Yachting Technology

Data Security for Yacht Buyers: What Legacy Platforms Won’t Tell You

Kate Hampton

Jul 1, 2025 — 3 min read

Yacht ownership isn’t just about freedom and adventure— it’s also about trust. And in 2025, trust doesn’t end at the dock. It begins online— with the platform you choose to start your search.

If you’re browsing listings, submitting inquiries, or preparing to close a deal digitally, you’re already part of a high-value digital trail— one that deserves stronger protection than most platforms provide.

The Hidden Risk of Buying Online: You’re the Product

High Finances = High Value Targets

You’re not shopping for sneakers; you’re making a multi-million-dollar decision. That makes you a prime target for cybercriminals. Just like luxury car buyers and real estate investors, yacht buyers are frequently hit by phishing attacks, social engineering scams, and identity theft.

A Wealth of Sensitive Data

A typical yacht transaction involves:

Legal documents
Proof of funds
Government-issued ID
Wire instructions
Digital signatures from multiple parties

Now imagine all that flowing through a system that hasn’t been updated in over a decade— or worse, one that’s never disclosed its security protocols at all.

Outdated Tools. Rising Threats.

Today’s cyber threats aren’t about guessing passwords: they exploit platforms running outdated infrastructure, weak encryption, and lax access controls. Breaches in marine and auto platforms have already exposed dealer data and personal records— and often without users finding out until it's too late (if they're notified at all).

Modern Buyers, Legacy Platforms

Digital contracts, remote closings, mobile deposits— the yacht buying process has evolved, but most platforms haven’t. For them, chasing dealer loyalty means racing to the bottom on pricing. Dealers don't actually drive the industry, though: you do, the buyer.

That’s where YachtWay comes in.

YachtWay’s Approach: Bank-Level, Best-in-Class.

We didn’t just build YachtWay to help people find yachts. We built it to protect every interaction— from first click to final signature.

How YachtWay Compares to Legacy Platforms:

Or, to put it another way:

Security Measure	YachtWay	Other Platforms
SOC 2 Type 1 Certified	Yes	No
ISO/IEC 27001 Compliance (in progress)	Yes	No
Verifiable GDPR Compliance (U.S. included)	Yes	Rarely enforced
Secure Digital Contracts (via DocuSign API)	Yes	No
Encrypted Signature Certificates (ESIGN/eIDAS)	Yes	No
Data Encryption (TLS 1.2+, AES-256, AWS KMS)	Yes	Not stated
Least-Privilege Access Controls	Yes	Not guaranteed

(Yes, we take it that seriously.)

We’re also completing our SOC 2 Type 2 certification— the gold standard for operational security and data integrity. After nearly a year and over 20 people across engineering, infrastructure, and legal, we’re now in the final stretch. Most platforms skip this— not because it’s unimportant, but because it’s expensive, difficult, and time-consuming. We believe it’s worth it.

Why This Matters to You

You own your data: not us, not advertisers, not third-party resellers.

Every transaction on YachtWay is protected at the level you’d expect from your bank or wealth manager. No behavioral tracking. No data resale. No compromises.

At YachtWay, privacy isn’t a feature— it’s a principle we live for. When you're searching for serenity on the water, you deserve serenity online, too.