# Zea Detailing > Family-owned mobile marine and exotic auto detailing based in West Palm Beach, serving Palm Beach County and Broward County. Ceramic coating, gelcoat correction, paint correction, boat washdowns and maintenance detailing — at your dock, marina, or home. Licensed, bonded and insured. 10 years in business. Owner and lead detailer: Ivan Zea, since 2016. 5.0-star Google rating (12 reviews). Phone: (239) 451-0355 · Email: zeadetailing@gmail.com · Hours: Mon–Fri 8am–7pm, Sat 8am–5pm; Closed Sunday. Website: https://zeadetailing.com · Quote form: https://zeadetailing.com/quote · Contact: https://zeadetailing.com/contact Based in West Palm Beach, FL 33415. 100% mobile — we work at private docks, marinas, dry stacks, and driveways. Rates are published per linear foot (see below); a firm quote comes back within one business day. ## Published rates (boats, per linear foot) — https://zeadetailing.com/pricing - Fresh-water wash: $10/ft. The recurring washdown that keeps salt from ever setting. Weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. - Wash and wax: $30/ft. A full washdown plus hand-applied protection. The reset between corrections. - Gelcoat correction — topsides: $20/ft (per step). Machine compounding and polishing above the rubrail. Most boats need two to three steps. - Gelcoat correction — hull sides: $15/ft (per step). The same staged work below the rubrail, where oxidation and waterline staining live. - Ceramic coating — correction included: $250/ft. The complete job: decontamination, full multi-stage correction, then the coating cured over a finish that is actually ready for it. Worked examples: 24ft — wash $240, wash+wax $720, 2-step correction $1,680, ceramic all-in $6,000; 34ft — wash $340, wash+wax $1,020, 2-step correction $2,380, ceramic all-in $8,500; 42ft — wash $420, wash+wax $1,260, 2-step correction $2,940, ceramic all-in $10,500; 50ft — wash $500, wash+wax $1,500, 2-step correction $3,500, ceramic all-in $12,500; 65ft — wash $650, wash+wax $1,950, 2-step correction $4,550, ceramic all-in $16,250. Note: our ceramic price INCLUDES full decontamination and multi-stage correction, so it is not comparable to a coating-only quote. Cars are priced per vehicle, not per foot. Paint correction and ceramic coating depend on the panel count, the paint's condition, and how far the finish has to come back. Send the model and a few daylight photos and you'll have a firm number. ## Services - [Ceramic Coating](https://zeadetailing.com/services/ceramic-coating): Ceramic coating is a professionally applied, chemically bonded layer of silica that cures into a hard, hydrophobic shell over gelcoat or automotive paint. On South Florida boats and cars it replaces wax, resists UV chalking and salt, makes washdowns faster, and lasts years instead of weeks. - [Gelcoat Correction & Oxidation Removal](https://zeadetailing.com/services/gelcoat-correction): Gelcoat correction is the machine compounding and polishing of a boat's fiberglass gelcoat to remove the oxidized, chalky top layer and restore true color and gloss. Done properly it makes most faded hulls look new again and avoids the cost of painting. - [Paint Correction](https://zeadetailing.com/services/paint-correction): Paint correction is the controlled machine polishing of a car's clear coat to permanently remove swirl marks, scratches, water spots, and hazing. Unlike a quick polish that fills defects for a few weeks, correction removes them, restoring true depth and reflection. - [Boat Washes & Maintenance Detailing](https://zeadetailing.com/services/boat-washes-maintenance): A boat maintenance detail is a scheduled, professional fresh-water washdown and wipe-down of the entire vessel — hull, deck, glass, stainless, upholstery — that removes salt before it etches the finish. In South Florida, weekly or bi-weekly service is what separates boats that stay new from boats that need restoration every two years. - [Interior & Brightwork Detailing](https://zeadetailing.com/services/interior-brightwork): Interior and brightwork detailing covers everything aboard that isn't the hull: upholstery and vinyl deep-cleaned and UV-conditioned, teak cleaned and brightened, stainless rails and hardware machine-polished to a mirror, and engine rooms degreased back to white. For cars, it means leather, carpets, and trim brought back to showroom condition. ## Who we serve - [Marine detailing](https://zeadetailing.com/marine): yachts, sportfish, and center consoles from 20 to 100+ feet. - [Automotive detailing](https://zeadetailing.com/auto): Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, McLaren, Range Rover, G-Wagon, Tesla, and tow trucks. ## Service area (16 pages, Palm Beach County and Broward County) - [Hollywood & Hallandale Beach](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/hollywood-hallandale-beach) — 33019, 33009, 33020: Intracoastal boats between two inlets: Loggerhead, Diplomat Landing, and the canals of Hollywood Lakes and Golden Isles, with the cars handled too. - [Dania Beach](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/dania-beach) — 33004, 33312: Broward's working waterfront: the yards and dry stacks of the Dania Cut, kept clean between haul-outs. - [Fort Lauderdale](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/fort-lauderdale) — 33301, 33304, 33308, 33316: The Yachting Capital of the World: Las Olas Isles, Harbor Beach, Bahia Mar, and the exotics garaged behind them. - [Pompano Beach & Hillsboro Beach](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/pompano-beach-hillsboro-beach) — 33062, 33060, 33064: Hillsboro Inlet's fishing fleet, Harbor Village canal docks, and the estate yachts of Hillsboro Mile — washed down before the salt sets. - [Lighthouse Point & Deerfield Beach](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/lighthouse-point) — 33064, 33441: Deep-water canals, backyard sportfish, and weekly washdown routes minutes from Hillsboro Inlet. - [Boca Raton](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/boca-raton) — 33432, 33431, 33496: Estate service inside Royal Palm, The Sanctuary, and Mizner Lake — yachts out back, exotics in the garage. - [Highland Beach & Gulf Stream](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/highland-beach-gulf-stream) — 33487, 33483: Quiet, staff-coordinated yacht programs for direct-Intracoastal estates along Ocean Blvd and Place Au Soleil. - [Delray Beach & Boynton Beach](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/delray-beach-boynton-beach) — 33483, 33444, 33435, 33426: Boynton Inlet's fishing fleet and Delray's Intracoastal cruisers, washed down before the salt sets. - [Manalapan & Ocean Ridge](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/manalapan-ocean-ridge) — 33462, 33435: Captain-coordinated programs for the mega-yachts of Point Manalapan and Ocean Ridge's dual-waterfront estates. - [Singer Island, Lantana & Lake Worth Beach](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/singer-island-lantana-lake-worth) — 33404, 33462, 33460: Sailfish Marina's tournament fleet, Riviera Beach Marina Village, and Lantana's weekend boaters — kept inlet-ready. - [Palm Beach](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/palm-beach) — 33480: Island-standard care for lagoon-kept yachts and the exotics behind the hedges — discretion assumed. - [West Palm Beach](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/west-palm-beach) — 33401, 33405, 33407, 33415: Our home base: El Cid and South Flagler docks, plus the superyacht slips at Palm Harbor and Rybovich. - [Palm Beach Gardens & North Palm Beach](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/palm-beach-gardens-north-palm-beach) — 33418, 33410, 33408: Collection-grade car care and marina boat programs across Old Palm, Lost Tree, Harbour Isles, and six premium marinas. - [Jupiter, Tequesta & Jupiter Inlet Colony](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/jupiter) — 33477, 33469, 33458: Washdown routes through Admirals Cove and Jupiter Yacht Club, and offshore boats kept tournament-clean up to Tequesta. - [Wellington & Royal Palm Beach](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/wellington-royal-palm-beach) — 33414, 33411, 33470: Season-timed ceramic coating and paint correction for Wellington's equestrian estates, plus trailered boats and tow rigs in Royal Palm Beach. - [Weston, Davie & Plantation](https://zeadetailing.com/locations/weston-davie-plantation) — 33326, 33327, 33331, 33332, 33330, 33328, 33324, 33325, 33317, 33322: Estate garages in Weston, Davie, and Plantation — exotics, tow rigs, and trailer boats kept right, all in the driveway. - [Marinas we serve (53)](https://zeadetailing.com/marinas): Lighthouse Point Marina, Cove Marina, Marina One, Boca Raton Resort & Club Marina, Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club Marina, Seawood Marina, Delray Harbor Club Marina, Suntex Marina at Boynton Beach, Boynton Harbor Marina, Gateway Marina, Lantana Marina, Sailfish Marina Resort, Riviera Beach Marina Village, Town of Palm Beach Marina, Palm Harbor Marina, Safe Harbor Rybovich, Palm Beach Yacht Club & Marina, Harbour Point Marina, Safe Harbor Old Port Cove, Safe Harbor Soverel Harbour, PORT 32 Palm Beach Gardens, Loggerhead Marina – Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach Marina, Admirals Cove Marina & Yacht Club, Jupiter Inlet Marina at U-Tiki Beach, Jupiter Yacht Club Marina, The Bluffs Marina, Loggerhead Marina – Jupiter, Blowing Rocks Marina, Jupiter Pointe Club & Marina, Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Pier Sixty-Six Marina, Las Olas Marina, Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center, Sunrise Harbor Marina, Hall of Fame Marina, Coral Ridge Yacht Club, Lauderdale Yacht Club, Sands Harbor Resort & Marina, Hillsboro Inlet Fishing Center, Loggerhead Marina – Hidden Harbour, Lighthouse Point Yacht Club, Hillsboro Club, Loggerhead Marina Hollywood, Hollywood Marina, Diplomat Landing Marina, Hallandale Beach City Marina, Harbour Towne Marina, Seahaven Superyacht Marina, Derecktor Dania, Playboy Marine Center, Royale Palm Yacht Basin, Dania Beach Municipal Marina. - Service-by-city pages follow the pattern https://zeadetailing.com/services/{service}/{city}, e.g. https://zeadetailing.com/services/ceramic-coating/jupiter. ## Guides (answer-first, sourced) - [How often should you wash a boat in saltwater? (Florida answer)](https://zeadetailing.com/guides/how-often-wash-boat-saltwater-florida): In South Florida, rinse the boat with fresh water after every trip and put it on a full wash schedule by how it's kept: weekly for boats that live in the water, every one to two weeks on a lift, every two to four weeks in a dry stack, and after each use and monthly for trailered boats. Salt left overnight starts working on gelcoat and stainless. - [Ceramic coating vs. wax for boats: what lasts in Florida sun](https://zeadetailing.com/guides/ceramic-coating-vs-wax-boat): In South Florida, ceramic coating outlasts wax several times over, ten to one or more on a well-kept boat. Carnauba wax survives two to three months under a summer UV index of 9–11+; a professional marine ceramic coating typically holds 18–24 months, and two to five years with fresh-water washdowns and annual maintenance. Up front it costs more; per year it usually costs less than three or four wax visits. - [Gelcoat oxidation removal: when your chalky hull can be saved](https://zeadetailing.com/guides/gelcoat-oxidation-removal-guide): Usually, yes. Gelcoat oxidation is the UV-degraded surface of the resin, a thin dead layer on a coat that left the factory 15–25 mils thick. Light through heavy chalking comes back with staged wet compounding and polishing; severe chalk needs a 600–800 grit wet sand first. Only gouged, crazed, or burned-through gelcoat needs paint or re-gel. - [Detailing a boat before you sell it: what surveyors and buyers notice](https://zeadetailing.com/guides/detail-boat-before-selling): Detail the boat before listing photos are shot and refresh it lightly the day before the survey. Surveyors and buyers read the engine room and bilge first, then the waterline, non-skid, upholstery, and stainless. Florida detailers list wash-and-wax at roughly $8–$15 per foot, compounding and polishing at $15–$35, and full restoration packages up to about $55 per foot; a corrected, dry, odor-free boat photographs better and shortens negotiation. - [Hurricane season boat prep: the detailing side (June–November)](https://zeadetailing.com/guides/hurricane-season-boat-prep-detailing): Hurricane season boat prep on the detailing side means getting protection on the finish before June 1 and decontaminating fast after any storm. Coat or seal the gelcoat pre-season, keep fresh-water washdowns on a weekly cadence through the September 10 peak, then after a storm rinse salt within a day or two, dry the interior below 60% humidity, and treat mildew before it sets in stitching. - [Paint correction explained for Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini owners](https://zeadetailing.com/guides/paint-correction-explained-exotic-cars): Paint correction is controlled machine polishing that removes a few microns of clear coat to permanently level swirls, holograms, and water etching. Factory clear on most cars is only 35–50 microns, so exotic correction is done conservatively: paint-depth readings on every panel, a test spot before any pad touches the car, and a one-step or multi-stage process chosen by the defects, not a menu. - [What ceramic coating costs for a car in Florida, and what you actually get](https://zeadetailing.com/guides/ceramic-coating-car-cost-florida): In Palm Beach and Broward County, professional automotive ceramic coating is typically listed at $400–$1,000 for a one-to-two-year coating, roughly $1,000–$2,500 for three-to-five-year systems, and $1,500–$2,800 for seven-to-ten-year or lifetime-warranty packages. Paint correction, required before any coating, adds about $300–$1,000+ depending on condition. Vehicle size and prep hours, not the bottle, drive the price. - [New boat? Protect it in the first 90 days](https://zeadetailing.com/guides/new-boat-first-90-days-protection): Protect a new boat in its first 90 days by coating it before the first season; dealer wax lasts weeks to a few months in South Florida. Most hulls leave the factory machine-buffed, so a light polish and ceramic coating, a fresh-water rinse of every stainless fitting after each salt run, mild soap on the SeaDek, and a weekly or bi-weekly wash cadence carry the factory finish for years. - [Removing the brown waterline stain (tannin, scum, and the Loxahatchee mustache)](https://zeadetailing.com/guides/boat-waterline-stain-removal): The brown waterline stain is tannin from blackwater rivers like the Loxahatchee, plus algae and calcium that bond into porous gelcoat. Remove it with a fresh-water wash, then a mild oxalic-acid hull cleaner kept wet for 5–15 minutes and rinsed, not muriatic acid. Every acid wash strips wax and opens the gelcoat; a ceramic coating and weekly washdowns keep the stain from setting. - [How much does boat detailing cost in South Florida?](https://zeadetailing.com/guides/boat-detailing-cost-south-florida): Zea Detailing charges $10 per foot for a fresh-water boat wash, $30 per foot for a wash and wax, $20 per foot topsides and $15 per foot hull sides for each step of gelcoat correction, and from $250 per foot for a ceramic coating with the full correction included. Published South Florida rates run $3.50-$10/ft for washes, $8-$30/ft for wash-and-wax, $15-$50/ft for compounding and $25-$95+/ft for coating alone. ## Proof - [Reviews](https://zeadetailing.com/reviews): 12 public five-star reviews on Google and Yelp. - [Before & after gallery + video](https://zeadetailing.com/work): all original photos and footage of client boats and cars. - [About Ivan Zea](https://zeadetailing.com/about) · [FAQ](https://zeadetailing.com/faq) ## Sitemaps - https://zeadetailing.com/sitemap.xml (index) · https://zeadetailing.com/llms-full.txt (full text of services and guides) # Full text # Services ## Ceramic Coating https://zeadetailing.com/services/ceramic-coating Ceramic coating is a professionally applied, chemically bonded layer of silica that cures into a hard, hydrophobic shell over gelcoat or automotive paint. On South Florida boats and cars it replaces wax, resists UV chalking and salt, makes washdowns faster, and lasts years instead of weeks. A ceramic coating bonds to your gelcoat or paint at the molecular level and cures into a hard, glass-like layer that salt, UV, and exhaust soot can't easily touch. Washdowns get faster, water sheets off instead of spotting, and deep gloss lasts season after season. We install marine-specific systems on boats and automotive-grade systems on cars — always over a fully corrected surface. ### Why coat in South Florida Between the UV index, salt spray, and summer storms, Palm Beach County is one of the hardest environments in the world on a finish. Wax lasts weeks here. A professional ceramic coating is a different category entirely — a measurable, sacrificial glass-like layer that takes the abuse so your gelcoat and clear coat don't. On a vessel, that means the waterline releases scum with a light wipe instead of an acid wash. On a car, it means brake dust and lovebugs rinse off before they etch. Either way, every wash after coating is faster, safer, and gentler on the finish. ### Surface prep is the coating A coating locks in whatever is underneath it — including swirl marks and oxidation, if they aren't corrected first. That's why every Zea ceramic installation begins with full decontamination and machine polishing until the surface reads correctly under inspection lighting. Only then does the coating go down. Ivan installs marine-specific systems on gelcoat and topside paint, and automotive-grade coatings on paint, wheels, trim, and glass. Different chemistry, same standard: measured, verified, documented. ### Process 1. Wash & full decontamination — Iron remover, chemical decon, and clay treatment strip everything bonded to the surface. 2. Machine correction — Single or multi-stage polishing removes oxidation, swirls, and haze — verified under inspection light. 3. Panel wipe & inspection — Residue-free wipe-down so the coating bonds to a bare, perfect finish. 4. Coating installation — Applied panel by panel in controlled sections, leveled, and checked for high spots. 5. Cure & handoff — Cure guidance, first-wash timing, and a maintenance plan to protect the investment. ### FAQ Q: How long does a ceramic coating last on a boat in Florida? A: With correct prep and sensible maintenance, marine ceramic systems deliver two to five years of protection — even on hulls that live in the water. Regular fresh-water washdowns extend coating life significantly, which is why most of our coating clients pair it with a maintenance plan. Q: Is ceramic coating worth it over wax? A: In South Florida, yes. Carnauba wax survives weeks in our UV and salt. A professional ceramic coating is a hard, chemically bonded layer that survives years, sheds salt and waterline scum, and keeps gloss you can measure. Q: How much does ceramic coating cost for a boat? A: Boat coatings start at $250 per linear foot, and that figure includes the full decontamination and multi-stage correction underneath, not just the coating. A 34-foot center console starts at $8,500, a 42-foot sportfish at $10,500. A cheaper per-foot coating quote is almost always the coating alone over an uncorrected hull. Cars are priced per vehicle. Q: Do you coat trailered boats and garage-kept cars too? A: Absolutely. Trailered center consoles and garage queens benefit just as much — the coating makes every post-run rinse faster and keeps UV from slowly chalking the finish between uses. --- ## Gelcoat Correction & Oxidation Removal https://zeadetailing.com/services/gelcoat-correction Gelcoat correction is the machine compounding and polishing of a boat's fiberglass gelcoat to remove the oxidized, chalky top layer and restore true color and gloss. Done properly it makes most faded hulls look new again and avoids the cost of painting. Oxidation doesn't mean your boat needs paint — it means the gelcoat needs to be professionally cut and refined. Our multi-stage correction removes the dead, chalky layer, restores true color and depth, then locks the result in with protection so it doesn't slide backwards. Ivan has restored everything from 25-foot Whalers to a 54-foot motor yacht he's maintained for three seasons. ### What oxidation actually is Gelcoat is porous. Under Florida UV, its surface slowly breaks down into a chalky, dull layer — first losing gloss, then color. Wiping wax over it hides the problem for a few weeks; it doesn't fix it. Correction removes the degraded layer entirely, exposing fresh gelcoat underneath. The same discipline applies to painted hulls (Awlgrip, Alexseal): measured, deliberate machine work that removes swirl marks, water spotting, and buffer trails a previous crew may have left — without burning through what's left. ### Measured, staged, verified Every correction starts with an honest assessment: how much healthy gelcoat is there to work with, and what result can it support. We stage the work — heavy cut, refining polish, finishing polish — checking progress under inspection lighting at each stage. We document condition before we start and photograph the result when we're done — the before-and-afters in our gallery are real jobs on real client boats. ### Process 1. Condition assessment — We evaluate oxidation depth and gelcoat thickness before recommending a cut level. 2. Wash & decontamination — Salt, scum, and bonded contamination off first — you can't polish dirt. 3. Wet compounding — Heavy-cut stage removes the oxidized layer and deep defects. 4. Refinement polish — Progressively finer stages restore clarity, depth, and true color. 5. Protection — Sealant or ceramic coating locks in the result — corrected gelcoat left bare re-oxidizes fast. ### FAQ Q: How much does gelcoat correction cost? A: $20 per linear foot topsides and $15 per foot hull sides, charged per step. Most boats need two to three steps, so a 42-foot hull runs about $2,940 for two steps and $4,410 for three. We confirm the step count after seeing the hull, and protection is included on the final pass. Q: My hull is chalky white — is it too far gone? A: Usually not. Heavy oxidation looks terminal but most gelcoat has enough depth for a full restoration. We assess first and tell you honestly what the surface will support. The transformations in our gallery started exactly where your boat is now. Q: How long does gelcoat restoration last? A: The correction itself is permanent — that oxidized layer is gone. How long the gloss holds depends on protection: sealed and maintained, years; left bare in Florida sun, oxidation begins creeping back within months. That's why protection is built into every restoration we do. Q: Can you correct my boat in the water? A: Yes, hull sides down to the waterline, topsides, decks and towers are all done in-slip. Full below-waterline work needs the boat on a lift, trailer, or hauled — we'll tell you which makes sense for your goal. Q: Can you remove swirl marks another detailer left? A: Yes. Buffer trails, holograms, and swirl from previous work are among the most common defects we correct — on gelcoat and on painted hulls. --- ## Paint Correction https://zeadetailing.com/services/paint-correction Paint correction is the controlled machine polishing of a car's clear coat to permanently remove swirl marks, scratches, water spots, and hazing. Unlike a quick polish that fills defects for a few weeks, correction removes them, restoring true depth and reflection. Exotic paint is thin, expensive, and unforgiving. Our correction work is built around that reality: paint assessed panel by panel, test spots before any machine touches the car, the least-aggressive process that achieves the result, and inspection lighting at every stage. The same discipline applies to a Model X or an F-150 as to a 458 — there is no B-team process. ### Correction vs. a 'polish' Correction is measured defect removal — swirls, water etching, buffer trails — verified under inspection lighting, stage by stage. A quick gloss-up polish hides defects with fillers that wash out in weeks. Correction removes them. It is the single biggest visual upgrade a car can get, and the only right foundation for a ceramic coating. Dark colors and metallics show the difference most dramatically: a corrected black Ferrari reads like liquid; an uncorrected one looks like a spider web under the sun. ### Conservative by design Limited-production paint and repainted panels get conservative, test-spot-first methods, measured passes, and full documentation. We treat a seven-figure car like the irreplaceable object it is — and we're insured accordingly. ### Process 1. Paint assessment — Panel-by-panel inspection under lighting; test spot to choose the gentlest effective combination. 2. Wash & decontamination — Iron remover, tar remover, and clay — the paint is clinically clean before any pad touches it. 3. Cutting stage — Compound removes the defect depth chosen in the assessment — no more. 4. Finishing stage — Fine polish restores clarity and jetting for true depth of reflection. 5. Protection — Sealant, or ceramic coating for multi-year results — never left bare. ### FAQ Q: How long does paint correction take? A: A one-step enhancement on a well-kept car is usually a full day. A multi-stage correction on an exotic or a neglected dark car is one to two days — we don't rush paint, and we don't count hours against your result. Q: Will correction remove all scratches? A: It removes everything that lives in the clear coat: swirls, light scratches, water etching, holograms. A scratch you can catch a fingernail in is usually through the clear and needs touch-up or paint — we'll tell you honestly during the assessment. Q: Do you correct wrapped or PPF-covered cars? A: We correct exposed paint before PPF is applied and gently polish PPF and vinyl only when the film maker allows it. Ask us — we'd rather advise than guess with your car. Q: Is it safe to do this at my home? A: Yes — we bring water, power, lighting, and a controlled process to your garage or motor court. Your car never sits in a strange lot, and you never wait in a lobby. --- ## Boat Washes & Maintenance Detailing https://zeadetailing.com/services/boat-washes-maintenance A boat maintenance detail is a scheduled, professional fresh-water washdown and wipe-down of the entire vessel — hull, deck, glass, stainless, upholstery — that removes salt before it etches the finish. In South Florida, weekly or bi-weekly service is what separates boats that stay new from boats that need restoration every two years. Salt never takes a week off. Our maintenance programs put your boat on a professional care schedule: fresh-water washdown, chamois dry, glass and stainless spot-free, non-skid scrubbed, upholstery checked, coating maintained. You step aboard; it's simply always ready. Several clients have been on Ivan's route for three seasons and counting. ### Why recurring beats rescue Every dollar of detailing you've invested — the correction, the coating, the brightwork — depreciates the moment salt sits on it. A disciplined washdown cadence is what separates boats that look new for a decade from boats that need restoration every two years. Maintenance clients get the same detailer on a standing schedule, a consistent checklist, and small problems caught early: a rust bloom on a rail, a mildew spot in a seam, waterline scum starting to set. Handled before you'd ever notice. ### Built around how you run her Weekly for boats that fish every weekend and live in the water. Bi-weekly for lift-kept or lightly used boats. Monthly for dry-stacked or covered boats. Interior refreshes, teak care, and metal polishing layered in at the interval that suits the boat. Estate clients often add vehicle washes to the same visit — one team, one schedule, every asset covered. ### Process 1. Program design — Cadence, checklist, and access designed around your boat, dock, and usage. 2. Standing schedule — Same detailer, same day, no coordination required from you. 3. Washdown & dry — Fresh-water wash with coating-safe soap, chamois dry, glass and metals wiped — spot-free. 4. Condition watch — We flag developing issues — corrosion, mildew, dock rash — before they grow. 5. Seasonal add-ons — Interior refresh, teak care, and coating top-ups woven in as needed. ### FAQ Q: How much is a boat wash? A: $10 per linear foot for a fresh-water wash, $30 per foot for a wash and wax. A 34-foot center console is $340 or $1,020. Most recurring clients settle into a flat monthly number once we have seen the boat and the dock. Q: What does a boat washdown include? A: Fresh-water wash of all exterior surfaces, chamois dry, glass and stainless wiped spot-free, non-skid scrubbed, and a quick condition check of upholstery and metals. Coated boats get coating-safe wash chemistry that extends protection life. Q: How often should a boat be washed in South Florida? A: Boats used most weekends, kept in the water, or docked with heavy salt exposure do best weekly. Lightly used or lift-kept boats often hold beautifully at bi-weekly. We'll recommend a cadence after seeing the boat and how you run her. Q: Do you need me to be there? A: No. Most maintenance clients aren't home when we work. We coordinate dock access, gate codes, and marina requirements once, then run the schedule. Q: Can one plan cover the boat and the cars? A: Yes — that's exactly how many of our estate clients use us. One visit, one crew, one invoice: the boat washed down and the vehicles detailed in the same trip. --- ## Interior & Brightwork Detailing https://zeadetailing.com/services/interior-brightwork Interior and brightwork detailing covers everything aboard that isn't the hull: upholstery and vinyl deep-cleaned and UV-conditioned, teak cleaned and brightened, stainless rails and hardware machine-polished to a mirror, and engine rooms degreased back to white. For cars, it means leather, carpets, and trim brought back to showroom condition. A vessel isn't finished at the rub rail. Salt air works on every surface aboard — upholstery, isinglass, teak, stainless, engine room. Our interior and brightwork service brings cabin spaces, cockpits, and metals to the same standard we hold the hull to, inside cars as well as boats. Clients tell us their seats and head compartments have never looked like this. ### Marine interiors & brightwork Marine vinyl and upholstery need more than a wipe-down — they need conditioning that resists mildew and UV cracking. Teak needs to be cleaned and brightened without tearing up the soft grain. Stainless rails, bow hardware, and outriggers need real metal polishing, not a rag and hope. Engine-room detailing is the proof point: we take rusty, grimy bilges and machinery spaces back to clean white — the kind of engine room a surveyor smiles at and a buyer remembers. The before-and-afters in our gallery speak for themselves. ### Automotive interiors For vehicles, the same discipline: deep extraction on carpets and seats, leather cleaned and conditioned correctly, trim dressed to factory sheen — never greasy. An interior finished so it reads showroom-new when the door opens. ### Process 1. Assessment & protection — Surfaces identified — vinyl, leather, teak, metals — and adjacent areas masked. 2. Deep clean & extraction — Upholstery, carpets, headliners, and hard surfaces cleaned to base material. 3. Brightwork & metal polish — Stainless, aluminum, and hardware machine-polished to a true mirror. 4. Teak & wood care — Cleaned and brightened with grain-safe methods. 5. Condition & protect — UV protectants and conditioners appropriate to each surface — never one bottle for everything. ### FAQ Q: Do you detail engine rooms? A: Yes — engine room and bilge detailing is one of our signature services. A clean, white engine room isn't vanity: it makes leaks visible early, survey days easier, and resale conversations shorter. Q: Can you remove mildew from marine vinyl? A: In most cases, yes — and more importantly we treat and condition the vinyl afterward so it resists coming back. Long-neglected stitching can be permanently stained; we'll tell you honestly what will and won't come out. Q: Do you polish stainless rails and towers? A: We machine-polish stainless rails, bow rails, tower legs, outriggers, and hardware back to a true mirror finish — one of the most visible upgrades a boat can get. # Service areas ## Hollywood & Hallandale Beach https://zeadetailing.com/locations/hollywood-hallandale-beach Zea Detailing provides mobile boat and car detailing in Hollywood and Hallandale Beach — washdowns, gelcoat correction, and ceramic coating at Loggerhead Marina Hollywood, Diplomat Landing Marina, the Hollywood Marina, and private docks in Hollywood Lakes, Harbor Islands, and Golden Isles. Hollywood and Hallandale Beach sit on the stretch of Intracoastal between two inlets — Port Everglades six miles north, Haulover five miles south — which gives boaters ocean access in either direction and gives us the southernmost stop on our route. Hollywood Lakes keeps cruisers and center consoles on North Lake and South Lake, the twin basins Joseph Young dug in the 1920s to open onto the Intracoastal; Harbor Islands wraps 190 slips at Loggerhead Marina inside its gates; Golden Isles runs deep, wide canals with yachts tied behind the house. Add Diplomat Landing's yacht dockage at the Hallandale Beach line and the municipal Hollywood Marina on Polk Street, and that is a lot of gelcoat in full sun. This is a two-asset market for us. Hollywood Lakes and Golden Isles owners keep the boat behind the house and the cars in the garage, and Three Islands and the Diplomat corridor add condo-kept yachts at marina slips with a Porsche or Tesla in the building garage. Our route runs through Loggerhead, Diplomat Landing, and the Hollywood and Hallandale Beach city marinas: washdowns on a weekly or bi-weekly cadence, correction and ceramic coating for gelcoat that has burned through a few summers on the Intracoastal, and the same coating and paint-correction standard on the vehicles — one licensed and insured team, fully mobile, scheduled around your week. - Bridge-schedule salt cycles: Hallandale Beach Boulevard and Sheridan Street bridges open on the quarter hour, so runs to Haulover or Port Everglades mean time idling in the ICW. Salt sits. Weekly washdowns reset it. - Deep-canal estate dockage: Golden Isles and Hollywood Lakes boats live in-water, full sun, year-round. UV can chalk unprotected gelcoat in a season — ceramic coating plus a maintenance cadence is the program here. - Marina and condo access: Loggerhead sits behind the Harbor Islands gate; Diplomat Landing and the Hallandale Beach City Marina run dockmasters and gated entry. We carry the insurance certificates and handle vendor registration ourselves. ### FAQ Q: Do you service boats at Loggerhead Marina in Harbor Islands? A: Yes. Loggerhead Marina Hollywood sits inside the Harbor Islands gate, so we handle the community's vendor registration ourselves, carry the insurance certificates the marina requires, and coordinate slip access with the dockmaster — whether your boat is 25 feet or 100. Q: Can you work at Diplomat Landing or the Hallandale Beach City Marina? A: Yes. Diplomat Landing sits on the Hollywood side of the city line and the City Marina just south on Three Islands Boulevard, and we cover both — mega-yachts and sportfish at Diplomat Landing, center consoles and cruisers at the City Marina. We coordinate with each dockmaster and work around the marina's schedule. Q: Do you come to private docks in Golden Isles and Hollywood Lakes? A: Yes — backyard docks on the Golden Isles canals and around North Lake and South Lake are a core part of our Hollywood work. We bring water, power, and lighting; you arrange access and we handle the rest. Q: Can you detail the cars along with the boat? A: Yes. Hollywood and Hallandale owners can run one program: boat washdown at the dock or slip, then ceramic coating or paint correction on the Porsche, Tesla, or tow vehicle in the garage — same visit, same standard, one invoice. --- ## Dania Beach https://zeadetailing.com/locations/dania-beach Zea Detailing provides mobile boat detailing in Dania Beach — washdowns, gelcoat correction, ceramic coating, and brightwork at Harbour Towne Marina, Royale Palm Yacht Basin, Seahaven Superyacht Marina, the yards at Playboy Marine and Derecktor Dania, and the Dania Beach Municipal Marina. Dania Beach is the working waterfront of Broward County. The Dania Cut-Off Canal comes off the Intracoastal just south of Port Everglades, and its first mile holds the yards, bridge-free, about three miles from the Atlantic: Derecktor's 900-ton haul-out, Playboy Marine's do-it-yourself blocks, Royale Palm's family-run slips, Seahaven's superyacht dockage, and Harbour Towne's 650 dry racks. On the beach side, the city marina sits beside the state park a short walk from the Dania Beach Pier, with Whiskey Creek and the Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park mangroves running north to the inlet. Boats here get used, hauled, and used again. Our work here follows the Cut and the beach basin: washdowns for the under-50-foot boats in the dry stacks at Harbour Towne and the slips at Royale Palm and the municipal marina, gelcoat correction and ceramic coating for boats coming off the blocks at Playboy or Derecktor, and brightwork, interior, and engine-room detailing for the larger vessels on the Cut, with vendor approval where the yard requires it. A yard is a hard place for a finish — sanding dust, bottom-paint overspray, diesel soot, and the salt haze off the inlet — so a boat leaving Dania Beach clean and coated is the whole point. We are licensed, bonded and insured. - Yard dust and bottom-paint overspray: Boats on the Cut live next to active haul-outs. Sanding dust and antifouling overspray settle on gelcoat and glass; we decontaminate before it bonds, then coat so it rinses off next time. - Dry-stack forklift cycles: Racked boats at Harbour Towne come down salty and go back up wet. We wash on the ground after the pull and time visits to your launch schedule. - Port Everglades traffic and diesel soot: Diesel soot from port traffic settles on hulls and stainless along the Cut and the beach basin. Regular decontamination keeps it off dark gelcoat and metal before it stains. ### FAQ Q: Do you work inside the yards on the Dania Cut-Off Canal? A: Yes. We service boats at Harbour Towne, Royale Palm, and Playboy Marine, and can work on the hard at Derecktor Dania and inside Seahaven with vendor approval, which we arrange through the yard office. We check in on arrival and stay clear of active lifts and work bays. Q: Can you detail a boat while it's on the blocks? A: That is often the best time. With the boat hauled we can correct and coat the entire hull, including the boot stripe and below the waterline before bottom paint goes on. Give us the yard's window and we schedule around it. Q: Do you service dry-stacked boats at Harbour Towne? A: Yes. Ask the office for a pull to the wash-down area and we work the boat on the ground — hull, outboards, T-top, and deck — then it goes back on the rack clean. We can set a standing cadence around how often you launch. Q: Do you handle the city marina and private docks in Melaleuca Gardens? A: Yes. The Dania Beach Municipal Marina and private docks in Melaleuca Gardens and along the Dania Cut-Off Canal are all on the route. We bring water, power, and lighting; you arrange access. --- ## Fort Lauderdale https://zeadetailing.com/locations/fort-lauderdale Zea Detailing provides mobile yacht, boat, and exotic car detailing throughout Fort Lauderdale — private docks in Las Olas Isles, Harbor Beach, Rio Vista, and Seven Isles, and slips at Bahia Mar and Pier Sixty-Six — ceramic coating, gelcoat correction, paint correction, and standing washdown programs. Fort Lauderdale calls itself the Yachting Capital of the World and has 165 miles of inland waterways to back it up. Las Olas Isles has a no-fixed-bridge run to Port Everglades Inlet; Harbor Beach sits beside the inlet itself, and Seven Isles keeps some of the largest privately docked yachts in the city. Rio Vista, Coral Ridge, and Bay Colony line the New River and the Intracoastal with canal homes that have a boat behind them and something fast in the garage. Bahia Mar, Pier Sixty-Six, and Las Olas Marina hold the show fleet. Here, serious boats and serious cars share the same driveways. We run Fort Lauderdale the way we run Palm Beach: one licensed, bonded and insured team for the yacht at the dock and the cars in the garage. Washdown programs for private docks in Las Olas Isles and Harbor Beach, and we can meet your boat at Bahia Mar, Pier Sixty-Six, Las Olas Marina, Sunrise Harbor, or a members' slip at Coral Ridge Yacht Club or Lauderdale Yacht Club. Gelcoat correction and ceramic coating for hulls that have done a few seasons off Port Everglades. Paint correction and ceramic for the Ferrari, the 911, or the Range Rover in the garage. Fully mobile, scheduled with your captain or house manager, and quiet about all of it. - Port Everglades traffic & fallout: The inlet handles cruise ships, cargo, and 5,000-plus vessel calls a year. Diesel soot and salt settle on hulls between Harbor Beach and the 17th Street bridge — decontamination is the first step. - Boat-show-grade presentation: This is the FLIBS town. Hulls here get compared to the show fleet at Bahia Mar every fall — dark hulls, brightwork, and glass need correction and coating that hold up to that comparison. - Two assets, one gate: Harbor Beach is guard-gated and Seven Isles has its own manned guardhouse. We handle gate passes and vendor check-in where they apply, service the yacht and the garage on the same standing visit, and coordinate through captains and staff so you never manage vendors. ### FAQ Q: Do you service yachts at Bahia Mar, Pier Sixty-Six, and Las Olas Marina? A: Yes — we can meet your boat at all three, and at Sunrise Harbor, Hall of Fame Marina, and Marina Bay on the New River. We're licensed, bonded and insured, and we coordinate slip access and any dockmaster requirements with your captain before the first visit. Q: Can you work inside Harbor Beach and Seven Isles? A: Yes. Both are guarded communities, and we handle vendor registration and gate coordination ourselves. The yacht at the private dock and the vehicles in the garage can be combined on one standing visit — one team your gate staff knows, one schedule, one invoice. Q: Do you detail exotic cars in Fort Lauderdale, or only boats? A: Both, at the same standard. Paint correction and ceramic coating for Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and collector vehicles are performed in your own garage in Las Olas Isles, Rio Vista, or Coral Ridge — test spots first, measured passes, and every panel documented. Q: Can you meet a boat during a yard period at Lauderdale Marine Center? A: Yes. We coordinate with your captain or project manager to detail during or immediately after a haul-out at Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center, so the boat leaves the yard with the exterior finished rather than splashing and then waiting for a wash. --- ## Pompano Beach & Hillsboro Beach https://zeadetailing.com/locations/pompano-beach-hillsboro-beach Zea Detailing provides mobile boat detailing in Pompano Beach and Hillsboro Beach — washdowns, gelcoat correction, and ceramic coating at Sands Harbor Resort & Marina, Hillsboro Inlet Fishing Center, Loggerhead Hidden Harbour, and private docks in Harbor Village and along Hillsboro Mile. Hillsboro Inlet is the reason boats live in Pompano Beach. The charter fleet at Hillsboro Inlet Fishing Center runs Sailfish Alley most mornings, Sands Harbor's fuel dock sits minutes from the sea buoy, and the canals of Harbor Village and Santa Barbara Shores put center consoles and sportfish on private docks with no fixed bridge between the lift and the ocean. Add the 331 dry-stack racks at Loggerhead Hidden Harbour and the 78 slips at Lighthouse Point Yacht Club just north, and you have a stretch of water where boats are used, not admired — and where salt from the last trip is always the first problem. Across the inlet, Hillsboro Mile is a different assignment. Three miles of A1A estates with the Atlantic on one side and Intracoastal dockage on the other, the Hillsboro Club sitting beside the lighthouse on the inlet itself, and owners who expect a detailer to arrive prepared and leave quietly. We run both programs from the same rig: weekly washdowns and tower-to-transom details for the Pompano fishing fleet, staff-coordinated hull, brightwork, and interior programs for Hillsboro Mile yachts, and ceramic coating for the boats and the cars in their garages on either side of the bridge. - Inlet salt, run daily: Boats here run the inlet constantly. Salt crust after a Sailfish Alley morning starts pitting stainless and spotting glass if it sits — same-week washdowns are the baseline, not the upgrade. - Dual exposure on Hillsboro Mile: Ocean spray over the dune, Intracoastal haze at the dock. Estate yachts on the Mile take salt from both sides; dark hulls and brightwork need coating plus a disciplined cadence. - Dry-stack and lift-kept hulls: Hidden Harbour racks and canal lifts keep hulls dry — ideal for coating — but forklift rub marks and rack dust need attention generic washers skip. We coordinate pulls with the yard. ### FAQ Q: Do you service boats at Sands Harbor and Hillsboro Inlet Fishing Center? A: Yes. We service boats at Sands Harbor Resort & Marina, Hillsboro Inlet Fishing Center, and the dry stacks at Loggerhead Hidden Harbour. We carry the insurance certificates marinas require and coordinate access directly with the dockmaster or yard. Q: Can you work on the Hillsboro Club docks or at a Hillsboro Mile estate? A: Private Intracoastal slips along Hillsboro Mile are staff- or captain-coordinated: quiet equipment, no signage, and a program set to the vessel rather than our calendar. The Hillsboro Club is a private club — access there is arranged through the member, their captain, or club staff, and we follow the club's vendor requirements. Q: Our boat is dry-stacked at Hidden Harbour — how does detailing work? A: We coordinate a pull with the yard and work the boat on the ground. Dry-stacked hulls hold ceramic coatings especially well since they never sit in the water; we recommend coating once, then running a monthly maintenance detail from there. Q: How often should a Harbor Village canal boat be washed down? A: Weekly for in-water boats, bi-weekly for lift-kept ones. Harbor Village and Santa Barbara Shores canals are protected water, but Pompano boats run the inlet often — the salt from the last trip sets the cadence, not the canal. --- ## Lighthouse Point & Deerfield Beach https://zeadetailing.com/locations/lighthouse-point Zea Detailing provides mobile boat detailing in Lighthouse Point and Deerfield Beach — weekly washdowns, gelcoat oxidation removal, and ceramic coating performed at your backyard dock, lift, or at Lighthouse Point Marina, Cove Marina, and Marina One. Lighthouse Point is a boater's town before it's anything else. From Venice to Coral Key to Lake Buena Vista, nearly every street ends at a deep-water canal, and nearly every dock carries a center console or sportfish that runs Hillsboro Inlet on the weekends. This is where our Palm Beach routes meet our Broward routes — the Hillsboro Inlet is the hinge of the whole corridor. Backyard dockage is convenient for you and brutal on a finish: the boat sits in salt water, under full sun, with brackish canal spray working on the waterline all week. We service Lighthouse Point and Deerfield boats right at the dock — washdowns, oxidation correction, ceramic coating, and full-vessel programs — so she's always ready when the inlet lays down. - Waterline scum from canal water: Slow-moving canal water paints a brown mustache on every hull. Our maintenance cadence keeps waterlines clean without harsh acid washes eating your gelcoat. - Full-sun dock exposure: Most Lighthouse Point docks have no cover. UV chalks unprotected gelcoat in a single summer — ceramic coating is the difference-maker here. - Weekend-warrior salt cycles: Out the inlet Saturday, salt crust by Sunday. A standing washdown program resets the clock every week. ### FAQ Q: Do you come to private docks in Lighthouse Point? A: Yes — private backyard docks on the Lighthouse Point canals are the majority of our work here. We bring everything needed; we just need water and access arranged. Q: Can you maintain a boat kept on a lift? A: Absolutely. Lift-kept boats in Venice and Coral Key are ideal candidates — we can work the entire hull including below the waterline, and lift-kept hulls hold coatings beautifully. Q: Do you service boats in dry storage at Marina One? A: Yes. We detail dry-stacked boats at Marina One and other Deerfield facilities — coordinate a pull with the yard and we handle the rest. Q: How often should a canal-docked boat be washed down? A: For in-water boats on Lighthouse Point canals, weekly is the standard we recommend — bi-weekly for lift-kept or lightly used boats. --- ## Boca Raton https://zeadetailing.com/locations/boca-raton Zea Detailing serves Boca Raton estates in Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, The Sanctuary, and Mizner Lake Estates with one mobile team for the yacht at the dock and the exotic cars in the garage — ceramic coating, paint correction, and standing maintenance schedules. In Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, The Sanctuary, and Mizner Lake Estates, asset care is a logistics problem: a 60-foot yacht behind the house, an exotic collection in the garage, and no appetite for managing three different vendors to keep it all right. Zea Detailing exists for exactly this client — one licensed, bonded and insured team across everything you own that shines. We work discreetly inside Boca Raton's gated communities: yacht washdown programs at your private dock or the Royal Palm marina, ceramic coating for the Ferrari and the G-Wagon, paint correction before concours weekends, interior detailing before guests fly in. Scheduled around your calendar, handled without you thinking about it. - Dual-asset care, one schedule: Boat and car programs on the same standing visit — one detailer your gate staff knows, one invoice, zero coordination from you. - Estate discretion: Gate and staff protocols respected, quiet equipment where it matters. We work for the household, not the audience. - Intracoastal salt + full sun: Yachts on Lake Boca and the ICW live in salt haze. Coating plus cadence keeps dark hulls and topside paint from burning out. ### FAQ Q: Can you service both our boat and our cars in one visit? A: Yes — that's our core model in Boca Raton. Most Royal Palm and Sanctuary clients run a single program: yacht washdown plus vehicle detailing on the same standing schedule. Q: Do you work inside gated communities like Royal Palm or The Sanctuary? A: Regularly. We're licensed, bonded and insured, we handle gate registration and staff coordination ourselves, and we're accustomed to estate-level access protocols. Q: Do you detail exotic and collector cars? A: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and collector vehicles are one of our two specialties. Paint correction and ceramic coating are performed with the same measured, documented process a concours prep shop would use — in your own garage. --- ## Highland Beach & Gulf Stream https://zeadetailing.com/locations/highland-beach-gulf-stream Zea Detailing runs staff-coordinated yacht washdown and detailing programs for direct-Intracoastal estates in Highland Beach and Gulf Stream, including Ocean Blvd, Place Au Soleil, and slips at Seawood Marina. Between the ocean and the Intracoastal, Highland Beach and Gulf Stream run on privacy. The estates along Ocean Blvd and in Place Au Soleil keep deep-water slips steps from the main channel — and their owners expect service that arrives on time, works quietly, and leaves no trace but the shine. We run washdown routes and full detailing programs along this exact corridor. Channel-side slips take more wake, more spray, and more salt haze than protected canals, which makes disciplined maintenance the difference between a yacht that stays flawless and one that quietly deteriorates between seasons. - Channel wake & spray exposure: Slips just off the ICW channel get constant wake splash — waterline and transom need more frequent attention than protected dockage. - Ocean-side salt haze: Direct ocean proximity means salt film on every surface, every day — including brightwork and glass. Our washdown standard is chamois-dry, spot-free, metals wiped. - Privacy-first service: Same detailer every visit, staff-coordinated scheduling, and no signage. Many of our clients here we've never met in person — by design. ### FAQ Q: Can you coordinate entirely through our house manager or captain? A: Yes — much of our Highland Beach and Gulf Stream work is arranged through household staff or captains. We handle scheduling, access, and reporting without needing the owner involved. Q: Our slip is right off the channel — does that change the program? A: It changes the cadence. Channel-side slips take continuous wake spray, so waterlines and transoms foul faster. We typically recommend weekly washdowns with quarterly deep details for boats on the main channel. Q: Do you also handle the household vehicles? A: Yes. Most estate clients add vehicle detailing to the same visit — from daily-driver Range Rovers to weekend exotics. --- ## Delray Beach & Boynton Beach https://zeadetailing.com/locations/delray-beach-boynton-beach Zea Detailing provides mobile boat detailing in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach — washdowns timed to your fishing schedule, gelcoat correction, and ceramic coating at Boynton Harbor Marina, Suntex Marina at Boynton Beach, Delray Harbor Club, and private Intracoastal docks. Boynton Inlet is one of the most-used inlets on the coast, and the boats that run it actually fish: Contenders, SeaVees, Invincibles, and custom sportfishers that come back with salt on every surface. Delray's Intracoastal estates and the boutique slips at Delray Harbor Club add cruisers and day boats to a stretch of water that never sits still. This is core Tier-B territory for us — meticulous owners who view the boat as their prized possession and want it to look brand new every weekend. We run washdown routes through Boynton Harbor Marina, Suntex, and private docks between Delray and Boynton, with gelcoat correction and ceramic coating for the boats that have been out in the sun too long. - Offshore salt, run hard: Salt crust after every canyon run needs a same-week washdown before it etches metals and glass — that's the cadence we build here. - Municipal-marina dust & fallout: High-traffic marinas mean diesel soot and dust on top of salt. Regular decontamination keeps both off gelcoat and clear coat. - Tower, T-top & outboard care: Powder-coated towers, multi-outboard cowlings, and stainless need product knowledge generic washers don't carry. This is our bread and butter. ### FAQ Q: Do you service boats at Boynton Harbor Marina and Suntex? A: Yes — both are on our regular route. We carry the insurance certificates marinas require and coordinate slip access directly with the dockmaster. Q: Can you keep up with a boat that fishes every weekend? A: That's the Boynton program: standing washdowns timed to your fishing schedule, so salt never sits more than a day or two. Coated boats rinse clean in half the time. Q: Do you detail the truck that tows the boat? A: Yes — plenty of Delray and Boynton clients protect the Raptor or Denali and the boat together. Same ceramic, same standard. --- ## Manalapan & Ocean Ridge https://zeadetailing.com/locations/manalapan-ocean-ridge Zea Detailing delivers captain-coordinated yacht detailing programs for the ocean-to-Intracoastal estates of Point Manalapan and Ocean Ridge — hull, brightwork, interior, and engine room on a disciplined schedule. Manalapan's ocean-to-Intracoastal estates are their own category — homes with a beach on one side, deep-water mega-yacht dockage on the other, and salt working on every surface in between. Keeping a large vessel flawless here isn't a wash; it's a program: hull, brightwork, glass, teak, interior, engine room, on a disciplined cycle. We bring that program to Point Manalapan and Ocean Ridge with the same white-glove discipline on a flybridge that we bring to a client's Ferrari. One team, estate-wide, on a schedule your captain or house manager never has to chase. - Large-vessel logistics: Big boats need staging and honest time budgets — not a guy with a bucket. We scope hours honestly and schedule accordingly. - Double salt exposure: Ocean spray on one side, Intracoastal haze on the other. Dual-waterfront estates are the harshest finish environment we service — cadence matters more here than anywhere. - Captain & crew coordination: We work alongside full-time captains and estate staff, slotting into existing vessel schedules, sea trials, and charter calendars. ### FAQ Q: How large a vessel can you handle? A: We regularly service vessels from 30 to 100+ feet. For large yachts we stage the work — exterior, brightwork, interior, engine room — so the vessel is never out of service. Q: Can you work with our captain's schedule? A: That's standard for us in Manalapan. We coordinate directly with captains and house managers around cruising plans, maintenance windows, and guest schedules. Q: Do you detail engine rooms on large yachts? A: Yes — engine room detailing is a Zea signature. A spotless white engine room makes leaks visible, surveys smoother, and ownership prouder. --- ## Singer Island, Lantana & Lake Worth Beach https://zeadetailing.com/locations/singer-island-lantana-lake-worth Zea Detailing provides mobile sportfish and center-console detailing at Sailfish Marina Resort, Riviera Beach Marina Village, and Lantana Marina — washdowns, gelcoat correction, and ceramic coating for boats that run the Lake Worth Inlet. Sailfish Marina is world-famous for a reason: custom sportfishers and massive center consoles stage here for the tournaments that define the Palm Beach fishing calendar. Across the inlet, Riviera Beach Marina Village moves more boats than almost anywhere on the coast, and Lantana and Lake Worth Beach keep the corridor's most active weekend boaters. Tournament boats are judged at the dock as much as on the leaderboard. We keep Singer Island and Lantana boats tournament-clean — cowlings polished, towers spotless, gelcoat glossy, brightwork mirrored — on washdown programs timed to your fishing schedule, and we correct and coat the boats that have spent a few too many seasons in the inlet sun. - Inlet salt at volume: Boats at the Lake Worth Inlet see open-ocean salt daily. Weekly washdowns are the baseline here, not the upgrade. - Tournament presentation: Stainless towers, outriggers, and cowlings polished to a mirror — the transom is the face of a fishing boat and we treat it that way. - High-traffic marina fallout: Fuel-dock soot and resort foot traffic add grime on top of salt. Regular decontamination keeps both off the gelcoat. ### FAQ Q: Do you work at Sailfish Marina? A: Yes — Sailfish Marina Resort and Riviera Beach Marina Village are both on our route. We carry the insurance certificates marinas require and coordinate with the dockmaster. Q: Can you have the boat ready before a tournament? A: That's a common request. Tell us the date and we'll schedule a full exterior detail and brightwork polish in the days before, then washdowns between fishing days. Q: Do you service smaller boats at Lantana Marina? A: Absolutely. From a 22-foot bay boat at Lantana to a 60-foot sportfish at Sailfish, the standard is the same. --- ## Palm Beach https://zeadetailing.com/locations/palm-beach Zea Detailing provides discreet, staff-coordinated yacht and exotic car detailing on Palm Beach island — Billionaires Row, Lake Way, Everglades Island, and slips at the Town of Palm Beach Marina. Palm Beach doesn't tolerate learning curves. From Billionaires Row to Everglades Island to the slips at the Town of Palm Beach Marina, the island runs on providers who arrive prepared, work quietly, and deliver perfection without being asked twice. That is the standard Zea Detailing was built to over ten years on this coast. We maintain island yachts on the Lake Worth Lagoon and the vehicles garaged behind the hedges — hyper-rare exotics included — under one licensed, bonded and insured roof. Correction and coating work documented panel by panel. Washdown programs your staff can set a watch by. And the discretion your household already requires of everyone it admits. - Hyper-rare vehicle protocols: Limited-production paint and materials get conservative, test-spot-first methods and full documentation. We treat a seven-figure car like the irreplaceable object it is. - Lagoon-kept yachts: The Lake Worth Lagoon's salt haze and afternoon sun work on brightwork and dark hulls daily — our island washdown routes counter it weekly. - Household-grade discretion: Staff-coordinated, NDAs signed without ceremony, no photography without written permission. Our best island references are the ones we can't show you. ### FAQ Q: Will you sign an NDA? A: Of course. Confidentiality agreements are routine in our Palm Beach work, and we never photograph or reference a client's property without written permission. Q: Do you have experience with rare and limited-production vehicles? A: Yes. Our correction and coating process is built for exactly this: conservative methods, test spots, measured passes, and documentation — the discipline rare paint demands. Q: Can you service a yacht at the Town of Palm Beach Marina? A: Yes, we service vessels at marina slips as well as private estate dockage — we coordinate dockmaster requirements and insurance certificates ourselves. --- ## West Palm Beach https://zeadetailing.com/locations/west-palm-beach Zea Detailing is based in West Palm Beach and provides mobile boat and car detailing along the Lake Worth Lagoon — El Cid, SoSo, South Flagler Drive, and slips at Palm Harbor Marina, Safe Harbor Rybovich, and Palm Beach Yacht Club & Marina. West Palm Beach is where Zea Detailing lives. The lagoon side of the city — El Cid, SoSo, the estates along South Flagler Drive — pairs historic architecture with a working waterfront lifestyle: private docks on the Lake Worth Lagoon, cruisers and center consoles ready for the weekend, and garages that hold everything from a Porsche to a fully loaded F-150 with a tow hitch. A few blocks north, Palm Harbor Marina and Safe Harbor Rybovich host the largest yachts on the East Coast. We run this shoreline weekly: washdowns at private docks and marina slips, gelcoat restoration for lagoon-weathered hulls, ceramic coating for boats and vehicles alike — mobile, self-contained, and scheduled around your week rather than ours. - Lagoon chop & city grime: Urban waterfront means salt plus city fallout — dust, exhaust film, storm runoff residue. Regular decontamination keeps both off your gelcoat and glass. - Historic-district access: Narrow drives and mature landscaping in El Cid are no problem — our rig is fully self-contained and sized for tight estate access. - Boat + truck combos: Plenty of South Flagler clients run a boat and the truck that tows it. We keep both protected — ceramic on the hull and the paint alike. ### FAQ Q: Do you service boats at Palm Harbor Marina or Rybovich? A: Yes — marina work is routine for us. We carry the insurance certificates marinas require and coordinate slip access directly with the dockmaster when needed. Q: Can you detail at a house in El Cid with a tight driveway? A: Yes. Our mobile setup is self-contained — water, power, lighting — and we routinely work historic properties with narrow access and landscaping to protect. Q: Do you detail trucks and daily drivers, or only exotics? A: Both. The same correction and coating standards we bring to a Ferrari apply to an F-150 Limited or a Denali — many of our West Palm clients protect the tow vehicle and the boat together. --- ## Palm Beach Gardens & North Palm Beach https://zeadetailing.com/locations/palm-beach-gardens-north-palm-beach Zea Detailing serves Palm Beach Gardens and North Palm Beach with ceramic coating and paint correction for garage collections in Old Palm, Lost Tree Village, and Harbour Isles, and boat detailing at Old Port Cove, Soverel Harbour, PORT 32, Loggerhead, Harbour Point, and North Palm Beach Marina. In Old Palm, Lost Tree Village, and Harbour Isles, the garage is as curated as the house: a 911 that only sees Sunday mornings, a Denali for the daily run, and a center console or cruiser at one of six premium marinas within ten minutes. It's a lifestyle built on things being exactly right — which is precisely the standard a detailing partner has to meet. We serve the Gardens and North Palm corridor with the full program: ceramic coating for garage collections, paint correction before events and sales, yacht and center-console care at Old Port Cove, Soverel Harbour, PORT 32 and private community docks, and standing maintenance schedules that keep every asset guest-ready without a single phone call from you. - Low-mileage collection care: Garage-kept cars still need protection — dust nibs, humidity film, and flat-spot washing damage are real. We maintain collections on gentle, scheduled cycles. - Marina & dry-stack programs: Old Port Cove wet slips and PORT 32 dry stacks run different salt math — we set the cadence for each and coordinate pulls with the yard. - Gate + HOA coordination: We handle vendor registration, insurance certificates, and HOA requirements in every gated community we serve — set it up once, never think about it again. ### FAQ Q: Can you maintain a multi-car collection on a schedule? A: Yes — collection maintenance is a core service in the Gardens. We design a rotation so every vehicle gets appropriate care at the right interval, from the weekend 911 to the daily Denali. Q: Do you service boats at Old Port Cove, Soverel Harbour, and PORT 32? A: We do — along with Loggerhead, Harbour Point, North Palm Beach Marina, and private dockage in Harbour Isles and Lost Tree Village. Marina insurance requirements are handled by us. Q: Are you approved to work in gated communities like Old Palm? A: We're licensed, bonded and insured, and we complete vendor registration wherever it's required. After the first visit, access is seamless. --- ## Jupiter, Tequesta & Jupiter Inlet Colony https://zeadetailing.com/locations/jupiter Zea Detailing provides mobile boat detailing throughout Jupiter and Tequesta — Admirals Cove, Jonathan's Landing, Jupiter Inlet Colony, Jupiter Yacht Club, The Bluffs, Loggerhead, Jupiter Inlet Marina, Blowing Rocks Marina, and Jupiter Pointe — washdowns, gelcoat correction, and ceramic coating. Jupiter is the most boat-dense stretch of our entire service territory. Admirals Cove runs five-plus miles of navigable canals with its own mega-yacht marina; Jonathan's Landing, Pennock Point, and Jupiter Yacht Club add hundreds more slips; and the inlet sends sportfish and center consoles offshore every day the weather allows. Serious boats, run hard, in serious salt. This is the north end of our route, from the Loxahatchee up to Blowing Rocks and Jupiter Pointe in Tequesta. We run washdown programs throughout the Cove and the Yacht Club, restore sun-beaten gelcoat on river-kept hulls, ceramic-coat everything from quad-outboard Invincibles to flybridge Vikings, and keep the tow rigs and weekend Porsches in the garage to the same standard. - Offshore salt, run hard: Jupiter boats actually fish. Salt crust after every canyon run needs a same-week washdown before it etches metals and glass — that's the cadence we build here. - Brown river water: The Loxahatchee's tannin-stained water paints waterlines fast. Our maintenance program keeps the mustache off without acid-washing your gelcoat thin. - Tower, tuna door & outboard care: Powder-coated towers, quad outboard cowlings, and stainless work need product knowledge generic detailers don't carry. This is our bread and butter. ### FAQ Q: Do you work inside Admirals Cove? A: Yes — Admirals Cove, Jonathan's Landing, and Jupiter Inlet Colony are core service areas. We handle club and community vendor requirements ourselves, and we service both private docks and the marina. Q: Can you keep up with a boat that fishes every weekend? A: That's the Jupiter program: standing washdowns timed to your fishing schedule, so salt never sits more than a day or two. Coated boats rinse clean in half the time — most of our serious fishing clients coat for exactly that reason. Q: Do you service dry-stacked boats at Jupiter Pointe? A: Yes. We detail dry-stacked boats at Jupiter Pointe Club & Marina and similar facilities — we coordinate a pull with the yard and work the boat on the ground. Q: Do you detail outboards and towers? A: Yes — cowlings polished and coated, powder-coated towers cleaned with finish-safe methods, stainless and aluminum brightwork machine-polished. The transom is the face of a fishing boat; we treat it that way. --- ## Wellington & Royal Palm Beach https://zeadetailing.com/locations/wellington-royal-palm-beach Zea Detailing serves Wellington and Royal Palm Beach with mobile ceramic coating, paint correction, and standing vehicle-care programs for estates in Palm Beach Polo & Country Club, Palm Beach Point, Grand Prix Village, and Mallet Hill, plus trailered boats and tow rigs across Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee Groves. Wellington is known as the Winter Equestrian Capital of the World, and from January into early April it earns the name: the Winter Equestrian Festival at Wellington International, polo Sundays at the National Polo Center running through April, and seasonal households arriving in Palm Beach Polo, Palm Beach Point, Grand Prix Village, and Mallet Hill with the cars that travel with them. A Range Rover for the showgrounds, a daily driver for the school run, and something quicker that comes out of the trailer once the season settles in. West of our West Palm Beach base, Wellington is where we bring estate car care inland: garage by garage, on the household's calendar rather than ours. Inland detailing is a different problem than the coast. No salt haze, but arena dust, shell-rock drives, sprinkler minerals, and horse-trailer miles work on paint just as steadily, and the season compresses it into roughly three to four months. We bring ceramic coating, paint correction, and interior programs inside the gates of Wellington's estate communities, scheduled around show weeks and staff calendars. In Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee Groves the garage looks different — a center console on a trailer, the truck that tows it, and a daily driver — and we detail all three in the driveway with our own water and power. - Season-compressed schedules: Households arrive in January with a full garage and leave in spring as WEF wraps and polo winds down. We coat and correct on arrival, maintain through the season, and prep for transport home. - Arena dust & shell-rock grit: Farm drives and showground lots throw fine abrasive dust that scratches when wiped dry. Proper wash method and a coated surface keep swirl marks off dark paint. - Trailered boats, inland: Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee boats live on trailers between weekend runs to the coast. Salt still sits in every seam. We wash, decontaminate, and coat them in the driveway, tow rig included. ### FAQ Q: Do you work inside Palm Beach Polo, Palm Beach Point, and Grand Prix Village? A: Yes. We're licensed and insured, we handle gate and vendor registration, and we coordinate with house managers and barn staff so a visit never interrupts a training schedule. Q: Can you ceramic coat a car that's only in Wellington for the season? A: Yes, and it's good timing. A coating applied in January protects through a season of arena dust and sun, then holds up through transport home. We keep it maintained on a bi-weekly or monthly schedule while you're here. Q: Do you detail trailered boats in Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee? A: Yes. Trailered center consoles are common here, and we service them on the trailer in your driveway — washdown, oxidation removal, ceramic coating — with our own water and power. The tow truck can be added to the same visit. Q: Do you handle horse-trailer tow vehicles and daily drivers, not just exotics? A: Both. A dually that hauls a six-horse trailer needs the same correction and coating discipline as a 911, and it earns it faster. One program can cover the whole garage. --- ## Weston, Davie & Plantation https://zeadetailing.com/locations/weston-davie-plantation Zea Detailing serves Weston, Davie, and Plantation with mobile paint correction, ceramic coating, and trailer-boat detailing in the driveways of Weston Hills, Windmill Ranch Estates, Windmill Reserve, Long Lake Ranches, Stonebrook Estates, and Plantation Acres. West Broward keeps its boats on trailers and its cars behind gates. In Weston Hills, Windmill Ranch Estates, and Windmill Reserve, the garage is part of the estate — it might hold a Porsche beside the Denali, with a center console on a trailer in the side yard waiting for Saturday. Long Lake Ranches and Stonebrook Estates in Davie run the same way on half-acre to acre-plus lots, and Plantation Acres does it without a gate at all. Marina slips are a drive away out here. A saltwater center console rides east to Griffin Marine Park on the Dania Cut-Off Canal or the ramp at Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Dania Beach, and comes home wet. That is what we set up for West Broward. Paint correction and ceramic coating done in your garage with our own water, power, and lighting, and vendor registration handled at guard-gated communities before the first visit. The trailer boat gets the same standard as the car: hull washed down, corrected, and coated at your house so canal tannin and inlet salt never sit, with the trailer frame and tow rig protected alongside it. Ivan Zea's team comes down from West Palm Beach with Weston, Davie, and Plantation on the Broward route — one visit, every asset in the driveway, no coordination from you. - Trailer-boat salt, parked at home: Run out of Dania Beach on Sunday, sat on the trailer overnight — by Monday the salt is drying into the gelcoat. We wash down, dry, and coat trailered hulls in the driveway, trailer frame included. - Garage humidity and acreage dust: West Broward garages sit beside open acreage, lakes, and equestrian lots. Dust nibs and humidity film settle on garage-kept cars between drives; scheduled maintenance keeps a coated finish honest. - Guard-gate vendor protocols: Guard-gated communities like Weston Hills, Long Lake Ranches, and Stonebrook Estates run vendor registration at the gate. We're licensed and insured, provide certificates on request, and set access up before the first visit. ### FAQ Q: You're based in West Palm Beach — do you really come out to Weston? A: Yes. Weston, Davie, and Plantation sit on our Broward route, and we book them as recurring maintenance visits rather than one-off trips. The rig is fully self-contained — water, power, lighting — so an inland driveway with no hose bib nearby is not a problem. Q: Can you detail a boat that lives on a trailer in my driveway? A: Yes. We wash down and dry the hull on the trailer, correct oxidation, and ceramic-coat it so the next run to Griffin Marine Park or the Dania Beach ramp rinses clean in minutes. Trailer frame, wheels, and the tow vehicle can be handled on the same visit. Q: Do you work inside Weston Hills, Long Lake Ranches, or Hawks Landing? A: Yes. We complete vendor registration and provide insurance certificates for guard-gated communities before the first visit. After that, gate access is set up and you don't have to think about it. Q: Can you coat the truck and the boat together? A: Yes. A Raptor or Denali and the center console it tows, for example, go through the same ceramic system and the same measured process on one visit, one invoice. A weekend car in the same garage can go on the same appointment. # Guides ## How often should you wash a boat in saltwater? (Florida answer) https://zeadetailing.com/guides/how-often-wash-boat-saltwater-florida Updated 2026-09-20 In South Florida, rinse the boat with fresh water after every trip and put it on a full wash schedule by how it's kept: weekly for boats that live in the water, every one to two weeks on a lift, every two to four weeks in a dry stack, and after each use and monthly for trailered boats. Salt left overnight starts working on gelcoat and stainless. Key takeaways: - Fresh-water rinse after every saltwater trip is the floor, not the schedule. - In-water boats in Palm Beach and Broward need a full wash weekly. - Lift-kept: every one to two weeks. Dry stack: two to four. Trailered: rinse each run, wash monthly. - Dried sea salt pulls moisture from the air, so a boat in a slip is never really dry. - Stainless tea-stains within a few miles of the surf, which is every dock on this coast. - Recurring washdowns are priced on scope and condition; a first wash on a neglected boat is a recovery job. ### The short answer, by how the boat is kept The rule Discover Boating and most owner's manuals give is simple: fresh-water rinse after every saltwater trip, engines flushed, metals wiped down. That is the floor. The real question is the full wash — soap, brush, chamois, glass and stainless — and that depends on how the boat lives, not how often you run it. A boat that sits in a slip on the Intracoastal is in salt spray every day whether it leaves the dock or not. In the water: weekly. Spray, evaporation and humidity keep depositing salt on a boat that never moves, and in warm water the waterline grows a ring within days. On a lift: every one to two weeks. The hull is out of the water, but the topsides and metals are still in salt air, and lifts sit in the most exposed spot on the canal. Dry stack: every two to four weeks, with a rinse each time the boat comes off the forks. Trailered: rinse and wipe after every run, full wash monthly. Those intervals track published maintenance schedules — after-every-trip rinsing and a full wash every two to four weeks for a regularly used saltwater boat — but we tighten them for this coast, for the reasons below. When a client asks for one number, it's this: if the boat is in the water anywhere from Jupiter to Lighthouse Point, wash it weekly. ### What salt actually does to gelcoat, stainless and glass Salt on a dry boat isn't inert. Salt crystals left behind after seawater dries draw moisture from the air, so the surface stays damp and keeps corroding long after the boat looks dry. Sea salt in particular stays wet down to very low humidity, which is why a boat in a slip is effectively never dry between washes and why 'it'll rain tonight' is not a plan. Gelcoat is porous. UV and oxygen break its surface down into a white powder that embeds in those pores, and an unprotected hull can go chalky in a few years. Salt speeds that along: the crystals hold moisture, trap dirt, and give the sun a rougher surface to work on. Once gelcoat is chalky it drinks stains, which is why neglected waterlines turn brown and stop rinsing off. Regular washing plus a sealant or ceramic coating keeps the pores closed and the gloss where it was. Stainless takes the most visible hit. Chlorides break down the passive chromium-oxide layer and start tea staining — that brown film on rails, cleats and tower legs — then pitting in crevices and around fasteners. 316 with its molybdenum resists it far better than 304, but the stainless industry's own guidance is that tea staining is expected within roughly five kilometres of the surf, and 316 is the minimum grade worth fitting there — which covers every dock on the Intracoastal and the canals that feed it. On glass and isinglass, dried salt is an abrasive: wipe it dry and you scratch it. Flood it with fresh water first, every time. ### Why Florida is harder on a boat than the manual assumes West Palm Beach sees a summer UV index of 9 to 11 on a typical day and roughly 235 sunny days a year. The owner's-manual schedule that says wash every few weeks was written for a boat that gets a real winter. Ours doesn't. From March through October the sun is working on gelcoat, vinyl and canvas every day, and the salt is already sitting on the surface when it does. Water changes the job too. The Loxahatchee and the canals feeding the northern Intracoastal carry tannins — organic compounds from decaying vegetation that tint water tea-brown — and boats kept up there stain at the waterline faster than boats in the clear water off Palm Beach Inlet. Summer afternoon storms rinse a little salt off and leave the rest to dry into spots on glass and stainless. And dry stacks aren't sealed: a boat racked in Riviera Beach or Jupiter is out of the water but still in a salt-air shed with the doors open all day. ### Weekly or bi-weekly: how to decide Weekly if any of these are true: the boat lives in the water, it fishes most weekends, it's ceramic coated and you want the coating to last, or it's a dark hull. Dark gelcoat and Awlgrip show salt haze and water spots in a way white never will, and they run hotter in the sun. Weekly is also what makes a coating pay off — a coated hull washed on schedule needs a light wipe at the waterline instead of an acid clean. Bi-weekly holds well for lift-kept boats under a cover, lightly used boats, and white hulls that get an owner's rinse between visits. Monthly is for dry-stacked and trailered boats kept covered. What doesn't work is 'when it looks dirty' — by the time salt haze shows on a white hull, the stainless has been staining for a week. Our boat washes and maintenance detailing program is built around the interval the boat actually needs, and we'll tell you if that's less than you expected. ### What a washdown costs in South Florida We quote every boat individually, but public pricing gives a fair picture of the market. Maintenance details that add a light polish and wax are listed at $25 per foot in West Palm Beach, and a Fort Lauderdale service directory puts full boat detailing, wash and wax, at $15 to $50 per foot, starting near $499 for a small boat in good condition. A plain recurring washdown is a smaller job than either of those and priced accordingly; what moves the number is length, condition and how often we're already on the dock. The spread is mostly condition and scope. A weekly washdown on a maintained, coated 34-footer is quick and priced like it. A first wash on a boat that hasn't seen a brush since spring is a different job — waterline acid, stainless polish, spot removal on the glass — and it's priced as a recovery, not a wash. That is the whole case for a schedule: recurring service costs less per visit than rescue, and a boat on a schedule never reaches the rescue stage. ### FAQ Q: Is a fresh-water rinse the same as a wash? A: No. A rinse knocks salt off before it dries and should happen after every trip. A wash uses soap and a brush to lift the salt film, scum and sunscreen a rinse leaves behind, then chamois-dries glass and stainless so nothing spots. In salt water you need both, on different clocks. Q: Do I need to wash a boat that stays in a dry stack? A: Yes, just less often. Dry-stack sheds are open to salt air, and forklift handling and rain add grime. Rinse when the boat returns to the rack, and plan a full wash every two to four weeks so stainless and vinyl don't stain between uses. Q: Does a ceramic coating mean I can wash less often? A: It means each wash is faster and gentler, not that you can skip them. Salt still lands on a coated hull; it just releases with soap instead of acid. Weekly or bi-weekly washing with coating-safe soap is what keeps a marine ceramic coating performing for years. Q: Can I wash the boat myself between professional visits? A: Absolutely, and we encourage it. Rinse top to bottom with plenty of fresh water, wash with a pH-neutral boat soap, and never wipe dry glass or isinglass while salt is on it. Leave the waterline, stainless polish and coating maintenance to the scheduled visit. Sources: - Rinse everything with fresh water after every saltwater trip, flush the engine, wipe down metal parts; dried salt crystals draw moisture from the air and further corrosion.: https://www.discoverboating.com/resources/saltwater-corrosion - Published maintenance schedule: wash every 2–4 weeks during boating season, or after each trip if the boat is used infrequently; rinse ideally within 24 hours.: https://catalystmarineservices.com/blog/how-often-should-you-wash-your-boat/ - Tea staining is caused mainly by sea salt on stainless, which stays wet at very low humidity; it occurs most commonly within about five kilometres of the surf, where 316 should be selected as a minimum grade because 304 will probably tea stain.: https://www.assda.asn.au/publications/technical-faqs/preventing-coastal-corrosion-tea-staining - Gelcoat oxidation: UV and oxygen create a white powder that embeds in the gelcoat's pores; unprotected gelcoat can turn dull and chalky in a few years.: https://www.yachtingmagazine.com/yachts/how-to-restore-gelcoat-on-a-boat/ - West Palm Beach summer UV index typically 9–11 (very high to extreme), approximately 235 sunny days per year, peak UV season March–October.: https://uvindexchecker.com/fl/palm-beach-county/west-palm-beach - Tannins are organic compounds released as water passes through decaying vegetation and swampy soil, giving Florida water a yellow, brown or tea color.: https://www.springwellwater.com/tannins-in-florida-drinking-water/ - West Palm Beach maintenance detail (wash, light polish, wax) listed at $25 per foot.: https://m4autodetail.com/boat-detailing-west-palm-beach/ - Fort Lauderdale service directory: typical range for boat detailing, wash and wax $15–$50 per foot, starting around $499 for smaller boats in good condition.: https://boatwork.co/marine-services/boat-detailing-services-8/fort-lauderdale-fl/ --- ## Ceramic coating vs. wax for boats: what lasts in Florida sun https://zeadetailing.com/guides/ceramic-coating-vs-wax-boat Updated 2026-09-20 In South Florida, ceramic coating outlasts wax several times over, ten to one or more on a well-kept boat. Carnauba wax survives two to three months under a summer UV index of 9–11+; a professional marine ceramic coating typically holds 18–24 months, and two to five years with fresh-water washdowns and annual maintenance. Up front it costs more; per year it usually costs less than three or four wax visits. Key takeaways: - Wax lasts two to three months in Florida sun; marine ceramic typically 18–24 months, up to five years with maintenance. - Summer UV index here runs 9–11+ and has hit 12; unprotected gelcoat starts chalking within a season. - A coating needs full decontamination and correction first; prep is most of the cost and all of the result. - Coated boats still get washed. Fresh-water rinses and pH-neutral soap are what reach the long end of coating life. - Per year, a coating amortized over two to five years usually costs the same or less than three wax visits. - Tannin waterline stain from the Loxahatchee and Intracoastal releases with a mitt on a coated hull, not an acid wash. ### Why wax fails so fast on this coast Wax is a sacrificial film. It sits on top of the gelcoat, absorbs UV, and washes away. In a temperate climate that takes a season. Here it takes weeks. Florida's summer UV index runs 9 to 11+ from June through August, peaks in July, and has been recorded as high as 12, well inside the EPA's 'Extreme' band (11+). A carnauba wax rated for two to three months in moderate conditions lasts less in tropical sun, and the general gelcoat guides that recommend re-waxing every two months for full-sun saltwater boats are describing exactly the Intracoastal from Jupiter down to Lighthouse Point. Heat finishes what UV starts. Carnauba softens around 180°F, and a dark hull side facing west across the Lake Worth Lagoon in August gets there. Salt crystals sit in the softened film, the afternoon storm rinses half of it off, and by the next weekend the water isn't beading anymore. We see this on boats that were waxed in May and chalky at the waterline by Labor Day. Unprotected gelcoat then goes through photochemical oxidation: the resin chains break down, the surface turns chalky, and gloss goes flat. ### How long does ceramic actually last on gelcoat here? Longer, but not forever. Our own number, after ten years on this coast, is two to five years, and the published range sits inside it: a Stuart installer publishes 18 to 24 months of effective protection with an annual maintenance visit, marine guides put professional coatings at one to three years, and Miami-market guides say two to five. Where a boat lands in that window comes down to three things. How it was prepped. Where it lives. How often it sees fresh water. A dry-stacked center console in Jupiter or a lift-kept boat behind a house in Lighthouse Point sits at the top of the range. A sportfish that lives in the water at a marina on the Intracoastal, runs the inlet every weekend, and gets rinsed when someone remembers sits at the bottom. The coating is the same; what changes is how much of the environment reaches the gelcoat. Below the waterline, coating longevity drops, and installers say so plainly; one Ceramic Pro Marine installer publishes the manufacturer's guarantee as three years above the waterline and one below. ### What does each one cost per year? We quote every boat individually, so these are market figures from public price pages, not ours. A South Florida cost guide lists $8 to $15 per foot for a basic wash and wax, and Fort Lauderdale wash-and-wax services start around $499 for a small boat in good condition. A Central Florida pricing page lists $24 per foot for a wash and wax and $45 per foot for compound and wax. The South Florida guides recommend re-waxing every three to four months here. Ceramic pricing spreads wider because prep varies. Published rates run from about $30 per foot for application only over a corrected hull; $60 to $70 per foot added onto a correction, or about $75 per foot for a re-coat on a hull already in shape (a mid-Atlantic installer's figures); and $150 to $300+ per foot for full correction-plus-coating programs marketed to South Florida yachts. Most boats we coat between Jupiter and Lighthouse Point land in the middle of that spread once prep is counted. Run the arithmetic on a 30-footer: two wash-and-wax visits plus one compound-and-wax a year lands between about $1,000 and $2,800 depending on whose rate card you use, every year. A $60-to-$150-per-foot coating is $1,800 to $4,500 once, amortized over two to five years. Even at the low end of the wax column, the coating breaks even by year two or three. Add maintenance washes to both columns; the coated boat's washes are shorter. ### Why prep is most of the price A coating locks in whatever is under it. If the gelcoat is oxidized, you've sealed in chalk. If there's old wax on the surface, the coating never bonds and fails in months. Every published prep sequence agrees on the order: wash, chemical decontamination, clay, compound and polish to remove oxidation, then a solvent panel wipe before the coating goes down. That sequence is where the hours go, and it's why an application-only price and a correction-plus-coating price can differ by a factor of five on the same boat. On a Florida boat that's been waxed for years, the correction stage is not optional. Wax hides oxidation; it doesn't remove it. Once the hull is compounded to fresh gelcoat and refined under inspection lighting, the coating goes onto a surface that can actually hold it. The full sequence is written up on our ceramic coating page; the short version is that the coating itself is the fastest part of the day. ### Do coated boats still need washing? Yes. A ceramic coating makes salt, scum, and waterline stain release more easily; it does not make them disappear. Manufacturers and installers alike specify fresh-water rinses and pH-neutral boat soap, and warn that harsh cleaners wear the coating down. The oxalic-acid hull cleaners that strip a waterline mustache also take the wax with them, which is why the cleaner makers tell you to put polish or wax back on a freshly cleaned hull. One more reason wax on an Intracoastal boat is a treadmill. The stain itself is local. Tannins from decaying vegetation turn the upper Loxahatchee into a tea-colored channel above Jupiter, and the same tannin chemistry in brackish estuaries is what paints the brown line on hulls up and down the ICW. On a coated hull that line wipes off with a mitt on the weekly wash; on a bare one it sets, and once it sets only acid moves it. Weekly for boats that run every weekend and live in the water, bi-weekly for lift-kept boats, monthly for dry stack. It's the whole reason our boat washes and maintenance program exists. ### Myths we hear on the dock "Ceramic is permanent." It isn't. Plan on 18 months to five years. "You can coat over a freshly waxed hull." You can't; wax prevents bonding and the coating fails early. "A coated boat never needs washing." It needs it less often and it takes less time, but salt left to sit will still etch through anything. "Wax is cheaper." Per visit, yes. Per year in this climate, usually not, once you count three or four applications and the compounding needed before each one. One more: "the ceramic spray from the marine store is the same thing." Spray-on ceramic products are rated around six months and are useful as a topper on an existing coating. They are not a substitute for a professionally installed, machine-prepped system, and pricing them as one is how owners end up disappointed by August. We use them as maintenance layers, not foundations. ### FAQ Q: How long does wax last on a boat in South Florida? A: Two to three months for carnauba, less in peak summer; polymer sealants stretch to three to six months. General gelcoat guides say re-wax every two months on full-sun saltwater boats, and local guides say every three to four, which works out to three or four professional visits a year. Q: Can I ceramic coat a boat that is already oxidized? A: Not until it's corrected. Oxidation has to be compounded off and the gelcoat polished and chemically decontaminated first, or the coating seals in chalk and bonds poorly. Prep is usually the largest part of a coating quote, and the part that determines how long the coating lasts. Q: How much does boat ceramic coating cost per foot in Florida? A: Published market rates range from about $30 per foot for application only, to $60–$75 per foot on top of or after correction, and $150–$300+ per foot for full programs on larger South Florida yachts. We quote each boat on length and condition from photos rather than a flat per-foot rate. Q: Does a ceramic-coated boat still need a maintenance wash? A: Yes. Fresh-water washdowns with pH-neutral soap are what carry a coating past the typical 18-to-24-month mark toward the five-year end. Weekly for in-water boats used every weekend, bi-weekly for lift-kept boats, monthly for dry stack. Sources: - Florida summer UV index 9–11+ June through August, peaking in July at 11+, recorded as high as 12 (EPA 'Extreme' band is 11+); peak hours 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: https://www.essuntials.com/blogs/journal/florida-summer-uv-guide - General gelcoat guide: carnauba wax lasts 2–3 months in moderate conditions, less in tropical sun; sealant 3–6 months; wax every 2 months in saltwater full sun; unprotected gelcoat undergoes photochemical oxidation and turns chalky: https://augustrace.us/learn/gelcoat-gelcoat-waxing-guide - Mid-Atlantic (Maryland Eastern Shore) installer: carnauba wax softens around 180°F; wax lasts 2–4 weeks in marine conditions; ceramic $60–$70/ft added onto a correction and $75/ft standalone re-coat; ceramic 12–24 months: https://catalystmarineservices.com/blog/boat-detailing-cost/ - Stuart, FL installer: ceramic coating 18–24 months of effective protection with annual maintenance visit; wax 2–4 months / 60–90 days; wax 3–4 times per year; ceramic starts at $200/ft with correction: https://seaboardsurfacesolutions.com/blogs/news/marine-ceramic-coating-vs-wax-for-boats-in-south-florida-2026-comparison - Stuart, FL installer: ceramic coating $150/ft for center consoles to $300+/ft for larger yachts; up to 24 months; reduced longevity below the waterline; prep is decontamination, multi-stage machine polishing, then coating: https://seaboardsurfacesolutions.com/pages/ceramic-coating-stuart - Ceramic Pro Marine authorized installer publishes the manufacturer guarantee: a minimum of three years above the waterline and one year below the waterline when maintained and not exposed to abnormal abrasion: https://orlandotint.com/ceramicpro/best-ceramic-coating-for-boats-ceramic-pro/ - Ceramic Pro Marine manufacturer page: 3-year proven lifespan; expected to last 1–3 years above the waterline when maintained and not exposed to abnormal abrasion: https://ceramicpro.com/marine-industry/ - Marine ceramic coatings last one to three years; wax two to three months; coat only when surfaces are clean, smooth and free of imperfections: https://southernboating.com/haul-out-guide/ceramic-coating-vs-wax-for-boats-whats-the-best-protection/ - Miami guide: ceramic protects 2–5 years; prep is wash, clay bar, compound and polish, alcohol wipe; old wax, salt or oxidation causes bonding failure; rinse with fresh water and use pH-neutral soap, avoid harsh cleaners: https://cwdwrap.com/is-ceramic-coating-worth-it-for-your-boat-miami-owners-guide/ - Ceramic coating application only starting at $30 per foot; prep wash and oxidation removal quoted separately: https://thedetailreserve.com/products/marine-ceramic-coating-packages - Central Florida pricing page (Volusia/Orange/Lake counties): wash and wax $24/ft, compound and wax $45/ft, compound and sealant $52/ft; polymer wax lasts about 3 months exposed, sealant 4–6 months: https://floridaboatdetailing.com/services/pricing/ - South Florida: basic wash and wax $8–$15 per foot, compound and polish $15–$35 per foot, full detail $20–$55 per foot; quarterly wash and wax recommended: https://boatwork.co/articles/boat-detailing-cost-guide/ - Fort Lauderdale wash and wax starts around $499 for smaller boats in good condition; pros recommend service every three to four months in South Florida due to UV, salt and humidity: https://boatwork.co/marine-services/boat-detailing-services-8/fort-lauderdale-fl/ - Brown waterline stain (ICW mustache) is caused by natural tannins in rivers and brackish estuaries; effective hull cleaners use oxalic acid: https://www.practical-sailor.com/boat-maintenance/practical-sailor-tests-22-hull-cleaners-on-scummy-brown-waterline-stains-to-find-the-best-remedy-to-the-icw-mustache/ - Hull cleaner manufacturer page: oxalic acid formula; directs applying polish or wax to the newly cleaned hull for shine and protection after use: https://www.starbrite.com/products/star-brite-instant-hull-cleaner-easy-to-use-formula - Upper Loxahatchee River is a narrow, tannin-stained channel under cypress canopy, running from Riverbend Park in Jupiter: https://www.waterfront-properties.com/blog/a-buyers-guide-to-the-wild-and-scenic-loxahatchee-river.html - Loxahatchee River flows out of Jupiter Inlet; National Wild and Scenic River designated May 17, 1985: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loxahatchee_River - Spray-on marine ceramic products rated for up to 6 months; pH-neutral soap recommended as ceramic after-care: https://www.glidecoat.com/ - Fort Lauderdale detailer notes boats may need monthly waxing for continual protection from salt spray, UV and dock conditions: https://www.garciaboatdetailing.com/boat-detailing/ --- ## Gelcoat oxidation removal: when your chalky hull can be saved https://zeadetailing.com/guides/gelcoat-oxidation-removal-guide Updated 2026-09-20 Usually, yes. Gelcoat oxidation is the UV-degraded surface of the resin, a thin dead layer on a coat that left the factory 15–25 mils thick. Light through heavy chalking comes back with staged wet compounding and polishing; severe chalk needs a 600–800 grit wet sand first. Only gouged, crazed, or burned-through gelcoat needs paint or re-gel. Key takeaways: - Oxidation is UV-killed resin on the surface; the water test shows whether color is still underneath. - Gelcoat thickness, not chalk depth, decides the outcome; edges, chines, and corners are always thinnest. - Light to heavy chalk comes back with staged wet compounding; severe chalk needs 600–800 grit wet sanding first. - Paint only when gelcoat is gouged, crazed, or worn through; owner-reported spray quotes ran $150–$250 per foot as of 2017. - Published South Florida compounding rates run about $30–$75 per foot; Zea quotes from photos and length. - Corrected gelcoat left bare re-oxidizes within months; sealant or ceramic plus fresh-water rinses hold the result. ### What gelcoat oxidation actually is, and why Florida accelerates it Gelcoat is the pigmented polyester resin skin sprayed into the mold before the fiberglass goes in. It is not paint. It is a porous layer, roughly 15–25 mils thick, that left the factory glossy because it was smooth. Ultraviolet light breaks the resin down at the surface, the binder goes, and the pigment is left exposed as a chalky powder. That powder scatters light, which is why a Whaler that used to read bright white now reads flat grey, and a navy hull reads purple. Palm Beach and Broward peak at a UV index of 11, rated Extreme, from April through August, and December still averages High. A boat in an uncovered slip at Sailfish Marina or on an open rack in Jupiter takes that on the topsides and the sunny side of the hull every day. Salt spray dries into crystals that hold moisture and heat against the surface. On unprotected gelcoat we see oxidation start inside a single summer. The quick check is the water test. Splash a handful of water on the dull area. If the color jumps back toward what it should be while wet and fades as it dries, the pigment is still there and the surface is oxidized, not stained. That is good news, because oxidation is a surface condition. It is also the hull showing you what it will look like once the dead layer is gone. ### How to read the stages of a chalky hull Run a dry hand along the hull side, above the waterline and away from anything that shaded it. Light oxidation leaves a faint white residue on your fingers; the hull has lost its wet look but still reflects. Moderate oxidation transfers chalk with light pressure, and the color is clearly lighter than the protected strip under the rub rail. Heavy oxidation leaves a clear white trail. Beyond that are two stages that matter for the decision. Severe oxidation is where the chalk is thick enough to write your name in, and compounding alone will not cut through the dead layer; wet sanding has to come first. Gelcoat failure is where the surface is crazed, porous, or worn to the laminate, and no abrasive brings it back. Most Florida hulls we assess, including ones that look terminal from the dock, sit at moderate or heavy and come back. What decides it is thickness. Builders target 18–20 mils on flat panels, but a measured hull can carry 22 mils on the side and only 12 at the gunwale edge. Bow, chines, corners, and hardtop edges are always thinnest, which is where a previous crew's burn-through usually shows. A correction pass removes only a mil or so of material, so the question is never whether the chalk can be removed. It is how much healthy gelcoat is left underneath to polish. ### Wet compounding or paint: how the decision gets made The rule is least aggressive first. We test a spot with a medium compound and a wool pad, wet, on the worst panel. If it clears and holds gloss under inspection light, that is the process. If it hazes without cutting, we step up to a heavy cut, and only chalk that still will not move gets a 600–800 grit wet sand, finished at 1500 so the scratch buffs out cleanly. Every stage is checked before the next one starts. Paint is the answer when the gelcoat is deeply scratched, gouged, or reading thin, or when a prior crew already sanded through at the edges. A sprayed two-part polyurethane like Awlgrip or Alexseal is a beautiful finish, but it is a yard job: haul, fair, prime, spray, and weeks out of the water. Owner-reported yard quotes for an Awlgrip hull spray were already running $150 to $250 per foot back in 2017, and most of that number is prep, not paint; expect more today. Correction is a fraction of that. Published South Florida rates for light-oxidation polish and wax run around $30 per foot, a compound-and-polish correction with wax about $50 per foot, and compounding for heavier oxidation is listed as high as $75 per foot. Our gelcoat correction work is quoted from photos and length rather than a menu, because a 26-foot trailer boat with one chalky side and a 60-foot sportfish that has been bare for three seasons are not the same job. ### What correction can and cannot fix Compounding removes anything that lives in the oxidized layer: chalk, haze, UV fade, water spotting, buffer trails and holograms from a previous detailer, light dock rash, and the tea-colored waterline stain that comes off a run up the Loxahatchee. That tannin stain is chemistry, not oxidation. An oxalic-acid hull cleaner lifts it before any pad touches the boat, and we never use gritty household cleaners on gelcoat, because the shiny outer layer is thin and abrasives take it off with the stain. It cannot fix stress cracks, spider crazing, gouges you can catch a fingernail in, or panels where the pigment itself is gone; if the water test does not darken the color, there is no color left to expose. It cannot put material back where an aggressive buffer took a gunwale to fiberglass. Those spots need gelcoat repair or paint, and we say so on the assessment rather than polishing around them. There is a middle case we see on older Bertram, Hatteras, and Sea Ray hulls from Lighthouse Point to North Palm Beach: a hull compounded every spring for fifteen years. The chalk comes off, but each pass took material with it, and there is not enough left for another heavy cut. That hull gets a gentle single-step and a coating to stop the cycle, or it gets paint. Honest measurement up front is the difference. ### Protecting the result so it does not slide backwards Corrected gelcoat left bare in this sun starts re-oxidizing within months. Every restoration we do ends with protection, and the choice depends on how the boat lives. A polymer sealant is the minimum and buys a few months with regular rinsing. A marine ceramic coating over the corrected surface is what we recommend for anything kept in an uncovered slip or on a rack; it turns salt and waterline scum into a rinse instead of a scrub and lasts years rather than weeks. Then it comes down to water. A fresh-water washdown after every salt run, before the crystals dry hard, does more for gloss than anything you can buy in a bottle. Boats in dry stacks at Jupiter or on covered lifts hold a correction longest; in-water boats at Old Port Cove or Bahia Mar on a weekly or bi-weekly wash program hold it nearly as well. The boats that come back to us chalky in two years are the ones nobody rinsed. ### FAQ Q: Can I just wax over an oxidized hull? A: You can, and it will look better for a few weeks. Wax fills the chalky surface and adds gloss, then washes out, and the dead layer is still there underneath. Correction removes that layer; wax or a coating then protects fresh gelcoat instead of hiding dead gelcoat. Q: Does compounding thin my gelcoat? A: Yes, a little with every pass, which is why we start with the least aggressive step that works and check under inspection light before going heavier. A hull that has been compounded hard every spring for a decade may be near the end of its material, and we will tell you before we start. Q: Will the oxidation come back after correction? A: The layer we removed is gone for good. What comes back is new oxidation on bare gelcoat, and in Palm Beach and Broward that starts within months if the surface is left unprotected. Sealant or ceramic coating plus fresh-water rinses is what keeps a corrected hull looking corrected. Q: Can you correct oxidation with the boat in the water? A: Yes. Hull sides down to the waterline, topsides, hardtops, and towers are all done in the slip. Full below-waterline work needs the boat on a lift, a trailer, or hauled, and we will tell you which makes sense for the result you want. Sources: - Gelcoat thickness typically ranges from 15 to 25 mils; quality builders target 18–20 mils; a measured hull carried 22 mils on the sides and 12 mils at the gunwale edges; curves and corners run thinner; aggressive sanding can burn through to fiberglass.: https://catalystmarineservices.com/blog/what-is-gel-coat/ - Gelcoat is thinnest at the bow, corners, and curves; start with the least aggressive approach; wet sand with 600–800 grit and finish at 1500; deeply scratched, gouged, or thin gelcoat may need sanding and paint; follow compounds with polish and wax for protection.: https://www.practical-sailor.com/blog/the-pros-guide-to-restoring-gelcoat/ - Oxidation stages by hand test (faint residue, chalk with light pressure, clear white trail for heavy, thick enough to write your name in for severe); the water test darkens oxidized color; severe oxidation needs wet sanding when compounding alone will not cut; gelcoat failure needs re-gelcoating rather than compounds.: https://augustrace.us/learn/oxidation-removal-complete-guide - Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale UV index peaks at 11 (Extreme) from April through August and sits at High (6) in December.: https://www.essuntials.com/blogs/journal/florida-weather-and-uv-index-by-city-a-year-round-guide - West Palm Beach climatology: average monthly UV index is 5 in January and February and 6–7 from March through November, so the coast sits at High for most of the year.: https://www.weather-us.com/en/florida-usa/west-palm-beach-climate - Brown waterline stains come from natural tannin in rivers and brackish estuaries; oxalic and phosphoric acids dissolve them; gritty abrasive cleaners can damage the thin shiny outer layer of gelcoat.: https://www.practical-sailor.com/boat-maintenance/practical-sailor-tests-22-hull-cleaners-on-scummy-brown-waterline-stains-to-find-the-best-remedy-to-the-icw-mustache/ - The Loxahatchee River is a tannin-stained channel whose forks meet and flow to the Atlantic through the Jupiter Inlet.: https://www.waterfront-properties.com/blog/a-buyers-guide-to-the-wild-and-scenic-loxahatchee-river.html - South Florida (Palm Beach County) published pricing: Wash + Polish & Wax with light oxidation removal $30/ft; Wash + Correction & Wax (compound + polish) $50/ft.: https://www.sykesdetails.com/marine-detailing - South Florida (Miami) published pricing: boat compounding for moderate to heavy oxidation can cost around $20 to $75 per foot.: https://www.miamimobileboatcleaning.com/services/ - Owner-reported yard quotes for an Awlgrip hull spray in 2017: $150 per foot (Maryland yard, 48-ft motor yacht) and $250 per foot (Jacksonville yard, 55-ft convertible).: https://www.samsmarine.com/threads/paint-costs.29953/page-2 --- ## Detailing a boat before you sell it: what surveyors and buyers notice https://zeadetailing.com/guides/detail-boat-before-selling Updated 2026-09-20 Detail the boat before listing photos are shot and refresh it lightly the day before the survey. Surveyors and buyers read the engine room and bilge first, then the waterline, non-skid, upholstery, and stainless. Florida detailers list wash-and-wax at roughly $8–$15 per foot, compounding and polishing at $15–$35, and full restoration packages up to about $55 per foot; a corrected, dry, odor-free boat photographs better and shortens negotiation. Key takeaways: - Surveyors open the engine hatch first; a dry, white bilge lets them see maintenance instead of assuming neglect. - Waterline tannin, chalky gelcoat, and grey non-skid show in listing photos and get priced into the first offer. - Upholstery mildew, stainless rust bleed, and odor are what buyers touch and remember once aboard. - Correct and protect at least a week before photos; refresh lightly the day before the survey, never a heavy degrease. - South Florida price pages list wash-and-wax at roughly $8–$15/ft and compound-and-polish at $15–$35/ft; full restoration packages run to about $55/ft. ### What a surveyor reads in the first ten minutes A surveyor opens the engine hatch before they look at the hull sides, because that's where the money is. The bilge and engine pan get inspected for any sign of a leak, and a standard move is laying clean white absorbent pads under the engines before the sea trial so every drip has a witness. Breaks in the engine's paint get read as prior repairs or skipped service. Belts get checked for dust that means misalignment; hoses get squeezed for the crunch that means they're failing. None of that is cosmetic, and none of it hides under degreaser. Cleanliness still matters, because it changes what the surveyor can see. An oil-filmed bilge hides where a drip started and turns a loose hose clamp into a "possible raw-water leak, investigate further" line in the report. A white engine room shows a dry pan, clean bonding connections, and a fresh oil change from across the hatch. The bonding system on almost any boat that isn't new has some deterioration; a clean bilge lets the surveyor see how little instead of assuming how much. Engine room and bilge work is part of our interior and brightwork detailing: degrease, rinse, dry, treat the surface rust on brackets and clamps, wipe the engines down, and leave the space looking like it belongs to an owner who kept records. If there's a drip, a dry white bilge will show it, and you'll see it before the surveyor does. That's the point. ### Waterline, gelcoat, and non-skid: what buyers see from the dock From the dock, the first thing a buyer sees is the waterline. On this coast that's usually a tan-to-brown tannin line, and the boats that wear it worst live near river mouths: the Loxahatchee in Jupiter, the St. Lucie, and the darker stretches of the Intracoastal after summer rain. Tannin bonds to gelcoat and darkens the longer it sits. It comes off with an oxalic-acid cleaner worked in short sections and rinsed hard, and a wax or polymer sealant over the hull sides afterward keeps it from coming straight back. On painted hulls, acid is a last resort, and we'd rather say so than learn it on your topsides. Above the waterline, the question is oxidation. Miami's June UV index averages 12.5, with extreme readings running from spring into fall, and Palm Beach sits under the same sun. Gelcoat that has lived uncovered for a few seasons reads chalky in listing photos even when it passes at the dock, and buyers price it into the first offer. Gelcoat correction removes the dead layer and restores color and depth. It is not a wax job, and the photos show the difference immediately. Non-skid gets overlooked by sellers and never by buyers, because it's what they're standing on. Grey, stained diamond pattern and dirty SeaDek say nobody cleaned the boat between trips. A proper non-skid scrub, followed by a non-slip protectant rather than wax, brings the deck back to white without making it slick, which is the one thing a surveyor will absolutely write down. ### Upholstery, brightwork, and the things a buyer touches Once aboard, buyers stop looking and start touching: helm seats, bolsters, the forward sunpad, cabin cushions. Marine vinyl in South Florida gets mildew in the stitching and pink staining that sellers scrub at and make worse. The fix is a proper deep clean, then a UV conditioner that leaves the vinyl matte and dry, not glossy. Sellers' guides put it plainly: shampoo the upholstery, clean every cushion, remove the mildew, because small problems become big question marks in a buyer's mind. Stainless tells the same story. Rust bleed on rail bases, tower legs, and rod holders reads as salt sitting on the boat for months. Machine polishing brings it back to a true mirror, and a corrosion inhibitor holds it through the showing period. Teak should be cleaned and brightened, not sanded to raw wood a week before the survey. Isinglass should be clear, not hazed; a buyer who can't see out of the cockpit assumes the enclosure needs replacing. And the boat should smell like nothing. Heads, bilge, and lockers hold odor that no photo can fix and every showing will find. ### When to detail: photos first, survey second Order matters. Correction and protection first, at least a week before listing photography, so the finish has cured and any tower or hardtop work is done. Then shoot on an overcast morning or in open shade; harsh sun blows out fiberglass and buries the cockpit in shadow. Brokers are direct about it: most buyers begin online, first impressions decide who calls, and a staged, well-lit boat draws more interest than the same boat shot on a trailer at noon. Between listing and survey, keep the boat on a maintenance washdown so it shows in week six the way it did in the photos. The day before the survey and sea trial: a light interior refresh, a dry bilge, clean white pads under the engines. Not a heavy degrease the night before. A surveyor who smells fresh solvent in the engine room wonders what it was covering. Where the boat lives changes the plan. A dry-stacked center console in Jupiter or North Palm Beach mostly needs waterline, non-skid, and upholstery. A sportfish in a wet slip at Palm Harbor, Old Port Cove, or Bahia Mar needs hull sides and the tannin line handled in-slip to the waterline, with anything below it scheduled around the survey haul-out at Lauderdale Marine Center or Safe Harbor Rybovich. ### What it costs and what it returns Florida price pages give a fair picture of the market. A wash and wax runs roughly $8–$15 per foot in one South Florida cost guide, and compounding and polishing is listed at $15–$35 per foot in the same guide. A Miami detailer lists a single-stage compound-and-wax package from $22 per foot and a two-stage restoration with ceramic coating from $55, and a Daytona shop's price list runs one-step correction from $40 per foot and two-step from $55. Most pages carry the same footnote we would: heavy oxidation, tower and hardtop access, and layout move the number after inspection. We quote after seeing the boat for the same reason. We couldn't find a reliable return-on-detailing statistic, and we won't invent one. What brokers do say is that they have watched sellers lose thousands by skipping a few prep items, and that a spotless boat signals it was cared for. On a 40-foot boat, compounding and polishing at the South Florida guide's $15–$35-per-foot range is roughly $600–$1,400. Against the first counteroffer on a boat that photographs chalky, that is a small number. A dry engine room and a corrected hull give the surveyor less to write and the buyer less to negotiate with. That's the return. ### FAQ Q: Should I detail the boat before or after the survey? A: Before, and specifically before listing photos. The survey is where a clean, dry engine room pays off, but the photos are what get a buyer to book the survey in the first place. Do correction a week or more ahead of the shoot, then a light refresh the day before the surveyor arrives. Q: Will a spotless engine room make a surveyor suspicious? A: Not if clean is the boat's normal state and the maintenance records back it up. What raises eyebrows is the smell of fresh solvent the morning of the survey, or absorbent pads that are new but the pan around them is stained. Detail early, keep it dry, and let the surveyor see the boat as it really lives. Q: How far ahead of listing photos should I book the detail? A: At least a week for gelcoat correction, sealant, or coating, so everything cures and any brightwork or non-skid work is finished. Then a maintenance wash within a day or two of the shoot so the boat is dry, streak-free, and staged. Shoot in soft light, not midday sun. Q: Is ceramic coating worth it on a boat I'm about to sell? A: For a quick sale, usually not. Correction plus a polymer sealant gives you the photos and the showing. If the boat may sit on the market through a South Florida summer, a coating keeps it showing consistently between washdowns and is a real line in the listing. We'll tell you which makes sense for the boat and the timeline. Sources: - Engine surveys inspect the bilge and engine pan for leaks and place clean white absorbent pads there for the trial run; breaks in the engine's paint finish point to prior repairs or skipped service; belt dust indicates misalignment; crunchy hoses signal impending failure: https://passagemaker.com/technical/the-do-it-yourself-engine-survey/ - Nearly every boat that is not very new has some level of deterioration in the bonding system; bilge and bonding connections are among the most overlooked surveyor inspection points: https://sailing-blog.nauticed.org/marine-surveyor-inspection-checklist/ - BoatUS buyer checklist rates hull finish, deck/cabin, upholstery, molding/trim, bilge pumps, engine and steering, and notes it is not a substitute for a marine surveyor and engine mechanic: https://www.boatus.com/app/views/201805/checklist.asp - Miami's highest-average UV month is June at 12.5; peak recorded 13.41 on June 6, 2016; in 2022 seven months (March–September) reached extreme UV levels: https://www.uvindextoday.com/usa/florida/miami-dade-county/miami-uv-index/historical-data - Waterline tannin staining is removed with oxalic-acid-based cleaners worked in small sections and rinsed; a coat of wax or polymer sealer minimizes brown stains; acid should be avoided or used as a last resort on painted hulls: https://marinehowto.com/removing-waterline-hull-staining/ - Seller checklist: clean the bilge and remove standing water and odor, wipe down the engine compartment, shampoo upholstery and remove mildew; small problems become big question marks; 'we've watched sellers lose thousands simply because they skipped a few prep items'; shoot photos on an overcast day or in soft morning light: https://yachtingexperts.com/selling-your-boat-checklist-maximize-your-return/ - Broker guidance: buyers notice the small things and a spotless boat suggests it was well cared for; most buyers begin online and first impressions matter; stage the boat for well-lit photos from multiple angles: https://rcryachts.com/prepare-your-boat-for-sale-checklist/ - Pre-sale detailing scope: exterior wash, waterline cleaning, oxidation removal, polishing, stainless maintenance, interior cleaning of galleys, heads and upholstery, and staging cockpit and cushions before listing photos: https://www.nauticaldetails.com/post/pre-sale-boat-detailing-how-to-prepare-your-boat-for-photos-showings-and-sale - South Florida regional cost guide: basic wash and wax $8–$15/ft, compound and polish $15–$35/ft, full detail $20–$55/ft; basis for the $600–$1,400 estimate on a 40-foot boat: https://boatwork.co/articles/boat-detailing-cost-guide/ - Daytona Beach / Volusia County (Central Florida) detailer price page: Basic Wash from $3.50/ft, Superior Wash & Wax from $24/ft, 1-Step Correction from $40/ft, 2-Step Correction from $55/ft; heavy oxidation, layout complexity and access adjust final pricing after evaluation: https://www.floridagoldcoastdetailing.com/pricing - Miami detailer price page: Maintenance Wash $8/ft, Premium Detail with single-stage gelcoat compound and wax $22/ft, Full Restoration with two-stage oxidation reversal and ceramic coating $55/ft: https://www.alesmobiledetailing.com/yacht-boat-detailing-miami --- ## Hurricane season boat prep: the detailing side (June–November) https://zeadetailing.com/guides/hurricane-season-boat-prep-detailing Updated 2026-09-20 Hurricane season boat prep on the detailing side means getting protection on the finish before June 1 and decontaminating fast after any storm. Coat or seal the gelcoat pre-season, keep fresh-water washdowns on a weekly cadence through the September 10 peak, then after a storm rinse salt within a day or two, dry the interior below 60% humidity, and treat mildew before it sets in stitching. Key takeaways: - Season runs June 1 to November 30; peak is September 10, most activity mid-August to mid-October. - Coat or seal before June: bare gelcoat takes the summer's 10–11 UV index alone. - Salt is hygroscopic and mildew grows above 60% humidity. After a storm, rinse and dry before anything else. - Dry stack shelters the hull from surge and scum, not from mildew; wet slips add tannin staining. - Florida detailers that publish rates land around $3–5/ft for washes, $17–24/ft for wash and wax, and $40–70/ft for ceramic. ### What does hurricane season actually do to a boat's finish? The Atlantic season runs June 1 through November 30, with a statistical peak on September 10 and most activity between mid-August and mid-October. For a boat in Palm Beach or Broward, the named storms are the headline; the six months around them are the real problem. Summer midday UV in South Florida reads 10–11 on the EPA scale, which is the top of "very high" and into "extreme." Bare gelcoat under that load starts to chalk within a single season. Add salt. Afternoon squalls lay wet spray on every surface and the sun bakes it in. Salt deposits are hygroscopic: they pull moisture out of the air and hold it, so a hull rinsed Friday is damp and crusted by Sunday. The same film sits in stitching, non-skid, and canvas seams, and it is exactly what mildew wants. Mildew establishes once relative humidity sits above roughly 60% on a warm surface, which describes a closed cabin in West Palm Beach for the entire season. ### Pre-season: get the protection on before June Protection goes on before the season, not during it. The right order is decontamination, correction, then coating, because a coating locks in whatever is under it. If the hull is already chalky from last summer, that oxidized layer gets cut and refined first; coating over oxidation buys nothing. On a sound surface, a marine ceramic coating installed in April or May means the finish takes the summer behind a hard silica layer instead of on its own. If you are not coating this year, a quality polymer sealant is the fallback, on the understanding that it survives a few months in this UV, not a season. Plan to re-seal in August ahead of the peak. Either way, do the topsides and hardtop, not just the hull sides; the horizontal surfaces take the direct sun and most of the chalking. Pre-season is also the time to condition vinyl and canvas. Clean seats to base material, treat the stitching, and apply a UV protectant that is not greasy. Isinglass gets a proper polish and protectant now, because scratched clears fog fast under salt. Our ceramic coating work on boats always starts here, with the whole vessel, not a hull-only pass. ### During the season: the washdown cadence that carries the coating The coating does the protecting; the washdown is what keeps it working. From June to November we run most in-water boats weekly and lift-kept boats bi-weekly. A fresh-water wash with coating-safe soap, chamois dry, and glass and stainless wiped spot-free removes the salt before it draws moisture and before the scum line sets. Skip three weeks in August and the waterline that used to wipe off can need an acid wash. There is a second contaminant on this coast: tannin water. The Loxahatchee runs tea-colored from tannins in decaying vegetation, the kind of cypress-lined river that stains everything it touches. On a white hull it leaves a brown waterline stain that does not rinse off. A coated hull releases it with a light wipe; bare gelcoat absorbs it, and the longer it sits the deeper it goes. This is where a standing boat washes and maintenance program earns its cost: the stain is wiped away weekly instead of compounded out in October. ### After a storm: decontamination in the right order BoatUS's post-storm guidance is short: regardless of condition, the boat should be cleaned and dried out, and protected from leaks and mildew. On the detailing side that means sequence. First, a thorough fresh-water rinse of every exterior surface, top down, before you touch anything with a brush. Storm surge carries sand, grit, and fuel sheen; scrubbing that dry drags it across the gelcoat and leaves scratches you will pay to correct later. Second, open the boat up. Pull cushions, open lockers and the head, run fans or a dehumidifier, and get the cabin under 60% humidity within a day or two. Wet carpet, foam, and canvas that sit for a week become a mildew job instead of a drying job. Salt-wet electronics and helm gauges get wiped with fresh water on a damp cloth, then dried, not sprayed. Third, treat what is already growing. Marine vinyl takes a dedicated mildew remover and then a conditioner so it resists coming back; long-neglected stitching can be permanently stained, and we will say so honestly. Avoid bleach-based cleaners on gelcoat and stitching; they dull the surface and rot thread. Engine rooms that took water get degreased and dried, which also makes any new leak visible to a surveyor. ### Dry stack or wet slip: what changes on the detailing side Dry stack solves the water problems: no surge, no piling chafe, no scum line, no tannin. Marina One in Deerfield Beach rates its buildings to 135 mph sustained winds (Category 4), starts hauling when a hurricane watch is issued and requires boats at its dock before a warning, with hurricane-season storage reserved June 1 to November 30. What dry stack does not solve is heat and humidity. A rack in a closed building is warm and still, and a boat put away wet after a run comes out with mildew in the seams. Rinse and dry before it goes on the forks. Wet slip boats, at Palm Harbor, Bahia Mar, Lauderdale Marine Center, or a private dock on the Intracoastal, carry the opposite load. Surge and debris scratch hull sides, the waterline works all season, and salt spray hits every hour of every day. A coated hull on a weekly washdown handles it. A bare hull on a monthly rinse does not, and that is the boat we see in October with a brown waterline and chalked topsides. ### What the market charges, and how we quote Florida detailers that publish per-foot rates land in fairly consistent bands. Basic maintenance washes run about $3–5 per foot, often with a minimum. Wash and wax packages run roughly $17–24 per foot. One Central Florida detailer publishes compound and wax to remove oxidation at $45 per foot, and marine ceramic coating runs about $40–70 per foot before correction, with used, oxidized hulls priced higher because the correction stage comes first. We do not publish a rate card, because a 34-foot center console with light haze and a 60-foot sportfish that has been bare for three seasons are not the same job per foot. Send length, storage type, and photos through the quote builder and you get a firm number. Booking pre-season work in April and May also gets you on the calendar before the June rush. ### FAQ Q: Should I ceramic coat my boat before or after hurricane season? A: Before. The coating exists to take the summer's UV and salt so the gelcoat does not. Install it in April or May over a corrected surface, then maintain it with fresh-water washdowns through November. Coating in December protects the boat for winter, which is the easy half of the year here. Q: How soon after a storm should the boat be washed? A: As soon as it is safe to reach the dock, ideally within a day or two. Salt is hygroscopic and keeps the surface damp, storm grit scratches if left to dry, and mildew starts in wet cushions within days. Rinse top down, open the cabin, dry it out, then treat stains. Q: Is a dry-stacked boat safe from mildew? A: No. It is safe from surge and scum, not from humidity. A closed rack building is warm and still; a boat put away wet comes out mildewed. Rinse, chamois dry, and leave cushions propped for airflow before it goes on the forks. Monthly interior checks catch what does start. Q: Does a ceramic coating help with tannin staining? A: Yes, substantially. Tannin from rivers like the Loxahatchee bonds into porous bare gelcoat and needs an acid wash. On a coated hull it sits on the silica layer and wipes off during a normal washdown. It still needs to be washed off; it just comes off. Sources: - Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30; statistical peak is September 10; most activity between mid-August and mid-October.: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/ - Typical summer midday UV Index for Miami, Florida is 10–11 (Very High–Extreme).: https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/uviguide.pdf - UV Index scale: 8–10 Very High, 11+ Extreme.: https://www.weather.gov/ilx/uv-index - EPA: keep indoor relative humidity below 60 percent (ideally 30–50 percent) to prevent mold growth.: https://www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home - Salt deposits are hygroscopic and hold moisture that feeds mildew on boats.: https://augustrace.us/learn/mildew-prevention-boat-guide - After a hurricane, regardless of condition, the boat should be cleaned and dried out and protected from leaks and mildew.: https://www.boatus.com/hurricanes/after.asp - Marina One (Deerfield Beach) dry stack buildings withstand 135 mph sustained winds (Category 4); boats must be at their docks upon a hurricane watch and all vessels at the dock before a hurricane warning is issued; hurricane-season storage reserved June 1 to November 30.: https://marinaone.com/hurricane-boat-storage/ - The Loxahatchee is a tannin-stained river with cypress-soaked waters.: https://www.sfwmd.gov/recreation-site/riverbend-park-and-loxahatchee-rivercypress-creek-management-area - Boca Raton mobile detailer publishes wash at $2.75–3.25/ft and wax at $17–21/ft by boat size.: https://www.mobiledetailpro561.com/boat-detailing - Palm City detailer publishes wash at $5/ft ($150 minimum), wash and wax at $22/ft, ceramic coating at $70/ft ($1,400 minimum).: https://www.tcboatdetailing.com/pricing - Central Florida detailer publishes basic wash $3.50/ft, wash and wax $24/ft, wash, compound and wax $45/ft.: https://floridaboatdetailing.com/services/pricing/ - Florida Gulf Coast detailer publishes ceramic coating starting at $40/ft.: https://octoshinedetailing.com/pricing/ --- ## Paint correction explained for Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini owners https://zeadetailing.com/guides/paint-correction-explained-exotic-cars Updated 2026-09-20 Paint correction is controlled machine polishing that removes a few microns of clear coat to permanently level swirls, holograms, and water etching. Factory clear on most cars is only 35–50 microns, so exotic correction is done conservatively: paint-depth readings on every panel, a test spot before any pad touches the car, and a one-step or multi-stage process chosen by the defects, not a menu. Key takeaways: - Factory clear coat is typically 35–50 microns; most manufacturers cap lifetime removal at about 8 microns. - Swirls, holograms, and water etching live in the clear and can be removed; fingernail-deep scratches cannot. - A test spot on every panel type decides pad, polish, and passes before the car is touched. - One-step suits well-kept cars; multi-stage is for hologrammed or neglected dark paint. - Correct paint before PPF goes on; film makers prohibit abrasive polishes on the film itself. - South Florida one-step pricing runs roughly $200–$800, multi-stage $350–$1,600, depending on shop and car. ### What paint correction actually removes Every modern car leaves the factory with a stack of coatings on the metal or composite: e-coat, primer, color, and a clear coat on top. A paint-depth gauge reads the whole stack, and most factory finishes measure 100–180 microns in total. The clear, which is the only layer polishing ever touches, is typically 35–50 microns. Manufacturers generally advise removing no more than about 8 microns over the life of the paint, because the clear carries the UV blockers that keep the color underneath from fading. Correction is the deliberate removal of a small fraction of that clear to level the surface. Swirls, holograms, and water etching are all shallow valleys in the clear coat; the polish cuts the surrounding surface down to the bottom of the valley until the defect disappears. Nothing is filled or hidden. That is the difference between correction and a glaze or a quick "polish," which loads the defects with fillers that wash out after a few weeks in Florida sun. ### Swirls, holograms, and water etching: how to tell them apart Swirls are the fine, circular scratches you see as a spider web under sun or a flashlight. They come from washing: dirty mitts, drive-through brushes, drying with a dry towel. Holograms, also called buffer trails, are the wavy, ghosted streaks left by a rotary polisher run with too much cut and not enough refinement. We see them regularly on cars that came out of a dealer prep or a body shop. Both live entirely in the clear and both come out with correction. Water etching is the Florida specialty. Palm Beach County draws its tap water from the Biscayne and Floridan Aquifers, and a lawn sprinkler on a July afternoon leaves a mineral ring that the sun bakes into the clear within hours. Lovebugs are the other seasonal problem, flying in April–May and August–September: their residue starts near neutral at pH 6.5 and turns acidic at 4.25 within 24 hours, and UF/IFAS notes it does not damage paint unless the sun bakes it on for a day or two. With a summer UV index of 10–11 in South Florida, that is a short window. ### Why thin exotic paint changes the method A Ferrari, Porsche, or Lamborghini is not thinner-painted by rule, but the panels are less forgiving. Aluminum hoods and doors, carbon-fiber bumpers and roofs, and hand-finished areas around scoops and vents read differently on a gauge and hold heat differently under a pad. Repainted panels are common on cars that have had a front end refreshed, and a reading well above the rest of the car is the first hint. There is no defensible brand-wide paint thickness number, which is why we measure every panel rather than trust an average. That measurement drives everything. Before any pad touches the car we set up a test spot: one pad and polish combination on a two-foot section, checked under inspection lighting, then a milder or stronger combination until we find the least aggressive process that removes the defects. That combination becomes the plan for that panel type. Edges, character lines, and body-color trim are taped and handled by hand. On a 458 or a 992 the goal is a finish you cannot fault, reached by removing as little clear as possible. ### One-step vs multi-stage: how we choose A one-step correction uses a single polish and pad chosen to cut and finish at once. It suits a well-kept car with light swirls and is usually a full day. A multi-stage correction separates the cutting stage, which removes the defect depth chosen in the assessment, from one or more finishing stages that restore clarity and depth of reflection. That is what a hologrammed black car or a neglected dark metallic needs, and on an exotic it is one to two days. For a sense of market pricing rather than ours: South Florida detailers publicly list one-step correction from about $200 to $800 depending on shop and vehicle size, and two-step or multi-stage work from roughly $350 to $1,600. Exotic and dark-colored cars sit at the top of those ranges because the assessment, taping, and finishing take longer. Our paint correction service is quoted on the car and its condition, not a menu, and the protection stage is always included so corrected paint is never left bare. ### Paint correction and PPF Film locks in whatever is under it, so paint correction belongs before a paint protection film install, not after. Any swirl or hologram left in the clear will be visible through the film for the life of the film. If you are planning PPF on a new delivery, the right order is decontamination, correction, then film, ideally within the same week so the corrected paint does not pick up new defects in between. Polishing the film itself is a different question. XPEL's care instructions for ULTIMATE PLUS say not to apply waxes or polishes that contain abrasive compounds, dyes, or solvents to the film, and to keep pressure washers away from film edges. Light haze on film can sometimes be refined with a very mild product and a soft pad, but only where the film maker allows it. On a PPF car we correct the exposed paint, treat the film within the manufacturer's guidance, and coat both. ### Doing this at your home in Palm Beach and Broward We do correction in your garage or motor court, from Jupiter and Admirals Cove down through Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Lighthouse Point to Fort Lauderdale. We bring water, power, and inspection lighting; what we need from you is a covered space or shade and a few hours without the sprinklers running. The car never sits in a strange lot. Many of our correction clients started as boat clients at their own docks, and the standard is the same. Once corrected, the finish needs protection before it sees a South Florida summer. A sealant will hold for months; a ceramic coating installed over the corrected paint is what keeps the result through years of salt air, lovebug season, and UV. Send us photos of the car in daylight and a note about what bothers you, and we will tell you honestly whether a one-step or a multi-stage correction is the right call. ### FAQ Q: Will paint correction remove a scratch I can feel with a fingernail? A: Usually not. Correction removes defects that live in the clear coat: swirls, holograms, light scratches, water etching. A scratch that catches a fingernail is generally through the clear into color or primer, and polishing it out would remove more clear than is safe. Those need touch-up or paint, and we say so during the assessment. Q: How much clear coat does paint correction remove? A: Very little when it is done properly. Factory clear is typically 35–50 microns, and manufacturers generally advise removing no more than about 8 microns in total over the life of the paint. We take gauge readings on every panel and run a test spot to find the least aggressive combination that removes the defects. Q: How long does a corrected finish last? A: The defects we remove are gone permanently. New ones appear at the rate the car is washed badly or left under sprinklers and lovebugs. Protected with a ceramic coating and washed correctly, a corrected exotic stays that way for years; left bare in South Florida sun and hard water, spotting starts within months. Q: Can you correct a car that already has PPF on some panels? A: Yes. We correct the exposed paint normally and treat the film within the manufacturer's care guidance, which for most films rules out abrasive compounds and solvents. If you are still planning PPF, correct first: the film locks in whatever is underneath it for as long as it stays on the car. Sources: - Most factory paint jobs range from 4–7 mils (100–180 microns) total; clear coat usually 1.5–2.0 mils (35–50 microns); most manufacturers recommend a maximum of 0.3 mils (8 microns) of clear coat be removed to prevent UV damage to underlying layers.: https://www.defelsko.com/resources/how-to-use-paint-thickness-gauges-for-better-automotive-detailing - Lovebugs appear in Florida every April–May and August–September; macerated lovebugs are about pH 6.5 and become acidic at pH 4.25 within 24 hours; paint damage can be avoided if cleaned before being baked by the sun for a day or two.: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN694 - EPA lists Miami, Florida's typical midday summer UV Index as 10–11 (Very High to Extreme), versus 4 (Moderate) in winter.: https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/uviguide.pdf - Palm Beach County Water Utilities sources ground water from the Biscayne and Floridan Aquifers.: https://discover.pbcgov.org/waterutilities/PubDoc/CCR_2024.pdf - A Fort Lauderdale mobile detailer lists one-step paint correction at a flat $499 with travel included.: https://www.dshinedetails.com/mobile-detailing-fort-lauderdale.html - Broward County price guide lists single-stage correction at $200–$350 (sedans/coupes) and $300–$450 (SUVs/trucks); multi-stage at $350–$500 and $450–$650.: https://luxewashdetailing.com/blog/how-much-car-detailing-cost-broward-county - A Fort Lauderdale detailer lists 1-step correction starting at $799, 2-step starting at $1,199, and multi-step starting at $1,599.: https://www.detailgeeks.com/paint-correction - XPEL product care for ULTIMATE PLUS and ULTIMATE FUSION: do not apply waxes or polishes that contain dyes, abrasive compounds, or solvents to the film; avoid pressure washers near film edges.: https://www.xpel.com/product-care --- ## What ceramic coating costs for a car in Florida, and what you actually get https://zeadetailing.com/guides/ceramic-coating-car-cost-florida Updated 2026-09-20 In Palm Beach and Broward County, professional automotive ceramic coating is typically listed at $400–$1,000 for a one-to-two-year coating, roughly $1,000–$2,500 for three-to-five-year systems, and $1,500–$2,800 for seven-to-ten-year or lifetime-warranty packages. Paint correction, required before any coating, adds about $300–$1,000+ depending on condition. Vehicle size and prep hours, not the bottle, drive the price. Key takeaways: - South Florida price pages list one-to-two-year coatings from about $400–$1,000 and five-year systems from $1,000–$2,500. - Most shops quote paint correction separately, roughly $300–$1,000+, or include it only at the top tier. - Nine-year and lifetime warranties are stain guarantees that require a free annual inspection and exclude scratches and chips. - Florida ranks fourth in annual UV irradiance; summer index hits 11+, so coatings run shorter here than rated. - The bottle is the cheapest part of the job. Correction hours and honest prep are what you're paying for. ### What South Florida detailers actually charge We price every car by quote, so the numbers here are the market, not our menu. Across the public price pages we checked in Palm Beach and Broward, an entry professional coating rated for one to two years is listed from about $400 to $1,000. Three-to-five-year systems run from roughly $1,000 to $1,700, with one Fort Lauderdale shop listing its two-layer five-year package at $2,499. Coatings marketed at seven to ten years or "lifetime" start around $1,500 and reach $2,800 on the same pages. Every one of those figures is a starting price for a sedan or a normal SUV. A Suburban, a Raptor, or a Sprinter takes more product and more hours, and the shops say so. What the figures usually leave out matters more: on most of those pages, paint correction is either a separate line item or included only at the top tier. That is where the real spread between a $799 job and a $2,500 job lives. ### Why the tiers exist, and what separates them The tiers track the coating chemistry and how many layers go down. A one-to-two-year product is a single thin layer, often a spray-applied "lite" ceramic, and the shop's labor is mostly the wash and decontamination. Three-to-five-year systems are thicker, professional-only products applied panel by panel; one Boynton Beach shop lists six to eight hours of labor for that tier. Above that, you're paying for a base coat plus a top coat, wheels and glass coated, and a warranty registered with the manufacturer. Turnaround on the listed Fort Lauderdale packages is one to two days for the entry tier and two to three days for the multi-layer ones. Read that as a signal. A coating installed in an afternoon in a parking lot was not corrected first, and it will not behave like the same bottle installed over paint that spent a day under inspection lighting. ### Prep is most of the bill A ceramic coating is glass-hard once cured, and it seals in whatever is under it. Swirls, water etching, and holograms from the last dealer wash become permanent until the coating is polished off. That is why every ceramic coating we install starts with full decontamination and paint correction, and why the market add-on for correction runs roughly $300 to $1,000 or more depending on condition, per a published Florida pricing guide. This is also where an exotic and a daily driver diverge. A Ferrari or a Porsche has thin, expensive clear coat and often a repainted panel or two; our paint correction on those cars is test-spot first, measured, and conservative, and it takes longer. A Tahoe that lives outside in Wellington usually needs a harder cut and less finesse. Same coating on both cars, very different bills, and an honest quote reflects that. ### What a 9-year or lifetime warranty really means Manufacturer guarantees are narrower than the marketing. Gtechniq's published terms cover its coatings for five, seven, or nine years against staining and discoloration, provided you return to the installing accredited detailer every 12 months for a free inspection. Excluded: scratches, abrasions, stone chips, chemical damage, and anything applied over the coating. Ceramic Pro's terms are similar: a lifetime warranty requires annual inspections and becomes a five-year warranty from the last inspection if one is missed. Swirl marks, chips, and brush-wash damage are excluded there too. So a "lifetime" coating is a stain guarantee with an annual appointment attached, not a force field. That's fine; it is what a coating is. Buy the tier that matches how long you'll own the car and how you'll wash it, not the biggest number on the card. ### Florida is harder on a coating than the box says Florida ranks fourth among U.S. states for annual UV irradiance, behind Arizona, New Mexico, and Hawaii, and the summer index here runs 9 to 11+ from June through August. Add salt air on A1A and Flagler Drive, reclaimed-water sprinklers, lovebug season, and afternoon storms that bake dry on a hot hood. One South Florida shop's own guide rates its "5-year" flagship at three to five years here. We'd agree. A coating in a Jupiter driveway works harder than the same coating in Ohio. Maintenance is what closes that gap. Ceramic Pro's aftercare guide asks for no washing for two weeks after install, a wash every two weeks after that, a proper two-bucket hand wash at least every 60 days, and no brush car washes. That matches what we tell clients. A coated car that gets a coating-safe wash on a schedule stays hydrophobic for years; one that goes through the tunnel wash on Okeechobee loses it in a season. ### FAQ Q: How long does a ceramic coating actually last on a car in South Florida? A: Shorter than the rating on the box. Florida UV and salt deplete the hydrophobic layer faster than temperate climates, so a coating sold as five years realistically delivers three to five here with proper washing, and less if it goes through brush car washes or sits under sprinklers. Q: Can I coat over swirl marks and fix them later? A: No. The coating seals defects in; fixing them later means polishing the coating off and starting over. Correction first is the whole point, which is why we treat prep as the job and the coating as the finish. Q: Does a ceramic coating stop rock chips and scratches? A: No. Manufacturer warranties from Gtechniq and Ceramic Pro explicitly exclude scratches, abrasions, and stone chips. A coating resists UV, salt, staining, and light marring, and makes washing easier. For chip protection on a front end, that is paint protection film. Q: Is a ceramic coating worth it on a daily driver, or only on an exotic? A: Both, for different reasons. On a daily driver it cuts wash time and stops UV chalking on a car that lives outside. On an exotic it protects thin clear coat and preserves corrected paint. The tier and prep level should match the car and how long you'll keep it. Sources: - Fort Lauderdale price page lists Opti-Coat packages from $400 (2-year warranty), $1,000 (5-year), $1,500 (7-year), and $2,800 (10-year/lifetime); paint correction is assessed on site and quoted separately; pricing depends on vehicle size.: https://luxewashdetailing.com/ceramic-coating-fort-lauderdale-fl - Boynton Beach price list: $799 (2-year Gyeon), $1,299 (3-year Gtechniq), $1,599 (5-year Symplex); approximately 6 to 8 hours of labor; machine paint correction included only in the 5-year tier; larger vehicles quoted at booking.: https://www.dshinedetails.com/ceramic-coating-boynton-beach.html - Fort Lauderdale shop lists $999 (1-year, no correction, 1-2 day turnaround), $1,699 (3-year, 2-3 days), and $2,499 (5-year, double application base plus top coat, wheels and glass coated, 2-3 days).: https://www.detailgeeks.com/ceramic-coatings - Florida pricing guide: entry professional $500–$800 (1–2 years), mid-tier $800–$1,300 (3–5 years), premium $1,500–$2,500+ (5–9+ years); paint correction adds $300–$1,000+; larger vehicles cost more within a tier.: https://luxewashdetailing.com/blog/ceramic-coating-cost-florida - South Florida shop's buyer's guide rates a 5-year flagship coating at a realistic 3–5 year lifespan locally because UV depletes the hydrophobic layer faster than temperate climates; no coating hits rated life without annual maintenance.: https://www.dshinedetails.com/blog/best-ceramic-coating-for-cars-south-florida.html - Gtechniq guarantee terms: C1 5 years, Crystal Serum 7 years, Crystal Serum Ultra 9 years, guaranteed against staining and discoloration; free inspection at the installing accredited detailer every 12 months required; excludes scratches, abrasions, stone chipping, chemical damage, and other coatings applied over it.: https://registerautodetail.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/guarantee_terms_serum_light_17.pdf - Ceramic Pro aftercare and warranty: do not wash for two weeks after delivery; wash every two weeks; two-bucket hand wash at least every 60 days; avoid automatic brush washes; lifetime warranty requires annual inspections and becomes a 5-year warranty from the last inspection if one is missed; excludes swirl marks, scratches, chips, and wash-brush damage.: https://ceramicpro.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Coating-Aftercare-and-Warranty-V.2.pdf - Florida ranks 4th among U.S. states for annual average daily UV irradiance (4,596 J/m²) behind Arizona, New Mexico, and Hawaii, per CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking data.: https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/uv-index-by-state - Florida summer UV index: June 9–11+, July 11+ (Extreme), August 9–11.: https://www.essuntials.com/blogs/journal/florida-summer-uv-guide --- ## New boat? Protect it in the first 90 days https://zeadetailing.com/guides/new-boat-first-90-days-protection Updated 2026-09-20 Protect a new boat in its first 90 days by coating it before the first season; dealer wax lasts weeks to a few months in South Florida. Most hulls leave the factory machine-buffed, so a light polish and ceramic coating, a fresh-water rinse of every stainless fitting after each salt run, mild soap on the SeaDek, and a weekly or bi-weekly wash cadence carry the factory finish for years. Key takeaways: - Dealer prep is a wash and a wax lasting weeks to a few months here — not protection. - Most hulls are machine-buffed at the factory; a light polish and ceramic before the first season locks in fresh gelcoat. - Rinse every stainless fitting with fresh water after each salt run; tea staining starts in crevices within weeks. - Clean SeaDek with dish soap and a medium brush; skip Armor All, Simple Green, and anything on SeaDek's do-not-use list. - Weekly in-water, bi-weekly on a lift, monthly dry-stacked — set the cadence before the first stain, not after. ### What dealer prep actually does to a new hull A new boat isn't a blank surface. Most gelcoat hulls are compounded by the builder after they come out of the mold, and that pass with rubbing compound leaves fine swirl marks in the gelcoat before the boat ever reaches the dealer. Add mold-release residue that isn't always fully washed off, and what looks like a perfect finish under showroom lighting is usually a lightly hazed, unprotected surface waiting for sun. Dealer prep is a wash, a wipe-down and, at best, a coat of wax. That's fine for delivery day. It isn't protection. Wax survives weeks to a few months in South Florida, and carnauba products can be gone in one to three. Gelcoat is porous, and without a real layer over it, UV starts breaking down the resin from the first week the boat sits at the dock. The myth is that new gelcoat gets a grace period. It doesn't. ### Why we coat before the first season, not after it West Palm Beach runs a UV index of 12 — past the 11 where the scale's "extreme" band starts — from April through August, with a burn time of about ten minutes. That's the environment a new boat is delivered into, whether it's tied up at Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach Shores or sitting on a lift behind a house in Lighthouse Point. The cleanest surface a hull will ever have is the day it's delivered. Coating it then means the ceramic bonds to fresh gelcoat instead of sealing in six months of salt and early chalk. On a new boat the prep is short: decontamination, a single refining polish to clear the factory swirls, a panel wipe, then the coating. There's nothing to cut, so a new hull is the least labor a coating install will ever take — one more argument for doing it now rather than after a season of salt and sun. We quote each boat individually on size and condition; our ceramic coating page explains what goes into the number and what to expect from the system we install. After installation, keep the boat out of the water for the first 24–48 hours and skip soap and scrubbing for the first two weeks while the coating finishes curing — a gentle fresh-water rinse after the first 48 hours is generally fine, and we give the exact window for the system we install. We hand over written first-wash timing and a maintenance plan with every coating, because the coating's life depends more on the months after we leave than on the day we're there. ### Stainless and hardware: stop tea staining before it starts Brand-new rails, rod holders, hinges, and cleats are usually 316 stainless, and 316 is the minimum grade recommended anywhere within about five kilometers of surf — which takes in nearly every dock on the Intracoastal from Jupiter Inlet to Port Everglades. Even 316 stains. Salt sits in a crevice or under a rod-holder flange, the passive layer breaks down locally, and you get the brown film owners mistake for rust. Tea staining is cosmetic, not structural, but on a 90-day-old boat it's the first sign the maintenance program isn't keeping up. The fix is simple and boring: a fresh-water rinse over every piece of hardware after every salt run, mild soap and a clean cold rinse at each wash, and a polish-and-seal on the metals within the first month. A surface smoother than about 0.5 µm Ra is markedly less prone to staining, which is why machine-polished rails hold up better than the brushed finish that ships on some hardware. "Marine grade" means the metal resists staining, not that it's immune — it still needs the rinse. ### SeaDek, non-skid, and the first sunscreen stains SeaDek is closed-cell EVA foam, and in its first 90 days it takes sunscreen, fish blood, and shoe scuffs faster than most owners expect. SeaDek's own guidance is dish soap or an all-purpose cleaner, warm water, and a medium-bristle brush; for stubborn stains, one cup of bleach per gallon of water with a soft brush. Their published do-not-use list includes Armor All, Simple Green, Meguiar's Car Wash, and Woody's Wash and Wax. Pressure washers only at low PSI with a wide-angle tip, and never aimed at the pad edges. Rust rings on SeaDek usually trace back to stainless above it — a rod holder or hinge dripping tea stain after a salt run — or to a hook or tackle left on the pad. A capful of vinegar or oxalic acid lifts the mark, kept off the edges so the lamination isn't damaged. On molded non-skid, keep wax and dressings off it entirely; slick non-skid is a liability, and residue in the texture is what turns it grey. SeaDek's own guidance calls for no dressing at all — clean it, rinse it, and leave it. ### Setting the wash cadence for how she lives Weekly for boats that live in the water and run on weekends. Bi-weekly for lift-kept boats. Monthly for dry-stacked boats — PORT 32 in Fort Lauderdale racks boats up to 55 feet and Palm Beach Yacht Center handles 15 to 38 feet, and both keep the hull out of the sun, but the forklift rinse doesn't reach under rod holders or inside hinges. Whatever the cadence, the wash is the same: fresh water, coating-safe soap, chamois dry, glass and stainless wiped spot-free. One Palm Beach County specific: the Loxahatchee is a tannic, tea-colored river — one of only two federally designated Wild and Scenic rivers in Florida — and boats kept up the river in Jupiter or run through the inlet after heavy rain pick up a brown waterline stain that sets quickly on bare gelcoat. On a coated hull it wipes off at the next wash; on dealer wax it sets into the gelcoat and takes an acid wash to lift. Our boat washes and maintenance program is quoted per boat and per cadence, and the first month is when we set it. The whole 90-day plan is short: coat before the first season, rinse the metal every trip, keep the wrong chemicals off the SeaDek, and put the boat on a schedule before the first stain, not after it. Whether it's a 24-foot bay boat in Boynton Beach or a 60-foot sportfish at Sailfish Marina, the plan doesn't change. The boats on our route that still look delivered three seasons in are the ones that started this way. ### FAQ Q: Should I ceramic coat a brand-new boat? A: Yes, and sooner is better. Delivery day is the cleanest the gelcoat will ever be, so the coating bonds to a fresh surface with only a light refining polish needed to clear factory buffing marks. Coating later means correcting salt exposure and early oxidation first. Q: Is the dealer's wax enough for the first season? A: No. Wax lasts weeks to a few months in South Florida's UV and salt; carnauba can be gone in one to three months. A boat delivered in April is unprotected by the peak of summer. Treat dealer wax as a delivery-day shine, not a season's protection. Q: How often should a new boat be washed in Palm Beach or Broward? A: Weekly if it lives in the water and runs most weekends, bi-weekly on a lift, monthly in a dry stack. Every wash is fresh water, coating-safe soap, chamois dry, and stainless wiped down. Rinse hardware after every salt run regardless of the schedule. Q: Why is my new stainless already showing brown spots? A: That's tea staining: salt trapped in crevices breaks down the passive layer on 316 stainless and leaves a brown film. It's cosmetic, not structural, and it comes off with a polish. Prevent it with a fresh-water rinse after each trip and a polish-and-seal in the first month. Sources: - Most gelcoat hulls are compounded by the builder after leaving the mold, which leaves swirl marks in new gelcoat: https://forums.sailboatowners.com/threads/wax-on-how-soon-with-a-new-boat.87122/ - Wax lasts 2 to 4 months in South Florida; ceramic gives 18–24 months in South Florida: https://seaboardsurfacesolutions.com/blogs/news/marine-ceramic-coating-vs-wax-for-boats-in-south-florida-2026-comparison - Carnauba wax lasts 1–3 months; gelcoat is porous and UV breaks down the resins without a protective layer: https://shopboatjuice.com/blogs/boat-care/waxing-gel-coat - West Palm Beach UV index of 12 (extreme, the band that starts at 11) April through August, burn time about 10 minutes: https://nomadseason.com/weather/united-states/florida/west-palm-beach-july.html - Tea staining is cosmetic corrosion; occurs within ~5 km of surf; grade 316 minimum; surfaces smoother than ~0.5 µm Ra are much less susceptible; wash with mild detergent and rinse with clean water: https://www.assda.asn.au/publications/technical-faqs/preventing-coastal-corrosion-tea-staining - SeaDek official cleaning: dish soap or all-purpose cleaner with medium-bristle brush; 1 cup bleach per gallon for stubborn stains; do-not-use list includes Meguiar's Car Wash, Armor All, Simple Green, 303 Citrus Boat Cleaner, Woody's Wash and Wax, and Starbrite Mildew; low-PSI pressure washer only; vinegar or oxalic acid for rust, kept off pad edges; no protectant or dressing recommended: https://seadek.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-clean-seadek/ - Loxahatchee River water is clear and tannic orange; one of only two federally designated Wild and Scenic rivers in Florida: https://www.floridarambler.com/kayaking-in-florida/kayak-loxahatchee-river/ - PORT 32 Fort Lauderdale dry stack holds boats up to 55 feet, on the New River off I-95: https://port32fortlauderdale.com/drystack/ - Palm Beach Yacht Center rack storage for boats 15 to 38 feet overall: https://www.palmbeachyacht.com/storage-dockage - Ceramic cure guidance: keep boat out of water 24 hours, 24–48 hours dry, avoid washing for the first two weeks, rain after 24 hours is not a problem; gel coats are porous: https://www.drbeasleys.com/blog/2022/08/26/how-to-ceramic-coat-your-boat-protecting-gel-coat - Coat a new boat before its first splash while gelcoat is pristine with no salt contamination; protection for 2–5 years with regular washing: https://www.legacymotorsandmarine.com/blog/the-post-boat-show-strategy-protecting-your-2026-new-purchase-before-its-first-splash/ --- ## Removing the brown waterline stain (tannin, scum, and the Loxahatchee mustache) https://zeadetailing.com/guides/boat-waterline-stain-removal Updated 2026-09-20 The brown waterline stain is tannin from blackwater rivers like the Loxahatchee, plus algae and calcium that bond into porous gelcoat. Remove it with a fresh-water wash, then a mild oxalic-acid hull cleaner kept wet for 5–15 minutes and rinsed, not muriatic acid. Every acid wash strips wax and opens the gelcoat; a ceramic coating and weekly washdowns keep the stain from setting. Key takeaways: - The mustache is three layers: tannin dye, an algae film, and calcium left behind as water dries. - Jupiter and ICW slips stain hardest; the Loxahatchee swings between clear salt and tea-colored water every six hours. - Wash first, then oxalic acid at 5–15 minutes wet dwell. Save hydrochloric for rare hard-calcium jobs. - Acid strips protection and roughens gelcoat, so the next stain bonds faster. It is a cycle, not a fix. - A ceramic coating seals the pores; a weekly washdown removes the film before it cures. - Florida detailers publish recurring washes around $2.75–$3.50 per foot; Zea quotes each hull individually. ### What the brown waterline stain actually is The band that shows up at the waterline within a week or two in a slip is rarely one thing. On this coast it is usually three layers. First is tannin, a natural polyphenol from decaying leaves, bark, and roots that stains water the color of black tea. Second is a film of micro-algae that colonizes the gelcoat right where air and water meet. Third is mineral, mostly calcium and magnesium, left behind every time that water dries on the hull in the sun. Oil film from a neighbor's bilge rides on top. Gelcoat is porous, and it gets more porous as UV chalks it. A hull that has lost its wax or coating soaks tannin into the top layer the way an unsealed countertop takes coffee. That is why the stain on an oxidized hull reads dark brown and stubborn, while the same water leaves a pale shadow on a coated hull. This is not dirt sitting on the surface. It is dirt that has moved into the surface, and that decides how it comes off. ### Why the Loxahatchee and the ICW stain harder than the ocean Boats that live in Jupiter are why we call it the Loxahatchee mustache. The Loxahatchee, one of only two federally designated Wild and Scenic Rivers in Florida, drains cypress swamp out of Jonathan Dickinson State Park and Grassy Waters Preserve. The water is brown for the same reason iced tea is brown, and it flips between clear salt water on the flood and tannin-stained fresh water on the ebb every six hours. A hull in a river slip gets painted twice a day, with no pollution involved. The ICW behaves the same way wherever it slows down: Lake Worth Creek, the finger canals off Lighthouse Point and Pompano, the New River and Dania Cut-Off in Fort Lauderdale, and the Lake Worth Lagoon after a summer storm pushes canal water in. Add the algae that thrives in warm, still water and you get the darkest bands we see. Boats on ocean-facing docks at Palm Beach Shores or inside Hillsboro Inlet run cleaner. Salt etches gelcoat; it does not dye it. ### How to remove a waterline stain without hurting the gelcoat Start with the least aggressive step. A fresh-water wash with a marine soap and a soft brush removes the loose algae and everything that has not bonded yet. Do this first every time; you cannot judge a stain through dirt. What is left after a wash is what actually needs chemistry. On a well-coated hull, that is often nothing at all, and the job ends with a chamois. For the tannin and mineral band that remains, the right tool is an oxalic-acid hull cleaner, sold as gel or powder at any marine store. Work a short section at a time on a shaded, wet hull. Dwell 5 to 15 minutes depending on the stain's age, never let it dry, agitate lightly, and rinse hard downward. Keep it above the bottom paint; a gel formula helps, and antifouling makers do not want acid sitting on the copper. Then put protection back on, because the acid just took it off. What we do not do is reach for muriatic (hydrochloric) acid as a routine cleaner. Label dwell on those runs up to two minutes, and that speed is the problem: the same reaction that dissolves calcium will etch gelcoat if the product sits, dries, or pools under a rub rail. There are hard-calcium jobs where a controlled hydrochloric treatment is the only answer. That is a once-in-years decision, not a monthly one. ### Why repeated acid washes thin gelcoat Gelcoat is a thin pigmented layer of polyester resin over the laminate, and there is no more of it coming. Every acid wash strips whatever wax or sealant was on the hull, lifts a microscopic amount of resin along with the stain, and leaves the surface rougher than it found it. Rough gelcoat holds tannin better, chalks faster under UV, and needs the next acid wash sooner. That is the cycle most neglected slips in Palm Beach and Broward are already in. The cycle shows. Boats acid-washed every month for a few seasons develop a dull, grey band at the waterline that no cleaner brightens, because the color is gone from the resin itself. At that point the fix is a measured gelcoat correction and a coating, not a bottle, and correction removes material a hull can only give up so many times. Metal pays too. Hydrochloric runoff pits stainless, aluminum, and trailer hardware, and those rust blooms become the next brown streaks. ### Prevention: a sealed surface and a washdown cadence Two things keep the mustache from setting. The first is a surface tannin cannot get into. A professional marine ceramic coating seals the porosity of the gelcoat, so tannin sits on a hard, glass-like layer instead of soaking into the resin. On the coated hulls we maintain in Jupiter and along the Intracoastal, the waterline releases with a mitt and coating-safe soap at the interval bare gelcoat would have needed acid. That is the practical case for ceramic coating on a boat in dark water. The second is cadence. Tannin and algae bond over days, not hours, and calcium sets as the water dries. Weekly fresh-water washdowns for in-water boats, bi-weekly for lift-kept, and monthly for dry-stacked hulls at the Jupiter and Riviera Beach stacks remove the film before it cures. Our boat washes and maintenance program is built around that cycle: same detailer, same day, waterline checked every visit. South Florida sits at UV index 11, the extreme end of the scale, from April through August, so unprotected gelcoat chalks fast and stains faster. ### What waterline and hull care costs across South Florida Zea publishes per-foot rates (wash $10/ft, wash and wax $30/ft, correction $20/ft topsides and $15/ft hull sides per step, ceramic from $250/ft with correction included), and the wider market gives a sense of scale. Florida mobile detailers publish recurring washes at roughly $2.75–$3.50 per foot and wax at $17–$24 per foot. Cost guides put a wash-and-wax at $8–$15 per foot, compound and polish at $15–$35, and full packages at $20–$55. Oxidation removal and compounding are quote-only on the public price pages at every length, and even simple wash rates go quote-only past 25–35 feet, which is where a stained, chalked waterline lands. On a 34-foot center console, those ranges put a recurring wash at about $95–$120 a visit and a compound and polish at roughly $500–$1,200 each time the hull needs one. The washdowns happen either way. The question is whether you add a correction every couple of seasons because acid kept opening the gelcoat, or wash a hull that was corrected and coated once. A monthly acid wash is cheap on paper and expensive in gelcoat. Send us waterline photos and we will tell you honestly which side of that line you are on. ### FAQ Q: Can I use bleach on the brown waterline stain? A: Bleach kills algae and may fade the tannin a little, but it does nothing for the calcium, and repeated use makes gelcoat brittle, chalky, and yellowed. It also dries out vinyl, lines, and seals it runs onto. Never combine it with an acid hull cleaner. Wash first, then use oxalic acid on what remains. Q: Will a ceramic coating stop the waterline mustache completely? A: It will not stop water from touching the hull, but it stops tannin from soaking into the gelcoat. On coated hulls we maintain, the stain sits on top of the coating and releases with soap and a mitt during a normal washdown instead of needing acid. Q: How often should a boat in the Loxahatchee or the ICW be washed? A: Weekly if it lives in the water, because the river re-stains the hull on every ebb tide. Bi-weekly holds well for lift-kept boats. Dry-stacked boats can go monthly. The point is to remove tannin and algae before they bond, which takes days, not hours. Q: Is the brown waterline stain permanent? A: Almost never. Tannin and mineral stains come out of sound gelcoat with the right chemistry. The exception is a hull that has been acid-washed so often the resin has dulled and lost color at the waterline; that needs measured gelcoat correction, not another cleaner. Sources: - Loxahatchee water is brown because tannins leach from submerged plant material, and it alternates between clear and brown roughly every six hours with the tide; headwaters in Grassy Waters Preserve, J.W. Corbett WMA, and Jonathan Dickinson State Park.: https://www.inflorida.com/news/how-well-do-you-know-the-loxahatchee-river-watershed/251 - The Loxahatchee River received National Wild and Scenic River designation on May 17, 1985, one of only two in Florida.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loxahatchee_River - Tannins are polyphenolic compounds from bark, leaves, roots, and decaying vegetation that make blackwater transparent, acidic, and stained like black tea.: https://www.ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/tannins-and-blackwater-rivers/ - Waterline stain causes: tannin from dark coastal rivers and ICW passages, micro-algae at the oxygen-rich air/water zone, dissolved iron and calcium, dock oil; oxalic acid dwell 5–15 minutes; hydrochloric products up to 2 minutes and can etch gelcoat; acid strips wax and opens the gelcoat surface; keep oxalic cleaners off copper-based antifouling paint; bleach does not remove mineral deposits and repeated use makes gelcoat brittle, chalky, and yellowed.: https://boatcarewise.com/remove-waterline-stain-boat/ - Mineral deposits at the waterline are calcium and magnesium; algae and pollutants such as oil and fuel also contribute to waterline stains.: https://www.davisinstruments.com/pages/what-are-boat-waterline-stains - EPA UV Index scale: 8+ is Very High to Extreme.: https://www.epa.gov/sunsafety/uv-index-scale-0 - West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale reach UV Index 11 (Extreme) from April through August; South Florida has one of the highest year-round UV baselines in the U.S.: https://www.essuntials.com/blogs/journal/florida-weather-and-uv-index-by-city-a-year-round-guide - Public Boca Raton price page: wash $2.75–$3.25 per foot and wax $17–$21 per foot by size tier; oxidation removal/compound listed as Call For Quote at every size tier; 36 feet and up quote-only for wash and wax.: https://www.mobiledetailpro561.com/boat-detailing - South Florida cost guide: basic wash and wax $8–$15 per foot, compound and polish $15–$35 per foot, full detail packages $20–$55 per foot.: https://boatwork.co/articles/boat-detailing-cost-guide/ - Public Florida price page: recurring basic wash $3.50 per foot, premium wash and wax $24 per foot, wash, compound and wax $45 per foot; boats over 25 feet quoted individually.: https://floridaboatdetailing.com/services/pricing/ --- ## How much does boat detailing cost in South Florida? https://zeadetailing.com/guides/boat-detailing-cost-south-florida Updated 2026-09-20 Zea Detailing charges $10 per foot for a fresh-water boat wash, $30 per foot for a wash and wax, $20 per foot topsides and $15 per foot hull sides for each step of gelcoat correction, and from $250 per foot for a ceramic coating with the full correction included. Published South Florida rates run $3.50-$10/ft for washes, $8-$30/ft for wash-and-wax, $15-$50/ft for compounding and $25-$95+/ft for coating alone. Key takeaways: - Published Florida rates: wash $3.50–$10/ft (Palm Beach page $10), wash-and-wax $8–$30/ft, compounding $15–$50/ft, ceramic $25–$95+/ft. - Oxidation depth, gelcoat color, and boat layout move a quote more than length does. - Florida summer UV of 9–11+ and constant salt make compounding a recurring cost, not a one-time fix. - A low ceramic per-foot price usually excludes the correction underneath; the high one includes it. - Per-foot rates suit recurring washdowns; correction and coating are priced accurately only after inspection. ### What South Florida detailers charge per foot Almost every marine detailer on this coast prices by the foot, so the first thing to know is the rate band. Florida price pages put a basic recurring washdown at about $3.50–$10 per foot; the low end is a Central Florida menu, and the Palm Beach page we checked lists $10. In Palm Beach County and Broward, a wash-and-wax runs about $8–$30 per foot and a compound-and-wax or oxidation removal about $15–$50 per foot. Ceramic coating is the widest band: $25–$35+ per foot on a Fort Lauderdale yacht-service page, up to $95 per foot in Palm Beach when decontamination and gelcoat correction are built in. Put real lengths against those numbers. A 24-foot bay boat is roughly $192–$720 for a wash-and-wax and $360–$1,200 for compounding. A 42-foot sportfish is $336–$1,260 and $630–$2,100 for the same two services. Flat-rate packages exist too: one Broward shop lists about $1,200 for wash, wax, and interior on boats 10–30 feet and about $2,300 with two-stage gelcoat correction added. Some pages stop publishing numbers above 25–30 feet and say call for a quote. ### What Zea Detailing charges We publish our rates, which is unusual on this coast, because it saves everyone a phone call. A fresh-water wash is $10 per foot. A wash and wax is $30 per foot. Gelcoat correction is $20 per foot topsides and $15 per foot hull sides, charged per step. A ceramic coating starts at $250 per foot with the full decontamination and multi-stage correction included in that number. On a 34-foot center console that is $340 for a wash, $1,020 for a wash and wax, and about $2,380 for a two-step correction. On a 42-foot sportfish, $420, $1,260 and $2,940. A full ceramic package starts at $8,500 on the 34 and $10,500 on the 42. Those are starting figures for boats in normal condition with reasonable access. We sit at the top of the published Palm Beach range on every line, and we would rather you knew that before you call than after we arrive. The full rate card, with what each service includes, is on our pricing page. ### Why our coating price is not the same number as everyone else's A $70-per-foot ceramic quote and our $250 per foot are not the same product. The cheaper number is almost always the coating alone, applied over a hull that is already corrected or being called good enough. Ours includes the decontamination and the multi-stage correction underneath, however many steps the gelcoat needs. That distinction matters more than the price does. A coating chemically bonds to whatever surface it cures on. Install one over oxidation and you have not protected the hull, you have sealed the chalk in for the life of the coating. When you compare quotes, the two questions worth asking are how many correction stages are included and what protection goes on at the end. ### Why the same boat gets three different quotes Length is only the multiplier. The variable that actually moves a quote is oxidation depth. A hull that has hazed slightly needs a single polishing pass; a hull that chalks white on your fingertip needs heavy compounding, then refining, then finishing, three passes over every square foot, sometimes wet sanding first. That is the difference between the $15 end of the compounding range and the $50 end, and it is why a neglected 34-foot center console can cost more to correct than a well-kept 50-footer. Color is next. White gelcoat hides swirl and minor haze; navy, black, and Fighting Lady Yellow hide nothing, so dark hulls need extra refining stages to read clean under inspection light. Layout matters too: a walkaround or express with a lot of vertical surface, hardtop, tower, and cockpit coaming is more labor per foot than a flat-sided center console. Finally, access changes the job. In-slip work at a marina with pressure-wash restrictions, a lift with the hull sides exposed, or a trailer in the driveway each decide how much can be done and how fast. ### What Palm Beach and Broward conditions do to the bill What sets the bill here is the environment. Florida's summer UV index sits at 9–11+ most days and has reached 12, and the EPA classifies 8 and above as very high to extreme. That is the energy breaking down gelcoat resin into chalk. A hull left bare at Sailfish Marina or Bahia Mar oxidizes in months, not years, which is why compounding on this coast is a recurring line item rather than a one-time restoration. Water chemistry adds its own labor. Boats that run the Loxahatchee and the Jupiter Inlet come back with a tannin-stained waterline that needs an acid hull-stain treatment (usually oxalic-based) before any polishing, and that is a separate step on the invoice. Intracoastal slips from Lighthouse Point up through North Palm Beach grow a scum line fast in summer. Dry-stacked boats at the Riviera Beach and Lantana stacks skip the waterline problem but collect forklift rash, bird droppings, and a fine dust that etches if it sits. Each of these adds a stage, and stages, not feet, are what you pay for. ### What the per-foot number does and does not include Read the fine print on any price page. A wash on one menu is a fresh-water rinse and chamois dry; on another it includes non-skid scrub, lockers, and glass. A wash-and-wax may be a spray sealant or a hand-applied paste, and those last very differently in our sun. Interior work is almost always separate, about $8–$18+ per foot for cabins on a Fort Lauderdale yacht-service page and $25–$40 per foot for a deep cabin detail in Palm Beach, and metal polishing, teak, and isinglass are add-ons everywhere. The ceramic band is the clearest example. A $25-per-foot coating price generally means the coating alone, applied over a hull that is already corrected or being called good enough. A $95-per-foot price includes the decontamination and machine correction under it. Since a coating locks in whatever is beneath it, the second number is usually the honest one. Ask any detailer two questions: how many correction stages are included, and what protection goes on at the end. Corrected gelcoat left bare in Florida starts sliding backwards within months. ### Why we publish rates but still quote the correction Per-foot pricing is fair for predictable work. A standing washdown route, weekly for boats that fish every weekend, bi-weekly for lift-kept, monthly for dry-stacked, has the same scope every visit. That is why our wash is $10 per foot and a wash and wax is $30 per foot, published, with no phone call needed. Correction is different, and we price it per step for that reason: $20 per foot topsides and $15 per foot hull sides, each pass. Nobody can tell from a length alone whether a hull needs one stage or three, whether a previous crew left buffer trails in the Awlgrip, or whether there is enough gelcoat for a full cut. Send photos in daylight, the length, and where she lives, and you get a firm number with the stages listed rather than a range that grows on the day. ### FAQ Q: How much does Zea Detailing charge to detail a boat? A: $10 per foot for a fresh-water wash, $30 per foot for a wash and wax, $20 per foot topsides and $15 per foot hull sides for each step of gelcoat correction, and from $250 per foot for a ceramic coating with the correction included. Those are starting rates for boats in normal condition. Q: How much does it cost to detail a 30-foot boat in South Florida? A: Using published local rates: about $300 for a basic wash at the Palm Beach per-foot rate, $240–$900 for a wash-and-wax, $450–$1,500 for compounding and wax, and $750–$2,850 for ceramic coating depending on whether correction is included. Condition, color, and layout decide where in each band a specific boat lands. Q: Is ceramic coating a boat worth the price? A: For a boat that lives here, usually. Wax survives weeks in our UV and salt; a properly installed marine ceramic lasts two to five years depending on prep, storage and washdown cadence, sheds waterline scum, and makes every washdown faster. Most of the cost is the correction underneath it, which the hull needed anyway. Q: Why won't some detailers quote oxidation removal over the phone? A: Because length does not reveal oxidation depth, gelcoat thickness, or defects a previous crew left behind. A chalky 30-footer can take three stages; a hazed one takes one. Detailers who quote from photos or an in-person look are pricing the actual work rather than guessing and adjusting on the day. Q: How often should a boat be detailed in Palm Beach or Broward? A: Washdowns weekly for in-water boats used most weekends, bi-weekly for lift-kept, monthly for dry-stacked. Compound-and-protect annually for uncoated hulls. Coated hulls skip the annual compounding and get maintenance washes with a coating top-up as needed. Sources: - Palm Beach County price page: exterior wash $10/ft, wash + polish & wax $30/ft, wash + correction & wax $50/ft, marine ceramic coating $95/ft (includes decontamination and correction, rated 1–3 years), interior cabin detail $25–$40/ft, metal polish $25–$45/ft: https://www.sykesdetails.com/marine-detailing - Fort Lauderdale yacht detailing FAQ: exterior wash & wax $12–$25+/ft, ceramic coating $25–$35+/ft, interior detailing $8–$18+/ft; serves Bahia Mar, Las Olas Marina, Pier Sixty-Six, Lauderdale Marine Center: https://yachtmanagement.pro/boat-detailing-in-fort-lauderdale/ - South Florida cost guide: basic wash and wax $8–$15/ft, compound and polish $15–$35/ft, full detail $20–$55/ft; recommends quarterly wash-and-wax and annual compound: https://boatwork.co/articles/boat-detailing-cost-guide/ - Broward/Palm Beach/Miami-Dade mobile detailer flat packages: Deluxe boat detail 10–30 ft $1,199.99 (wash, wax, vinyl, UV protection); Premium 10–30 ft $2,299.99 with two-stage gelcoat correction; larger boats quote-only: https://www.ecocarcarefl.com/boat-detailing-florida - Central Florida (Volusia, Orange, Lake County) price menu: basic recurring wash $3.50/ft ($85 minimum), premium wash & wax $24/ft, wash, compound & wax $45/ft; boats over 25 ft are quote-only: https://floridaboatdetailing.com/services/pricing/ - Price drivers: oxidation depth, gelcoat color (dark hulls need extra refining passes), wet sanding, boat layout (cabin cruisers and walkarounds cost more than center consoles), length as multiplier: https://catalystmarineservices.com/blog/boat-detailing-cost/ - EPA UV Index scale: 8 and above classified as very high to extreme: https://www.epa.gov/sunsafety/uv-index-scale-0 - Florida summer maximum UV Index regularly 9–11+ in June through August, as high as 12 on clear days: https://www.essuntials.com/blogs/journal/florida-summer-uv-guide - The upper Loxahatchee River near Jupiter is a tannin-stained channel: https://www.waterfront-properties.com/blog/a-buyers-guide-to-the-wild-and-scenic-loxahatchee-river.html - Oxalic acid removes tannin waterline staining on gelcoat; a gelled acid formulation is recommended over liquid, which runs and can attack copper bottom paint: https://marinehowto.com/removing-waterline-hull-staining/