What hull cleaning costs in South Florida
What drives a quote, what the local market publishes, the two prices we publish ourselves, and why a monthly diver costs less than letting the growth win.
- 5.0★ on Google · 335 reviews
- Licensed & insured
- $2,000,000 liability insurance
- 5.0★ on Google · 335 reviews
- Photos after every cleaning
- Monthly dive report: zinc % and bottom paint condition
- Licensed & insured · $2,000,000 liability
A hull cleaning quote comes down to boat length, how much growth is on it, and whether it has bottom paint. South Florida divers publish per-foot and flat rates (the market ranges are below, labelled as such); ours is quoted on your boat before the first dive, and boats on the monthly plan are billed monthly. The two prices we publish are the seawall inspections: $250 residential, $350 multi-family and commercial.
How we quote a hull cleaning
Send three things: the boat's length, where it is docked (marina and slip, or a private dock), and whether it has bottom paint. Length sets the dive time. Paint sets the schedule: every 30 days for a painted hull that stays in the water, every two weeks for bare gelcoat or a nutrient-rich slip. The location tells us how fast growth comes back and whether a marina has vendor rules. You get the quote back, and the first dive comes with photos and a dive report so you can see what you paid for.
Hull cleaning market ranges in South Florida
What the South Florida market publishes for hull cleaning, so you know the shape of the number before you ask for ours.
Market ranges from public sources, not Barnacle Doctor prices.
| What local rate pages publish (2026) | Range |
|---|---|
| Per-foot hull cleaning, monthly | About $4 to $6.50 per foot, stepping up with length |
| Flat rate for smaller boats | One service: $220 flat under 40 ft; another: from $4 per foot with a $100 minimum |
| By length (a detailing company's table) | Up to 25 ft $100 to $200; 26 to 40 ft $200 to $400; 41 to 60 ft $400 to $750; over 60 ft quoted |
| Heavy growth or a first cleaning | Billed hourly or with a per-foot surcharge by some services |
| What owners report on forums | $2 to $4 per foot for a monthly diver in South Florida; $2 to $2.25 per foot in Stuart; "$2.50 to $3.50 per foot" |
| Anode labor (one published price list) | $10 to $50 per anode, parts extra |
Market figures from local rate pages checked 21 September 2026 and from owner threads on The Hull Truth, Trawler Forum and Sam's Marine (sources below). These are not Barnacle Doctor prices.
Two things those numbers agree on: length is the main variable, and a boat that is cleaned monthly costs less per visit than one that is cleaned when it looks bad. Our quote follows the same logic, and you get it before the first dive.
What drives the price
Six things that move a hull cleaning quote up or down.
Boat length
Length sets the dive time. Local rate pages quote per foot above a set length and a flat rate below it, and per-foot rates step up for the biggest boats.
How much growth is on it
A hull cleaned every 30 days is soft growth and a short dive. A hull that has sat for a season is hardened barnacles and the longest dive we do; some local services bill that hourly.
Bottom paint or bare gelcoat
Paint sets the schedule: 30 days painted, two weeks bare, because barnacles bond to gelcoat faster and thicker.
Hull shape and running gear
Two hulls on a catamaran, multiple props, pods or thrusters all add time; several local rate pages add a catamaran premium.
Zincs
Anodes are checked on every dive and replaced at 50%. What an anode costs depends on the size and type your boat takes.
Where the boat is
A private dock is simplest. Marinas with vendor rules, lifts and hard-to-reach slips add scheduling rather than cost, but tell us so the quote is right.
Prices we publish
Flat inspection fees, published up front. Repairs are quoted in person, for free.
$250
Residential seawall inspection
Cleaned first, inspected above and below the water, written report with photos
$350
Multi-family / commercial seawall inspection
Same inspection for condominium, association and commercial walls
Why a monthly diver costs less than neglect
The expensive hull is the one that gets cleaned when it looks bad. By then the barnacles have hardened and bonded to the paint, so getting them off means harder scrubbing that takes paint with it, and a paint job that should last 18 to 24 months in South Florida is finished early. Thirty-day cleanings keep growth soft enough to lift with non-abrasive cavitation, which is the cheapest thing you can do for a paint job.
- Fuel: studies of ships by the IMO and the U.S. Naval Academy found that a slime layer alone can raise fuel use by 20 to 25 percent and light barnacle fouling far more. Your boat is not a container ship, but drag is drag.
- Systems: clogged thru-hull fittings destroy water makers, live wells and air-conditioning units.
- Zincs: an anode past 50% stops protecting the running gear it was bought for. We check them every dive.
The how-often guide and the bottom-paint guide go deeper on both.
Dock, piling and seawall market ranges
The same market-range approach for docks, pilings, seawalls and recovery. Ours are quoted on the job; the seawall inspection fees are fixed.
Market ranges from public sources, not Barnacle Doctor prices.
| Dock, piling and seawall work | Published market range |
|---|---|
| Piling cleaning | About $79 per piling on one local rate page; a 2026 cost article puts a piling-cleaning job at $120 to $800 |
| Dock ladder cleaning | About $79 per ladder (local rate page) |
| Boat lift cleaning | About $440 per lift (local rate page) |
| Seawall cleaning | About $15 per linear foot (local rate page) |
| Seawall inspection | $330 to $495 up to 100 ft (home inspector); about $500 (dive company); $600 (another inspector). Ours: $250 residential, $350 multi-family and commercial |
| Seawall crack and joint repair | About $100 to $150 per linear foot; structural repair $300 to $900; replacement $400 to $1,200 |
| Piling wrap | $15 to $35 per linear foot; $90 to $420 per piling installed |
| Snap Jacket concrete sleeve | Around $500 per piling installed (owner forum reports) |
| Replacement piling, driven | $1,000 to $3,000 per piling (forum and cost-guide reports) |
| Underwater recovery of a lost item | One local price list: $200 per hour; some services offer no-find, no-charge |
Market figures from local rate pages checked 21 September 2026, national cost guides and owner forums (sources below). The only Barnacle Doctor prices are the two seawall inspection fees.
Licensed & insured: $2,000,000 liability insurance through Fisk Marine Insurance
Keeping the boat at a marina with vendor rules? Tell us where it is docked when you book. Our divers work from your dock or slip, and you do not need to be there; in a gated community they call ahead and send a text right before the visit.
Pricing questions
How much does hull cleaning cost per foot in South Florida?
Local rate pages we checked in September 2026 publish roughly four to six and a half dollars per foot for a monthly cleaning, with flat rates for smaller boats and premiums for catamarans and heavy growth; owners on forums report paying two to four dollars per foot. Those are market figures, not ours: send the boat length, where it is docked and whether it has bottom paint and we will quote your boat.
How is a Barnacle Doctor hull cleaning quote worked out?
From three things: boat length, where it is docked, and whether it has bottom paint. Length sets the dive time, paint sets the schedule, and the location tells us about growth and access. You get the quote before the first dive.
Do I pay per visit or monthly?
Monthly. Boats on the plan are cleaned every 30 days (every two weeks for bare gelcoat or nutrient-rich water) with easy monthly billing, and the dive report and photos arrive after each visit.
Why is monthly cleaning cheaper than cleaning a few times a year?
Because of what neglect costs: a hardened layer needs harder scrubbing that strips bottom paint, so a paint job that should last 18 to 24 months is finished early; clogged thru-hulls kill water makers, live wells and air-conditioning pumps; and studies of ships show even a thin slime layer raises fuel use by a fifth or more.
Is a piling wrap or a Snap Jacket cheaper than replacing a piling?
By a wide margin, on the published market figures: wraps run tens of dollars per foot, a Snap Jacket concrete sleeve is reported at around five hundred dollars per piling installed, and driving a replacement piling runs into the thousands. Our wrap and Snap Jacket work is quoted on the number and condition of the pilings.
Get your exact quote
Boat length, where it is docked, bottom paint or not. We respond fast, and the first dive comes with photos and a report.
Sources for the market ranges
- Published rate pages of South Florida hull-cleaning, dock-cleaning and seawall-inspection services, checked 21 September 2026 (we do not name other companies on our site).
- The Hull Truth: How much do you pay to have your hull cleaned? thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/1271805
- Sam's Marine forum: Diver bottom cleaning rates, FL samsmarine.com/threads/diver-bottom-cleaning-rates-fl.29876
- Trawler Forum: Bottom cleaning charges trawlerforum.com/threads/bottom-cleaning-charges.75929
- Yacht Management South Florida: Choosing a boat bottom cleaning service myyachtmanagement.com/news/2015/choosing-a-boat-bottom-cleaning-service
- The Hull Truth: Piling repair, Snap Jackets thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/980869
- Angi: Cost to wrap dock pilings angi.com/articles/wrap-dock-pilings-cost.htm and Dock piling installation cost angi.com/articles/dock-piling-installation-cost.htm
- Helicon: Seawall repair cost per foot heliconusa.com/seawall-repair-cost-per-foot; JKT Marine: Seawall repair cost in South Florida (2026) jktmarine.com
- IMO GloFouling study on fouling and fuel (Maritime Executive) maritime-executive.com; Schultz, U.S. Naval Academy (2007) usna.edu
- JJ's Boat Services: paint life vs cleaning frequency jjsboatservices.com
Guides that explain the numbers
- How often should you clean your boat bottom in South Florida?
- Bottom paint and hull cleaning: hard vs ablative, when to wait, and Propspeed
- Zinc anodes in South Florida: what they protect, when to replace them, and why they vanish
- Dock piling repair: shipworms, the screwdriver test, and wrap vs Snap Jacket vs replacement
- Seawall inspection for home buyers: what to ask before you close on a waterfront home
Get your exact quote
Length, location, paint or not. Call 561-666-3716 or send the form; we respond fast.