund.

Refunds are issued to the original payment method and typically settle within 5 to 10 business days, depending on your card issuer or bank. All cancellations must be submitted through the Platform.

Every rental includes a refundable protection deposit. An Owner may set a custom deposit amount on their listing. If no custom amount is set, the platform applies a tiered default based on the total rental value: €150 for rentals under €300, €300 for rentals under €750, €500 for rentals under €1,500, €1,000 for rentals under €3,000, €2,000 for rentals under €6,000, and €3,000 for rentals of €6,000 or more. The deposit amount is shown on the listing page and disclosed in the agreement before either party signs.

The deposit is not charged. Shortly before departure Docksy places an authorization hold on the Renter’s payment card for the deposit amount, in the way a hotel or car hire company reserves funds without taking them. The funds are reserved but never transferred unless a damage claim succeeds. The deposit covers damage to the vessel and nothing else.

If no damage claim is filed within 48 hours of the rental ending, the hold is released automatically and no money moves at any point.

Card authorizations are subject to the Renter’s bank and may require additional authentication. Where an authorization cannot be completed before departure, Docksy may instead charge the deposit and refund it under the same terms, so that the Owner is not left without protection. Bookings paid before this mechanism was introduced had the deposit charged at checkout and refunded afterwards; those continue under the terms in force when they were signed.

An Owner cannot file a damage claim without first submitting post-trip condition photographs. Where a claim is filed, the deposit is placed under review, and a Docksy administrator reviews the evidence submitted by both parties and decides the outcome. That decision may award the full deposit to the Owner, award a partial amount, or refund the deposit to the Renter, and Docksy gives effect to it directly. This decision is separate from the mediation process described in section 14 and is not a non-binding recommendation.

Condition documentation is mandatory, not optional. Both parties must upload timestamped photographic evidence of the vessel’s condition before departure and after return, through the Platform.

This has direct consequences for money. Funds held in escrow are not released to the Owner until the rental has ended, both sets of condition photographs have been submitted, and no dispute is open. An Owner cannot file a claim against the protection deposit without post-trip photographs. A party who does not upload their photographs weakens their own position in any subsequent damage claim or dispute, because these records are the primary evidence Docksy reviews.

We are a booking platform, not an insurer. We do not provide trip, travel, medical or third-party liability cover, and we do not sell an insurance add-on. Vessels listed here carry the owner's own insurance policy, and we verify that a valid certificate exists before a listing goes live. That policy is the owner's, its terms are between the owner and their insurer, and it may not cover you as the renter. Ask the owner what their policy covers before you book, and arrange your own travel or liability cover if you want it.

Nothing on the Platform, including any verification badge, compliance status, or trust score, should be read as a statement that you are insured. Docksy is not an insurer, an insurance intermediary, or an agent of any insurer, and holds no authorisation to arrange or advise on insurance.

In the event of a dispute between an Owner and a Renter, the parties should first attempt to resolve the matter directly through the Platform’s messaging system. If direct resolution is not possible, either party may open a dispute through the Platform within 7 days of the rental ending. While a dispute is open, the funds held in escrow are frozen and no payout can be made.

Two different things are described by the word “decision” here, and they are not equivalent:

• Deposit claims are decided by Docksy. Where an Owner claims against the protection deposit, a Docksy administrator reviews the evidence and determines how the deposit is allocated, as described in section 11. Because Docksy holds those funds, that determination is applied directly and is final as to the deposit.
• Everything beyond the deposit is mediation only. For any claim exceeding the deposit, or any dispute about the rental itself, Docksy may at its discretion review the evidence submitted by both parties, including condition photographs, messages, and the locked agreement terms, and suggest a resolution. Those suggestions are non-binding recommendations unless both parties agree to accept them.

Docksy’s allocation of a deposit does not determine liability between the parties, and does not prevent either party from pursuing the matter elsewhere. If mediation does not resolve the dispute within 30 calendar days, either party may pursue the matter through the courts of competent jurisdiction as specified in the rental agreement.

Skip is an automated assistant available to signed-in users. It is powered by a third-party large language model provided by Anthropic. The messages and any images you send to Skip, together with context about your own bookings and agreements, are processed by Anthropic to generate a response. That data is not used to train Anthropic’s models. Skip can only access data belonging to your own account.

Skip’s answers are generated automatically and may be incomplete or wrong. They are provided for general guidance only, are not legal, financial, insurance, tax, navigational, or safety advice, and do not vary these Terms or any signed rental agreement. Where Skip and a signed agreement disagree, the agreement governs. Do not rely on Skip for any decision affecting safety at sea.

Do not send Skip payment card details, passwords, identity documents, or information about other people that you are not entitled to share. You may escalate a conversation to a human support case at any time, which creates a record a Docksy administrator can read.

Using Skip to attempt to extract other users’ data, to bypass Platform controls, or to generate unlawful or abusive content is a breach of these Terms.

You retain ownership of any content you submit to the Platform, including listing descriptions, photos, messages, and reviews. By submitting content, you grant Docksy a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, display, reproduce, and distribute that content for the purpose of operating and promoting the Platform.

You represent that you own or have the right to use any content you submit and that it does not infringe on the rights of any third party. Docksy may remove content that violates these Terms or applicable law.

Reviews must be honest, factual, and based on genuine rental experiences. Docksy does not edit reviews but reserves the right to remove content that is abusive, defamatory, fraudulent, or otherwise in violation of these Terms.

The Platform, including its design, code, branding, logos, and original content, is the intellectual property of Docksy Global Ltd and is protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works from any part of the Platform without prior written consent from Docksy.

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law or regulation.
• Create listings for vessels you do not have the legal right to rent.
• Provide false, misleading, or fraudulent information in your account, listings, messages, or reviews.
• Attempt to circumvent the Platform’s payment system by arranging off-platform payments.
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other users of the Platform.
• Use automated systems (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to access or collect data from the Platform without permission.
• Interfere with the security, integrity, or performance of the Platform.
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Docksy, its directors, employees, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or in connection with your use of the Platform or any rental arrangement facilitated through the Platform.

Docksy’s total aggregate liability for any claim arising from or related to these Terms or the Platform shall not exceed the total platform service fees you have paid to Docksy in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

Docksy does not guarantee the accuracy of listings, the condition of any vessel, the qualifications or conduct of any user, or the outcome of any rental arrangement. Use of the Platform is at your own risk.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Docksy, its directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with: (a) your use of the Platform, (b) your violation of these Terms, (c) your violation of any applicable law or the rights of any third party, or (d) any content you submit to the Platform.

You may close your account at any time by contacting Docksy. Docksy may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including but not limited to a violation of these Terms, fraudulent activity, or extended inactivity.

Upon termination, your right to use the Platform ceases immediately. Any obligations arising from rental agreements entered into before termination shall survive, including payment obligations, damage claims, and dispute resolution commitments.

Docksy may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify registered users by email or through the Platform. Your continued use of the Platform after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

We encourage you to review these Terms periodically. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page indicates when the Terms were last revised.

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising from these Terms that is not resolved through mediation shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. The invalid provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable.

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at marketplace@docksy.xyz.