Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 1, 2026 · TopBoatGear, LLC · Jacksonville, FL, US

This Privacy Policy explains how TopBoatGear, LLC ("TopBoatGear," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and handles information when you visit topboatgear.com. We are committed to plain-English transparency — no walls of legalese. If you have a question this document doesn't answer, email us at hello@topboatgear.com.

1. Who We Are

TopBoatGear is an independent marine gear review publication operated by TopBoatGear, LLC, a Florida limited liability company based in Jacksonville, FL. We publish hands-on reviews, head-to-head comparisons, and buying guides for boat gear, marine electronics, safety equipment, and watersports accessories. We are not a retailer — we earn revenue through affiliate commissions (primarily Amazon Associates) when readers choose to purchase products we recommend.

Our mailing address is:

2. Information We Collect

We collect a limited set of information, described below.

Server and access logs

Our web hosting provider automatically records standard HTTP access logs when your browser loads a page. These logs include your IP address (which may be truncated or anonymized by our CDN), the page you requested, the referring URL, your browser type and version, and the date and time of the request. We use this data solely for site security and aggregate performance monitoring. Hosting logs are rotated on a rolling basis and not used to build individual profiles.

Analytics (Google Analytics)

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) with IP anonymization enabled. GA4 places cookies in your browser to measure how visitors use the site — which pages are visited, how long readers stay, what devices they use, and which articles are most useful. The data is aggregated and does not personally identify you. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on or by declining cookies in our cookie banner.

Cookies

We use the following categories of cookies:

• Strictly necessary cookies: These are set by our hosting infrastructure to enable the site to function (e.g., load balancing, security). They cannot be disabled without breaking the site.
• Analytics cookies: Set by Google Analytics to track aggregate usage. These are only activated after you accept cookies in our banner.
• Affiliate cookies: When you click an affiliate link to Amazon, Amazon sets its own cookies to attribute the referral. We do not set these cookies ourselves — Amazon's privacy policy governs them.
• Preference cookies: We store your cookie consent choice in your browser's localStorage so we don't show the banner again on repeat visits.

You can clear or block cookies at any time through your browser settings. See your browser's help documentation for instructions.

Contact form and email

If you contact us by email, we receive your email address and any information you include in the message. We use this only to respond to your inquiry. We do not add you to marketing lists without your explicit consent.

Information we do not collect

We do not operate user accounts. We do not collect payment information. We do not collect health information. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13 (see Section 7 below).

3. How We Use Information

We use the information described above for the following purposes:

• Operating and improving the site: Understanding which content is useful, diagnosing technical problems, improving site performance.
• Security: Detecting and blocking malicious traffic, spam, and abuse.
• Responding to inquiries: Answering email from readers, editors, or manufacturers who contact us.
• Measuring editorial reach: Understanding which reviews, comparisons, and guides readers find most valuable — so we can produce more of that content.
• Legal compliance: Complying with applicable law and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use personal information for automated decision-making or profiling.

4. Third-Party Services

We rely on the following third-party services, each of which has its own privacy policy:

Amazon Associates / Amazon.com

TopBoatGear participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you click a product link on our site and visit Amazon, Amazon places tracking cookies to attribute any subsequent purchase to our referral. Amazon's collection and use of data is governed by the Amazon Privacy Notice.

Beehiiv (Email Newsletter)

Our weekly newsletter is delivered by Beehiiv, an email service provider. If you subscribe, Beehiiv processes your email address and engagement data (opens, clicks) on our behalf to send you our newsletter and to operate the subscription service. Beehiiv's data practices are described in the Beehiiv Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of any newsletter. We do not share newsletter subscriber data with any other third party.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand aggregate traffic. Google's data practices are described in Google's Privacy Policy and the Google Analytics Data Privacy and Security page. We have enabled IP anonymization and data retention minimization in our GA4 configuration.

Google Search Console

We use Google Search Console to monitor how our site appears in Google Search. Search Console does not place cookies on visitor devices — it processes data about how Google's crawler sees our pages.

Web Hosting / CDN

Our site is hosted on cloud infrastructure that processes HTTP requests on our behalf. Our hosting provider has access to access logs and may store them temporarily for security and operational purposes. We select hosting providers that comply with applicable data protection standards.

Google Fonts

We load fonts from Google Fonts, which may result in your browser sending a request to Google's servers. Google may log your IP address and browser agent. See Google's Privacy Policy for details.

5. Your Rights (GDPR / CCPA)

Depending on where you live, you have legal rights regarding your personal data. We honor all of the following:

• Access: You can request a copy of any personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: If we have inaccurate information about you, you can ask us to correct it.
• Deletion ("right to be forgotten"): You can ask us to delete your personal data. We will honor this except where retention is required by law.
• Restriction of processing: You can ask us to stop using your data in certain ways while a dispute is resolved.
• Data portability: You can request your data in a portable, machine-readable format where technically feasible.
• Objection: You can object to our processing of your data based on our legitimate interests.
• Opt-out of analytics: You can decline analytics cookies in our cookie banner or use the Google Analytics opt-out tool linked in Section 2.

EU / UK residents: These rights are provided under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR. Our lawful basis for processing analytics data is consent (Article 6(1)(a)). Our lawful basis for processing server logs is legitimate interest (Article 6(1)(f)) — specifically, the security and operational integrity of the site.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@topboatgear.com with the subject line "[Privacy Request]". We will respond within 30 days (GDPR) or 45 days (CCPA), as applicable.

6. CCPA — Do Not Sell My Personal Information

TopBoatGear does not sell personal information as defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) or the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA). We do not exchange personal data for money or other valuable consideration with third parties for their own commercial purposes.

California residents have the right to:

• Know what personal information we have collected about them and from where.
• Request deletion of their personal information.
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (we do not sell or share personal information).
• Non-discrimination for exercising their CCPA rights.

To submit a CCPA request, email hello@topboatgear.com with "[CCPA Request]" in the subject line. We will acknowledge within 10 business days and respond within 45 calendar days.

7. Children's Privacy

TopBoatGear is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at hello@topboatgear.com and we will promptly delete it.

8. Data Retention

We retain data for the following periods, after which it is deleted or anonymized:

• Server access logs: Rolling 90-day window maintained by our hosting provider.
• Google Analytics data: Configured to 14 months retention in our GA4 property, after which it is automatically deleted by Google.
• Email correspondence: Retained as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purpose of the correspondence or comply with applicable law, then deleted.
• Cookie consent choices: Stored in your browser's localStorage and controlled entirely by your browser — cleared when you clear your browser data.

9. International Transfers

TopBoatGear is based in the United States. If you are visiting from the European Union, United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction with data protection laws that differ from US law, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States.

For EU/UK visitors, we rely on the following transfer mechanisms where applicable:

• Google Analytics: governed by the Google Ads Data Processing Terms, which include the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.
• Amazon Associates: governed by Amazon's Data Processing Addendum.

By using our site, you consent to the transfer of your information to the US to the extent required for us to provide the services described in this policy.

10. Security

We take reasonable administrative and technical measures to protect the limited information we collect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Our site is served exclusively over HTTPS. Access to any data we control is limited to personnel with a need to know.

No internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, and we encourage you not to transmit sensitive personal information to us unnecessarily.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, third-party services, or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Your continued use of the site after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact

Questions, concerns, or requests about this Privacy Policy:

We aim to respond to all privacy inquiries within five business days.