DIVING

• None: No visible marine growth. The hull appears clean and antifouling is effective.
• Minimal: Light slime or isolated algae. Paint still provides good protection, but monitoring recommended.
• Moderate: Noticeable slime, algae, or scattered barnacles. Antifouling may be losing effectiveness—cleaning should be scheduled soon.
• Heavy: Dense slime, algae, barnacles, or other hard growth. Antifouling is likely failing; immediate cleaning needed.
• Severe: Heavy colonies of barnacles, mussels, or tube worms plus pervasive slime. Antifouling offers no protection. Urgent cleaning and likely repainting required.

Note: When two terms are used (e.g., Good/Fair), it indicates a spectrum. The waterline degrades fastest due to warmer temperatures and sunlight. Other high-wear areas include keel edges, rudder, and prop aperture surfaces.

• Excellent: Optimal coverage with highly effective antifouling. No flaking or peeling. Extended time before repainting needed.
• Good: Adequate coverage with minor wear or slight thinning. Plan maintenance in the near future.
• Fair: Significant wear with larger areas of thinning, peeling, or fouling. Repainting recommended soon.
• Poor: Minimal protection with large exposed areas and significant fouling. Prioritize repainting to prevent long-term damage.
• Missing: Paint absent in areas, exposing barrier coat, gel coat, or fiberglass. Rapid hard growth expected. These areas are scraped with metal tools. Painting well past due.

I aim to bill within a week after your service. I coordinate service timing based on weather, inventory, and other factors to hit your ideal window. Any anode or variable charges are included when I bill for the service.

Yes, anodes are additional. You're welcome to provide your own. I charge roughly chandlery prices plus tax. See the estimator above for current anode installation pricing.

If your boat is in my service area, I'm happy to stop by for a look and present you with options before your first service.

Yes! For each referral who signs up for ongoing service, you receive a free cleaning (anodes extra). Your friend gets 50% off their first cleaning. There's no limit—earn a year or more of free cleanings!

I use tools ranging from soft cloths to steel scrapers, matched to each growth type. I always use minimum effective abrasion to protect your paint. If I can't achieve a clean finish without removing paint, I'll let you know it's time to plan your next haul-out.

The final appearance depends on your paint's remaining biocidal properties. If the protective properties are diminished, some stubborn algae may remain in the paint's microscopic texture. This algae is harmless, and removing it would require damaging the paint. Leaving it protects your hull, extends paint life, and minimizes environmental impact—while still restoring vessel performance.

I clean up to the antifouling paint line only. To avoid gel coat damage, I don't scrub unpainted surfaces, including worn-through areas or where the paint line is below the waterline. If your waterline is submerged, consider lightening the vessel or raising the paint line at your next haul-out. For above-waterline cleaning, see my detailing services.

Yes! While regular service offers the best performance and savings, I'm happy to provide one-time cleanings—especially for voyage preparation.

Yes! I'll do my best to align your cleaning as close to race day as possible. If you're in my service area and I'm available, just let me know your needs and I'll work with you on timing.

I'm happy to help! Off-schedule retrievals require booking as a one-time service. For regular clients, items retrieved during scheduled service incur no extra charge (just any added time).

Important: Don't disturb the bottom before I arrive—one customer raked the bottom searching for a phone, and despite 40 minutes of searching, I couldn't locate it.

I cannot guarantee successful or undamaged retrieval. If I can't find the item in 20 minutes, I'll search another 20 minutes at no additional charge. Use the estimator above to book item recovery.