Affiliate Disclosures
Last updated: June 1, 2025
BoatGuider is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. This page explains how that works, how much we earn, and the safeguards we maintain to keep our editorial recommendations honest.
We never accept payment for positive reviews. Affiliate revenue funds the site; it does not influence our ratings, our verdicts, or our recommendations.
We recommend products we have tested ourselves. When a product does not earn a recommendation, we say so — even when the brand is an affiliate partner. Our reputation is worth more than any single commission.
Review units provided by manufacturers are returned, purchased, or donated to a nonprofit partner after testing. We do not keep free gear in exchange for coverage.
How affiliate links work
Some links on BoatGuider are affiliate links. When you click one of these links and make a purchase on the partner site, we receive a small commission — typically 1% to 8% of the purchase price — at no additional cost to you. The commission is paid by the retailer, not by you.
We mark affiliate links in two ways:
- HTML attribute: every affiliate link carries
rel="nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer", which tells search engines not to pass ranking credit and tells you, the reader, that the link is monetized. - Inline disclosure: articles containing affiliate links include a short disclosure at the top of the article body.
Our affiliate partners
A complete list of retailers whose links may appear on BoatGuider.
Amazon Associates
amazon.com
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
West Marine
westmarine.com
Affiliate partner.
Defender Industries
defender.com
Affiliate partner.
Fisheries Supply
fisheriessupply.com
Affiliate partner.
Go2Marine
go2marine.com
Affiliate partner.
eBay Partner Network
ebay.com
Affiliate partner.
FTC compliance
These disclosures comply with the United States Federal Trade Commission's Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (16 CFR Part 255). The FTC requires clear and conspicuous disclosure of material connections between endorsers and the products they endorse. We place affiliate disclosures at the top of articles that contain affiliate links, before any product recommendation appears.
Sponsored content
On rare occasions, BoatGuider accepts sponsored content from manufacturers whose products we have independently tested and would recommend regardless of sponsorship. Sponsored articles are clearly labeled at the top with a "Sponsored" badge and a disclosure paragraph. Sponsored content is editorially independent — the sponsor does not review or approve the article before publication.
We do not accept sponsored reviews. If a brand wants to sponsor a review of their product, the review is conducted by our standard methodology, the verdict is ours, and the sponsor accepts the risk of a negative outcome.
- ❌ We do not accept payment for positive reviews.
- ❌ We do not allow advertisers to review or approve editorial content.
- ❌ We do not participate in ad networks that track you across sites.
- ❌ We do not sell your personal data to data brokers.
- ❌ We do not publish sponsored content without a clear "Sponsored" label.
- ❌ We do not let affiliate commission rates influence which products we recommend.
How we spend what we earn
Affiliate revenue funds BoatGuider's operations. A rough breakdown:
- ~55% — writer fees and on-water testing costs (fuel, launch fees, equipment rental)
- ~20% — hosting, CDN, and editorial tooling
- ~15% — review unit purchases and returns
- ~10% — site maintenance, legal, and reserves
We are independently owned. We have no outside investors and no debt. Our editorial team has full authority over what we cover and what we say.
Questions?
If you have questions about our affiliate relationships, sponsored content, or editorial independence, please contact us — we're happy to answer.