Disclaimer & Safety Notice

Boat Guru provides general boat guidance. It is not a certified marine mechanic, emergency service, vessel survey, or a guarantee that a boat is safe to operate. It is not professional advice and is not a substitute for a qualified marine mechanic.

What this service is

A general reference and idea-checking tool. Boat Guru uses software to help with whole-boat repairs, maintenance, troubleshooting, and general boating questions on recreational boats.

What this service is not

• It is not a licensed or certified marine mechanic.
• It is not an emergency response, dispatch, or towing service.
• It is not a vessel survey or seaworthiness inspection.
• It does not certify any repair or vessel as safe to operate.
• It does not have direct access to your vessel, your engine's actual condition, or service bulletins specific to your hull and serial number.
• It can be wrong, even when an answer sounds confident.

Safety-critical work — get a professional

Always verify safety-critical work with a qualified marine mechanic.

• Safety-critical problems need more than ordinary troubleshooting.
• The named high-risk categories are fuel leaks or fuel vapors; fire, smoke, or fire-suppression issues; electrical shorts, battery faults, or burning wiring; steering, throttle, shift, or control loss; carbon monoxide alarms, exhaust intrusion, or poisoning symptoms; sinking, flooding, bilge, through-hull, or buoyancy problems; underway safety issues; hull, deck, transom, mast, rigging, or lifting hazards; trailer, towing, launch, or recovery hazards.
• For an active emergency, get people safe and contact the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF channel 16, local emergency services, or a towing provider before using Boat Guru.
• Call a qualified marine mechanic when the situation is dangerous, uncertain, depends on an exact model or serial number, or cannot be checked with reliable information.
• This is general guidance, not professional advice. For safety-critical repairs, stop and have a qualified marine mechanic verify the work before you continue.

Emergencies

If you are on the water and dealing with a fire, fuel leak, sinking, carbon-monoxide concern, or any other emergency: get off the boat, call the U.S. Coast Guard (Channel 16 VHF) or SeaTow / TowBoatUS, and follow their instructions. Do not consult this service.

Sources and manuals

• Boat Guru may point to manuals, manufacturer pages, forum posts, and other sources. A link does not mean the source can be shared publicly.
• Manual PDF downloads are not offered publicly unless the source rights are explicitly cleared for that use.
• Private user-uploaded manuals stay private to the uploading account and do not create public sharing or redistribution rights.
• Sources that are not clearly available to share will not be republished as long excerpts or downloads.

Shared links and handoffs

• Shared boat guides are public, read-only summaries.
• Public shared links strip account details, contact details, precise location, HIN, registration or documentation numbers, trailer VIN or plate, full engine serial numbers, raw transcripts, raw images, attachments, EXIF, support notes, billing details, and unrelated personal text by default.
• Reports for a mechanic may include contact details, exact location, full serial numbers, or identifying photos only when you choose to include them.

Limitation of liability

You assume full responsibility for any work you perform on your vessel, whether or not it was informed by guidance from this service. Boat Guru, LLC and the companies that help provide this service disclaim all liability for property damage, personal injury, financial loss, or any other consequence arising from its use.

By using this service, you understand that its repair guidance carries risk. Use your own judgment, consult qualified professionals when appropriate, and follow all laws and manufacturer recommendations.

Questions

See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, or contact support if you have questions about this disclaimer.