Terms of service

1. Scope of these terms

These terms apply to yacht and boat diagnostics, repair, maintenance, restoration and seasonal service work agreed with Whitstable Yacht Club through the Tidewright Marine service. They should be read with the written quotation or service scope issued for the specific vessel.

If a written quotation contains a vessel-specific term that differs from a general provision here, the vessel-specific term applies to that work to the extent permitted by law.

2. Published packages and prices

Published packages on this website are fixed prices for the scope and vessel limits stated on each card. The displayed total includes VAT at 20% and the card also shows the net amount and VAT amount. A package is not an open-ended commitment to resolve every defect found during the visit.

Charges for yard lifting, berth or storage, specialist subcontractors, travel outside an agreed area, parts outside a stated allowance and additional repairs are excluded unless expressly included in the relevant service description or quotation. Additional work is priced and submitted for approval before it begins.

3. Inspection, diagnosis and quotations

Some defects cannot be priced responsibly until inspection, access or testing has taken place. Diagnostic work may therefore be a separate paid service from the repair. A diagnostic conclusion is based on the information and access reasonably available at the time.

Where dismantling reveals hidden corrosion, inaccessible previous repairs, water damage, structural defects or non-standard modifications, the original scope may need to change. We will explain the finding and seek approval for revised work before proceeding beyond what is reasonably necessary to leave the vessel in a safe state.

4. Customer responsibilities

You must provide accurate information about the vessel, known faults, recent incidents and relevant previous work where reasonably available. The vessel must be accessible at the agreed time, and any marina, yard or harbour permission needed for attendance must be arranged unless we have expressly agreed to arrange it.

You should remove valuables and personal items from work areas. If shore power, fuel, lifting, keys or system passwords are needed for testing, you must make them available as agreed.

5. Performance of services

Services are performed with reasonable care and skill. Where a completion time has been stated, it can depend on access, parts availability, weather, yard operations, drying or curing conditions and additional defects discovered after authorised dismantling.

We will communicate material changes to the expected sequence where reasonably possible. Safety-related work can require the vessel or affected system to remain out of use until testing is complete.

6. Parts and materials

Parts supplied as part of a job will be suitable for the agreed purpose and specification. Where the customer supplies a part, we may decline to install it if compatibility, condition or safety cannot reasonably be established. Customer-supplied parts remain the customer's responsibility except for damage caused by our failure to use reasonable care and skill.

7. Cancellation and work requested to start early

Where a consumer contract is made at a distance or away from business premises, statutory cancellation rights may apply. The precise right depends on the circumstances and the type of service. If you expressly ask us to begin a service during a statutory cancellation period and later exercise a right to cancel, you may be required to pay for the proportion of the service supplied before cancellation, where the law permits.

Nothing in these terms removes rights that cannot lawfully be excluded under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or other applicable consumer law.

8. Payment

Payment timing is stated in the quotation or invoice. Deposits may be required for ordered parts, subcontracted work or reserved workshop time. Ownership of separately supplied parts may remain with the supplier until paid for in full where the relevant contract permits.

If an invoice is disputed, contact us promptly with the item or work stage in question so the issue can be reviewed against the approved scope and service record.

9. Liability

We do not exclude liability where it would be unlawful to do so. Subject to those rights, we are not responsible for defects or loss caused by pre-existing damage, hidden conditions that could not reasonably have been identified, unauthorised third-party work, use contrary to manufacturer guidance or continued operation after a safety warning.

Marine systems interact. A repaired component may reveal a separate defect elsewhere in the system; where that happens, the second defect is treated as a new diagnostic or repair scope rather than automatically forming part of the original work.

10. Force majeure and events outside reasonable control

Neither party is responsible for delay caused by events outside reasonable control, including severe weather, harbour closure, yard access restrictions, transport disruption, supplier failure or an emergency that makes attendance unsafe. The affected party should communicate the delay and resume performance when reasonably possible.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, subject to any mandatory consumer protections that apply. Courts with jurisdiction under applicable law may hear disputes arising from the service relationship.

Last updated: 21 August 2026.