Boats · Restoration · Broward County · 33301 / 33304 / 33308 / 33316
Gelcoat Correction in Fort Lauderdale
Multi-stage wet compounding and polishing that removes oxidation, haze, and dock rash and brings back the gloss the builder intended.
Zea Detailing provides mobile gelcoat correction & oxidation removal in Fort Lauderdale — at Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Pier Sixty-Six Marina, Las Olas Marina, and private docks in Las Olas Isles and Harbor Beach — for boats from 20 to 100+ feet. Licensed, bonded and insured; based in West Palm Beach; Broward County.
What it is: 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.
Gelcoat Correction on Fort Lauderdale water and driveways
A dark-hulled Viking on a private Harbor Beach dock collects two problems at once: chalk where the Florida sun hits the topsides all afternoon, and the fine diesel film that drifts off Port Everglades Inlet and settles between the rubrail and the boot stripe. A wash moves that soot around; it does nothing for the oxidation under it. So we decontaminate first, then read the hull under inspection light and test a section before committing to a pad and compound. The chalk depth on a New River slip boat is rarely the same as on one kept covered.
Access decides the sequence here. On a Seven Isles or Las Olas Isles private dock we correct the reachable side first, then work with the captain to spring the boat around so the outboard side gets the same multi-stage cut and polish. At Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Pier Sixty-Six Marina, or Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center we clear vendor check-in first; at Harbor Beach and Seven Isles we arrange the gate pass. We start early so panels stay cool, plan consecutive days on a large hull, and never leave gelcoat bare — protection goes on before we go.
What Fort Lauderdale does to a finish
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.
Gelcoat Correction at Fort Lauderdale marinas
We carry the insurance certificates these facilities require and coordinate directly with the dockmaster or yard.
Resort marina · Mega-yachts
Bahia Mar Yachting Center
Fort Lauderdale
Resort marina · Mega-yachts
Pier Sixty-Six Marina
Fort Lauderdale
Full service · Mega-yachts
Las Olas Marina
Fort Lauderdale
Shipyard · Mega-yachts
Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center
Fort Lauderdale
Boutique · Mega-yachts
Sunrise Harbor Marina
Fort Lauderdale
Full service · Mixed fleet
Hall of Fame Marina
Fort Lauderdale
Private club · Mixed fleet
Coral Ridge Yacht Club
Fort Lauderdale
Private club · Mixed fleet
Lauderdale Yacht Club
Fort Lauderdale
How gelcoat correction gets done right
- 01
Condition assessment
We evaluate oxidation depth and gelcoat thickness before recommending a cut level.
- 02
Wash & decontamination
Salt, scum, and bonded contamination off first — you can't polish dirt.
- 03
Wet compounding
Heavy-cut stage removes the oxidized layer and deep defects.
- 04
Refinement polish
Progressively finer stages restore clarity, depth, and true color.
- 05
Protection
Sealant or ceramic coating locks in the result — corrected gelcoat left bare re-oxidizes fast.
Gelcoat Correction in Fort Lauderdale — FAQ
Good questions
How much does gelcoat correction cost?
$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.
My hull is chalky white — is it too far gone?
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.
Do you service yachts at Bahia Mar, Pier Sixty-Six, and Las Olas Marina?
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.
Can you work inside Harbor Beach and Seven Isles?
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.
Does the diesel fallout off Port Everglades actually come out, or is it in the gelcoat?
Usually it comes out. The soot sits on the surface and in the porous chalk layer, so decontamination plus the compounding stage clears it. Where it has etched into badly oxidized gelcoat we cut deeper and it still lifts. What will not lift is fallout sealed under a coating.
My yacht at Pier Sixty-Six is painted, not gelcoat — is that the same job?
Different job, same visit. Awlgrip and Alexseal have a thin clear film, so we drop to a lighter compound and finishing pad and verify under inspection light constantly. Most large Fort Lauderdale hulls are painted topsides with gelcoat decks and houses, so one boat often gets both approaches.
Gelcoat Correction in Fort Lauderdale?
Two minutes to a real quote — condition, photos, location. We handle the rest.
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