Boat Bottom Cleaning in Bay Harbor Islands, FL

A boat tied up behind a West Island home faces Biscayne Bay or Indian Creek, and both are fully salt. The running gear fouls first because bottom paint can't adhere to metal, and the waterline grows an algae band while the boat waits for the weekend. The diver cleans the hull with Ultra-Cavitation, brushes the waterline, does the props and shafts (safe on Propspeed) and checks each zinc.

East Island condo docks are shared, so the diver can clean several boats in one visit and each owner gets their own report and photos. Owners who run out through Haulover Inlet regularly, or who keep a second boat at Haulover Park's Bill Bird Marina by the inlet, are on the same 30-day schedule; the inlet is an idle-speed zone, and the hull grows just as much sitting at the dock afterwards.

The town was incorporated on April 28, 1947, two years after its two mangrove islands were filled, and the Broad Causeway that reached it in 1951 gives boaters direct access to the Meloy Channel at the bridge. From there it is a short idle-speed run to Bakers Haulover Inlet, and Haulover Park's Bill Bird Marina beside the inlet, at Intracoastal mile 1079 with 152 wet slips for boats from 35 to 120 feet and ramps open around the clock, is where some Bay Harbor owners keep a second boat. Indian Creek Lake, to the south across from Indian Creek Village, is the quiet end of the town's water.

West Island owners whose boats face Indian Creek see softer, faster waterline growth in that calm water; bay-side owners see more barnacle on the metal. The photos after each dive show which, and the zinc percentages tell whether the electrolysis at a particular dock is eating anodes faster than the neighbor's. Neither side needs anyone home.

Bay Harbor Islands boats we clean sit on Biscayne Bay, Indian Creek and the Intracoastal Waterway. Private docks on the West Island and the East Island (ZIP code 33154) get the same 30-day visit.

A written dive report and photos come with every cleaning.

• Zinc percentage per anode; replacement at 50%.
• Bottom paint condition, so the next haul-out is planned, not guessed.
• Photos of the hull and running gear.
• Anything the diver spotted: clogged thru-hulls, damage, loose gear.

How long it takes and how often. 45 minutes to 4 hours per cleaning, depending on growth and boat length. Every 30 days for a boat that stays in the water; every two weeks in nutrient-rich spots or for a hull without bottom paint.

Full boat bottom cleaning guide