Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

The Boat Floats (www.theboatfloats.com) is operated by Northrule Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. When we say “we”, “us” or “our” in this policy, we mean Northrule Ltd.

If you have any questions about this policy or your data, please email us at hello@theboatfloats.com.

2. What data we collect

We collect different data depending on how you use the site:

Browsing the directory

• Device and browser information (user agent, screen size)
• IP address (anonymised where possible)
• Pages visited, time on site and referral source
• Cookies set by Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel (see Section 5)

Creating an account

• Email address and password (password is hashed — we never store it in plain text)
• Display name, boat details and cruising status (optional)

Leaving a review

• Review text, star ratings, visit month/year and boat type
• Any photos you upload

Claiming a business listing

• Business name, address, postcode, phone number, email, website
• Opening hours, services offered, payment methods and photos

Paying for a premium listing

• Payment is processed by Stripe — we do not see or store your full card details
• We receive your name, billing email and a transaction reference from Stripe

3. How we use your data

• To operate, maintain and improve the directory
• To display your reviews and business listings publicly on the site
• To process payments via Stripe
• To send you service-related emails (e.g. account verification, password reset)
• To send our newsletter, if you opted in (you can unsubscribe at any time)
• To understand how visitors use the site via analytics (see Section 5)
• To run targeted advertising via Facebook Pixel (see Section 5)

4. Legal basis for processing (UK GDPR)

• Contract — processing your account, reviews and business listing data is necessary to provide our service
• Legitimate interest — analytics and site improvement, fraud prevention
• Consent — marketing emails, cookies for Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel

5. Cookies and tracking

We use the following third-party services that set cookies on your device:

We also use essential cookies to keep you logged in (session cookies via Supabase). These are strictly necessary and do not require consent.

You can disable non-essential cookies in your browser settings. Note that this may affect site functionality.

6. Who we share your data with

• Supabase — database hosting and authentication (EU-hosted)
• Vercel — website hosting
• Stripe — payment processing
• Google — analytics
• Meta (Facebook) — advertising pixel

We do not sell your personal data to any third party.

7. Data retention

• Account data — retained until you delete your account
• Reviews — retained as long as your account exists, or indefinitely if posted anonymously
• Business listings — retained for the life of the directory (public interest in maintaining accurate business data)
• Analytics data — retained according to Google and Meta's own retention policies
• Payment records — retained for 7 years as required by HMRC

8. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Correct inaccurate data
• Delete your account and associated data
• Object to processing based on legitimate interest
• Withdraw consent for marketing and non-essential cookies at any time
• Data portability — request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@theboatfloats.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Children

The Boat Floats is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will post the updated version on this page with a revised “last updated” date. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).