Terms of Service

1. Who we are and what we do

Bowline ("Bowline," "we," "us") provides the website at bowline.fish, booking pages and widgets, the operator dashboard, and a partner API. Bowline is a technology provider. We are not a charter operator, we do not own or run any vessel, we do not employ any captain or crew, and we are not a party to the contract for the trip itself. That contract is between the guest and the operator.

Operators may also reach guests through partner sites that use our partner API, such as Unreel Charters and First Mate. When you book through a partner site, the booking and payment are processed by Bowline under these terms, and the partner's own terms also apply to your use of their site.

By creating an account, listing a trip, or making a booking, you agree to these terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use Bowline.

2. Accounts

You must be at least 18 and able to form a binding contract to create an account or make a booking. Keep your login details private; you are responsible for activity on your account. Tell us right away at support@bowline.fish if you think your account has been used without permission.

3. Terms for guests

Booking and payment

When you book, you are buying the trip from the operator named on the booking page. Your card is charged by the operator through the operator's own Stripe account, so the operator is the merchant of record and their business name appears on your statement. Payments are processed by Stripe; Bowline does not store your full card number.

• Deposits and balances. Many trips take a deposit online with the balance due before or at the dock. The amount due now and the amount due later are shown before you pay. If you save a card for the balance, you authorize the operator to charge it for the balance and for any charges described in the operator's policy (for example, a no-show fee) that you accepted at checkout.
• Booking fee. Some operators add Bowline's booking fee to your total; others absorb it. If a fee applies, it is shown as its own line before you pay. There are no hidden charges added after checkout.
• Tips. Tips go to the operator and crew. Bowline never takes a fee on tips.

Cancellations, weather and refunds

Each operator sets its own cancellation policy, which is shown on the booking page and accepted by you before payment. That policy governs refunds when you cancel. On top of any operator policy, Bowline guarantees two things:

• Weather and captain cancellations. If the captain cancels the trip for weather, safety or any other reason on their side, everything you paid is refunded, including any Bowline booking fee, unless you choose to move to a new date the operator offers.
• Our fee follows your refund. On any refund, full or partial, the Bowline booking fee is refunded in the same proportion.

Refunds go back to the original payment method. Your bank may take 5 to 10 business days to show them.

Safety, conduct and the trip itself

The operator is solely responsible for the trip: the vessel, its condition and equipment, licensing and Coast Guard credentials, crew, fishing licenses where the operator provides them, safety briefings, and the decision whether it is safe to go out. Operators may ask guests to sign a liability waiver before the trip; that waiver is an agreement between you and the operator. Follow the captain's instructions on board. An operator may refuse boarding to anyone who is intoxicated, unsafe, or disruptive, under the terms of their policy.

Disputes with an operator

Contact the operator first; their contact details are in your confirmation. If you cannot resolve it, write to us at support@bowline.fish and we will try to help, but because the operator is the merchant of record, final decisions on refunds under the operator's own policy rest with the operator and, for card disputes, with your card issuer.

4. Terms for operators

Payments through Stripe Connect

To take payments you connect a Stripe account through Stripe's own onboarding. Charges are made on your Stripe account and you are the merchant of record for your trips. Your use of Stripe is also governed by the Stripe Connected Account Agreement, which includes the Stripe Services Agreement. By using Bowline payments you agree to those terms and authorize Bowline to share your information and transaction data with Stripe and to create charges, refunds and application fees on your account as described here. Stripe bills card processing directly to your account at its published rates; Bowline adds no markup. Bowline never holds your funds; Stripe pays out to you on your Stripe schedule.

Bowline's fee

• 3% of the trip price, capped at $20 per booking, collected in full as an application fee on the online payment (usually the deposit). There is no monthly fee, setup fee or listing fee.
• $0 on bookings from a guest who has booked with you before.
• You choose whether guests pay the fee at checkout or you absorb it.
• On any refund, full or partial, we return our fee in the same proportion. Tips are never fee'd.
• Current pricing is always published at bowline.fish/pricing. We will give you at least 30 days' notice by email before any fee increase takes effect.

Same fee on every channel. The fee above is the only fee Bowline charges, whether a booking comes from your own website, a Bowline booking page, or a partner site such as Unreel Charters or First Mate.

Your responsibilities

• Keep all licenses, Coast Guard credentials, permits, insurance and inspections required for your vessel and trips current, and only list trips you are legally allowed to run.
• Describe trips, prices, deposits, surcharges and your cancellation policy accurately, and honor them.
• Run the weather and cancellation workflow honestly: when you cancel a trip, guests are refunded or rebooked as described in section 3.
• Handle guest data only to run your trips and as the law allows, and get any consent the law requires before sending marketing messages.
• Pay taxes that apply to your trips. You are responsible for collecting and remitting any sales, use or other taxes.

Disputes and chargebacks

Because charges are made on your Stripe account, disputes and chargebacks are handled on your account under Stripe's terms, and Stripe may debit dispute amounts and dispute fees from your balance. Bowline stores booking records, policy acceptance and waiver signatures that you can use as evidence, and we will help you assemble a response.

Your data and leaving

Your customers, bookings, and reviews are yours. You can export them at any time. If you close your account we will keep records only as long as needed for legal, tax, payment and dispute purposes, as described in our Privacy Policy.

5. Acceptable use

Do not use Bowline to break the law, list trips you cannot lawfully run, post false or misleading information or reviews, collect data about other users without permission, interfere with or probe the service's security, scrape it, or resell access to it outside our partner API terms. We may remove content or suspend accounts that break these rules.

Reporting content

If you see something on a Bowline page that you believe is illegal, infringes your rights, or is fraudulent, report it at bowline.fish/report or email support@bowline.fish. We review reports, may remove content or suspend accounts, and will tell the reporter and the affected operator what we decided where we reasonably can.

Copyright complaints

Bowline respects intellectual property. If you believe material on Bowline (for example a photo, logo or trip description an operator uploaded) infringes your copyright, send our designated agent a notice that includes: your physical or electronic signature; the work you claim is infringed; the page address of the material; your contact details; a statement that you believe in good faith the use is not authorized by the owner, its agent or the law; and a statement, under penalty of perjury, that your notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorized to act for the owner. Send it to our designated agent: Nathan Viveiros, Bowline, 82 County Rd, PMB #57, Mattapoisett, MA 02739; phone (508) 501-4076; email support@bowline.fish (U.S. Copyright Office DMCA Designated Agent Directory, registration DMCA-1081202). We remove infringing material when properly notified, and we may end the accounts of repeat infringers. If your material was removed and you believe that was a mistake, you may send a counter-notice with the details required by 17 U.S.C. § 512(g).

6. Suspension and termination

You can stop using Bowline and close your account at any time. We may suspend or close an account for serious or repeated breaches of these terms, suspected fraud, or where the law or Stripe requires it. Where we reasonably can, we will tell you why first and give you a chance to fix it. Bookings already paid for remain subject to the operator's policy and to section 3.

7. Disclaimers

We work hard to keep Bowline running and accurate, but the service is provided "as is" and "as available." To the extent the law allows, we disclaim all implied warranties, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We do not guarantee fishing results, weather, or that any operator will perform as described, and we are not responsible for the acts or omissions of operators, guests, crews, or partner sites.

8. Limitation of liability

To the extent the law allows, Bowline is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost profits or data. Our total liability for any claim relating to Bowline is limited to the greater of (a) the Bowline fees you paid or that we collected on your bookings in the 12 months before the claim and (b) $100. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including for personal injury caused by our own negligence.

9. Indemnity

Operators agree to defend and indemnify Bowline against claims arising from their trips, vessels, crews, listings, or breach of these terms or the law. Guests agree to do the same for claims arising from their breach of these terms or misuse of the service.

10. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to its conflict of laws rules. Any dispute will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Massachusetts, except that either side may bring a claim in small claims court where it qualifies. If you are a consumer, you keep any rights the law of your home state gives you that cannot be waived.

11. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. We will post the new version here with a new date, and for material changes we will email operators at least 30 days in advance. Bookings made before a change stay under the terms in effect when they were made.

12. Contact

Questions about these terms: support@bowline.fish. See also our Privacy Policy and Accessibility Statement.