Boat Bottom Cleaning in West Palm Beach, FL

Northwood Shores and the docks nearest the port sit in the saltiest water and the idle-speed zone below the turning basin; props, shafts and rudders there grow hard barnacles fast, because bottom paint can't stick to metal.

El Cid, Prospect Park and Southland Park docks sit in the slow zone below the Flagler Memorial Bridge, and the closer a dock is to the S-155 spillway at the south end of town, the fresher the water and the softer the growth. Zinc wear follows the salt, so the monthly dive report records each anode's percentage and the bottom paint condition, with photos, and zincs are replaced at 50%.

The City Docks at Clematis Street and Flagler Drive are free for non-commercial boats from 5 a.m. To midnight, first come first served, with room for about 48 boats, and Lake Mangonia's ramp is home to the Franklin Sailing Camp. Currie Park's docks closed on September 2, 2025 for a Parks Bond renovation and are expected to reopen in spring 2027. Phil Foster Park's 24-hour county ramp under the Blue Heron Bridge is the neighbor's, in Riviera Beach. Clear Lake marks the historic west edge of Flagler's town site; the boats we clean are on the east edge, on the lagoon.

El Cid and Prospect Park owners on Flagler Drive see the classic lagoon split: softer growth and shifting zinc numbers toward the C-51 spillway, harder barnacle toward the port. City Docks overnighters get cleaned where they tie up; everyone else gets the 30-day visit at the home dock, with nobody needed on shore.

Booking is the street or the City Docks, the boat's length and whether the hull is painted.

West Palm Beach boats we clean sit on the Lake Worth Lagoon, the Intracoastal Waterway, the C-51 Canal and Lake Mangonia. The West Palm Beach City Docks: a regular stop. Private docks in El Cid, Prospect Park and Northwood Shores (ZIP codes 33401, 33405 and 33407) 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