Guides for boat, dock and seawall owners in South Florida
The questions our customers ask, answered first and backed by public sources: hull cleaning, zincs, paint, marina rules, seawalls, hurricanes and pilings.
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- Photos after every cleaning
- Monthly dive report: zinc % and bottom paint condition
- Licensed & insured · $2,000,000 liability
Every guide here starts with the answer, then explains it, and ends with the sources it came from. Where a number is someone else's (a market price range, an ordinance figure) it is labelled as such; the only Barnacle Doctor prices on this site are the seawall inspection fees. If a guide does not answer your question, the FAQ has about forty more, and the phone works too.
Boats: how often, what it costs, paint, zincs and the rules
How Often to Clean a Boat Bottom in South Florida
Why 30 days is the number for a painted hull here, when two weeks is right, and what a lift, a canal or a summer away changes.
Hull Cleaning Cost in South Florida
What drives a hull-cleaning quote, per-foot vs flat vs hourly billing, published market ranges, our seawall inspection fees, and why monthly costs less than neglect.
Bottom Paint & Hull Cleaning: Hard vs Ablative
Hard vs ablative for a monthly diver, the 90-day wait after new paint, why gentle beats frequent, and what to tell us about Propspeed.
Cavitation vs Pressure Washing vs Scraping
Bubbles, jets, blades and brushes compared: what each does to paint, gelcoat, wood and concrete, and what Florida's Clean Marina rules say.
In-Water Hull Cleaning Rules in Florida
No state ban, but marinas, Clean Marina best practices, manatee season and the antifouling statute all shape how a diver works. The page a dockmaster will read.
Zinc Anodes in South Florida: 50% Rule & Life
What galvanic corrosion is, the 50% rule, the typical life of an anode here, zinc vs aluminium vs magnesium, and what a zinc that disappears in a month means.
Waterfront property: seawalls, pilings and storms
Seawall Inspection for Home Buyers in Florida
What a pre-purchase seawall inspection checks, what the report covers, who is responsible for repairs, what repairs cost on the open market, and what to ask your lender.
Seawall Rules: Broward, Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach
Broward's 4 ft / 5 ft NAVD88 rule and the 2035 date, Fort Lauderdale's adoption, Miami Beach's 5.7 ft standard and 300-dollar-per-foot trigger, permits and who is responsible.
Hurricane Prep for Docks, Lifts, Seawalls & Boats
Pre-season inspection, the screwdriver test, lift and cradle prep, seawall photos for the claim file, and the post-storm underwater check.
Dock Piling Repair: Shipworms, Wrap or Snap Jacket
Teredo shipworms, pinholes and the screwdriver test, HDPE wraps vs Snap Jacket concrete sleeves vs driving a new piling, with published cost ranges.
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