Terms of Service

1. Definitions

Throughout these Terms, the following definitions apply:

• "GYC," "we," "us," and "our" refer to the Guild of Yacht Crafters, its owners, directors, officers, employees, agents, and contractors.
• "Website" refers to g-y-c.org and all associated subdomains.
• "Services" refers to all products, content, features, and offerings provided by GYC, including but not limited to membership benefits, educational resources, forums, and technical support.
• "User," "you," and "your" refer to the person or entity accessing or using the Website or Services.
• "Member" refers to a User who has registered for a GYC membership.
• "Content" refers to all text, images, videos, audio, data, information, and other materials available on the Website or through the Services.

2. Account Registration and Membership

To access certain features of our Website and Services, you may be required to register for an account or become a Member. When you register, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain and promptly update your account information
• Keep your password secure and confidential
• Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account

2.1 Membership Levels and Benefits

GYC offers different membership levels with varying benefits and pricing. The specific benefits associated with each membership level are described on our Website. We reserve the right to modify, add, or remove membership benefits at any time.

2.2 Membership Fees and Billing

Membership fees are charged according to the plan you select. By providing payment information, you authorize us to charge the applicable fees to your designated payment method. All fees are non-refundable except as expressly stated in these Terms or as required by applicable law.

2.3 Membership Cancellation

You may cancel your membership at any time by contacting us or using the cancellation feature in your account settings. Upon cancellation, your membership will remain active until the end of your current billing period, after which it will not renew.

3. User Conduct and Responsibilities

When using our Website and Services, you agree not to:

• Violate any applicable laws, regulations, or third-party rights
• Use the Services for any illegal or unauthorized purpose
• Post or transmit harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable content
• Impersonate any person or entity or falsely state or misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity
• Interfere with or disrupt the Services or servers or networks connected to the Services
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Website or Services
• Use any robot, spider, scraper, or other automated means to access the Website or Services
• Decompile, reverse engineer, or disassemble any software or other products or processes accessible through the Website
• Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Website or Services
• Collect or harvest any personally identifiable information from other users

4. Content and Intellectual Property

4.1 GYC Content

Unless otherwise indicated, the Website and all Content, features, and functionality are owned by GYC or our licensors and are protected by copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws.

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable license to access and use the Website and Services for your personal, non-commercial use, subject to these Terms.

4.2 User-Generated Content

By submitting, posting, or displaying Content on or through our Services (including forum posts, project photos, comments, and reviews), you grant GYC a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, distribute, and display such Content in connection with providing and promoting the Services.

You represent and warrant that:

• You own or have the necessary rights to use and authorize us to use your Content
• Your Content does not violate the privacy rights, publicity rights, copyright, contractual rights, or any other rights of any person or entity
• Your Content does not contain material that is false, intentionally misleading, or defamatory

We reserve the right to remove any Content that violates these Terms or that we determine is otherwise objectionable.

5. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE WEBSITE AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

GYC DOES NOT WARRANT THAT:

• THE WEBSITE OR SERVICES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS
• THE WEBSITE OR SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE
• THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE WEBSITE OR SERVICES WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE
• THE QUALITY OF ANY PRODUCTS, SERVICES, INFORMATION, OR OTHER MATERIAL PURCHASED OR OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE WILL MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS

ANY MATERIAL DOWNLOADED OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED THROUGH THE USE OF THE SERVICES IS ACCESSED AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK, AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE DOWNLOAD OF ANY SUCH MATERIAL.

6. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, GYC SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM:

• YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICES
• ANY CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICES
• ANY CONTENT OBTAINED FROM THE SERVICES
• UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, USE, OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR CONTENT

IN NO EVENT SHALL GYC'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU, IF ANY, FOR ACCESSING THE SERVICES DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE CLAIM.

7. DIY Project Disclaimer

GYC provides educational resources and guides for DIY boat improvement projects, including thruster installations. By using these resources, you acknowledge and agree that:

• Boat modification projects involve inherent risks and should only be undertaken by individuals with appropriate skills and knowledge
• You are solely responsible for ensuring that any modifications you make to your vessel comply with applicable laws, regulations, and safety standards
• GYC is not responsible for any damage, injury, or loss resulting from your use of our educational resources or your implementation of any techniques or methods described therein
• The information provided is general in nature and may not be suitable for all vessels or situations
• You should consult with qualified professionals when necessary and exercise caution and good judgment when undertaking boat modification projects

8. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless GYC, its officers, directors, employees, and agents, from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable legal and accounting fees, arising out of or in any way connected with:

• Your access to or use of the Website or Services
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any third-party right, including without limitation any intellectual property right, publicity, confidentiality, property, or privacy right
• Any claim that your Content caused damage to a third party

9. Modifications to Terms and Services

We reserve the right to modify or replace these Terms at any time. If a revision is material, we will provide at least 30 days' notice prior to any new terms taking effect. What constitutes a material change will be determined at our sole discretion.

We may also, in our sole discretion, modify, suspend, or discontinue the Services (or any part thereof) at any time, with or without notice. We shall not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance of the Services.

10. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or your use of the Website or Services shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the American Arbitration Association's rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Annapolis, Maryland, and judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, GYC may seek injunctive or other equitable relief to protect its intellectual property rights or to prevent unauthorized access to the Services in any court of competent jurisdiction.

11. Severability and Waiver

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be struck and the remaining provisions shall be enforced to the fullest extent under law.

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not be deemed a waiver of such right or provision.

12. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and GYC regarding your use of the Website and Services and supersede all prior agreements and understandings, whether written or oral.

13. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at: