We started BoatGuider in 2018 after a decade of watching marine publications prioritize advertiser relationships over reader truth. Our mission is simple: produce the most rigorous, field-tested boating content on the internet — and let the chips fall where they may.
BoatGuider exists to give boaters information they can actually trust. Every review you read here is the product of a real captain or naval architect spending real time on a real boat — not a content writer synthesizing press releases in a cubicle. We fund our own tests, we publish our own methodology, and we accept that this makes us slower than the listicle farms.
We believe marine publishing has been hollowed out by affiliate arbitrage — sites that recommend whatever pays the highest commission, regardless of whether the recommendation is right for the reader. We do earn affiliate commissions (see our disclosures page), but our editorial process is firewalled from our commercial team. No advertiser has ever seen a review before publication, and no advertiser ever will.
Every product reviewed was purchased at retail or chartered at our expense. We accept zero manufacturer-loaned boats or gear. If a manufacturer offers a free loaner, we politely decline and pay full price.
Every author holds verifiable credentials — USCG Master licenses, ASA instructor certifications, or relevant advanced degrees. We link to Wikidata entity records so you can verify our captains are who they say they are.
Every review publishes its testing protocol, the conditions under which it was tested, and the scoring rubric. If we change a recommendation between revisions, we explain why in the "Updated" banner.
Every article has a "Last Updated" timestamp. If you find an error, email editor@boatguider.com and we will publish a correction within 48 hours, with the original text preserved in a strikethrough diff.
USCG Master 100-Ton · 22 years offshore · ASA Instructor
Marcus has logged more than 18,000 nautical miles across the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific Northwest. He holds a USCG Master 100-Ton license with sailing and towing endorsements, is an ASA-certified instructor, and has served as a delivery skipper for catamaran manufacturers in South Africa and France. Before BoatGuider he ran a charter operation out of Annapolis for nine seasons.
Verified entity: Wikidata ↗
PhD Naval Architecture · MIT · ABYC Certified Technician
Elena is a naval architect specializing in planing-hull hydrodynamics and composite repair. She earned her PhD from MIT in 2014, consults for two European yacht builders on hull-fairing optimization, and is an ABYC-certified marine technician. Her research on stepped-hull drag reduction was published in the Journal of Ship Research.
Verified entity: Wikidata ↗
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