Terms

The service

DockBook provides software: a public booking page, a live calendar, Stripe Checkout deposits, a captain desk, and transactional email. We do not operate charters, hire crew, or take guests fishing.

Pilot pricing

Pilot pricing is about $39 per month after a free month. The Captain plan is billed through Stripe Checkout. There is no commission per trip and no booking fee added for the guest.

New orgs start as trialing on the desk. This is stated product pricing for the pilot — not a locked rate and not legal billing advice. Without Stripe keys the desk can mark a subscription active locally so the software still runs.

Deposits, guest cancel, weather

These are product behaviors, written on the book before pay. They are not legal advice and not a substitute for the captain's own policies.

Typical deposit is 20–30% of the trip, or a fixed amount the captain sets. Harbor Light runs 25%. The rest is due at the dock.

Guest cancel is free up to 7 or 14 days before departure — whichever the captain set. Later cancels or no-shows forfeit the deposit.

If the captain calls conditions unsafe, the guest reschedules or gets a full refund. Light rain is not an automatic cancel.

Optional SMS updates

The DockBook booking-updates program is optional transactional SMS. These terms live at https://www.dockbook.boats/terms. Privacy is at https://www.dockbook.boats/privacy. Support: booking@dockbook.boats.

Guests may opt in at checkout to transactional SMS updates for that booking. Texts are transactional only: booking confirm, weather cancel, and reschedule. They are not marketing messages. SMS opt-in is optional at checkout. It is not required to pay. Not required to book or pay.

Message and data rates may apply. Frequency matches the events for that booking: confirmation, weather cancel, and reschedule. Reply STOP to opt out. Reply HELP for help.

We do not share, sell, or provide your mobile phone number or messaging consent data to third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

Consent is the optional DockBook SMS checkbox on the live book, not a clause buried only in general terms. The same Call to Action is at https://www.dockbook.boats/harbor-light and the public mock at https://www.dockbook.boats/sms-opt-in.

Captains run the trips

The captain is responsible for the boat, the crew, the guests, the weather call, and the trip. DockBook shows the calendar and moves money and email as configured.

A confirmed booking in DockBook is a hold on a slot and a deposit through Stripe — not a guarantee of fish, weather, or a specific captain.

Operator obligations / Compliance

Operators using DockBook must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations for operating a fishing charter / passenger-for-hire service (e.g. USCG / OUPV or Master as required, state licenses, vessel documentation, insurance, landing rules).

DockBook is software only — we do not license, insure, or operate the charter; the captain/operator is solely responsible for legal compliance.

Harbor Light demo

/harbor-light is a seeded demo storefront (Harbor Light Charters, Captain June). On Production www, Continue as Captain June appears only when DEMO_AUTH is explicitly on.

The demo is a beachhead so you can walk the book. It is not a real operator, not a licensed charter, and not a guarantee of any trip.

Limitation of liability

DockBook is an MVP. The software is provided as-is. We do not promise unbroken uptime, perfect calendar math in every edge case, or that a deposit will always settle the way a captain expects when Stripe or Connect is misconfigured.

To the extent the law allows, DockBook is not liable for trip outcomes, injuries, lost catch, landing fees, or amounts beyond the fees paid to us for the software. Stripe processes card payments under Stripe's terms.

Contact

Questions: booking@dockbook.boats.