Boat Detailing · Naples FL
Boat Detailing in Naples and Marco Island
Salt water doesn't take days off. We clean, correct, and protect gelcoat so your boat looks the way it did the day you bought it.
What We Do for Boats
Three different jobs get called "boat detailing," and the price depends on which ones your boat needs.
- Cleaning. Hull and topside wash, scum line, salt, and the grime that builds up on a boat that gets used. This is where every job starts.
- Oxidation correction. Chalky, faded gelcoat machine-polished back to gloss with marine compounds. This is real labor and it is quoted by how far gone the surface is.
- Protection. A sealant or wax for the season, or a marine ceramic coating for a hard, hydrophobic layer that takes the sun and salt so the gelcoat doesn’t.
Your quote lists which of the three are in the price. Nothing gets bundled in that you did not ask for.
Text us — we reply same day.
Boat Detailing Prices
Boat Detail
From $350 · 18-20 ft boat
Larger boats and heavier oxidation are quoted by length and condition.
Oxidation restoration and marine ceramic coating are quoted separately.
Text for a QuoteMarine Ceramic Coating
Text for a quote
Quoted by length, condition, preparation needed, and which surfaces are coated.
Text for a QuoteHow we price a boat
Four things move the number: length, condition (light haze polishes fast; chalk that comes off on your hand does not), access (in the water, on a lift, on a trailer, in a storage yard), and what you want done (wash and protect, correction, ceramic). Text us the length and a few daylight photos and you will have a firm number the same business day. Prices shown before FL sales tax.
Oxidation and Gelcoat in Southwest Florida
Gelcoat is the colored resin skin over the fiberglass. UV breaks it down from the surface in, and salt speeds it up. First the shine goes flat, then the color goes pale, then it chalks: white residue that comes off on your hand. Every one of those stages is gelcoat being lost.
Correction removes the dead layer with a machine and marine compound until you are back on sound, glossy gelcoat. It works as long as there is gelcoat left to polish. A boat that has been chalking for years may be thin in spots, and we tell you when a section is past polishing before we touch it.
Once corrected, the surface needs protection or the clock starts again. That is the whole argument for a coating.
Text us — we reply same day.
Marine Ceramic Coating
A marine ceramic coating is a liquid polymer applied to corrected gelcoat (and to painted hulls, hardware, and glass if you want) that cures into a hard, hydrophobic layer. Water sheets off, salt sits on the coating instead of the gelcoat, and UV is taken at the surface rather than in the resin. Cleanup after a run is a rinse instead of a scrub.
What it needs first. A coating locks in whatever is under it, so oxidation correction comes first on any boat that is not new. That is most of the labor in a marine ceramic job.
What it is not. It is not armor. It will not stop dock rash or a fender scuff, and it is not permanent: every marine coating has a stated service life and care requirements from its manufacturer, which we put on your quote.
Pricing. Quoted by length, condition, the correction needed, and which surfaces get coated. For coating lines and how we choose between Nano Pro and Dura Coat products, see the ceramic coating page; the marine work itself is quoted here.
Text us — we reply same day.
Where We Work
Tell us where the boat is kept when you request a quote so we can confirm access and scheduling. Trailered boats can come to our shop at 174 5th St in Naples. We serve Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers.
How a Boat Job Goes
- Text us the basics. Boat length, where it is kept, what you are seeing (haze, chalk, scum line, water spots), and two or three photos in daylight. We reply the same business day.
- We scope it. From the photos and the location we size the job: a wash and protect, an oxidation correction, or a full restoration with marine ceramic. If access needs checking, we say so before we quote.
- You get a number. A firm price for what we scoped, and a date. Anything we could not see in photos gets confirmed when we are standing in front of the boat, before we start.
- The work. Hull, topside, hardware, and any surfaces we agreed on. Gelcoat correction is done by machine with marine compounds, section by section, checked under light.
- Walkthrough and aftercare. You see it before we leave, and you get a one-page care sheet for whatever protection went on.
Keeping It That Way
- Rinse after salt. A fresh-water rinse after every salt run is the single biggest thing you can do. Salt left on gelcoat overnight is what starts the chalk.
- Use a marine wash, not dish soap. Dish soap strips wax and sealant. A pH-neutral boat wash keeps the protection on.
- Coated boats: no harsh cleaners. Acid hull cleaners and aggressive degreasers shorten a ceramic coating’s life. Ask us before using anything stronger than boat soap on a coated hull.
- Cover it or shade it when you can. UV is the enemy of gelcoat in Southwest Florida. A cover or a lift canopy buys years.
- Ask us about a maintenance cadence. How often a boat needs attention depends on whether it lives in the water, on a lift, or on a trailer, and how much sun it gets. We will suggest an interval for yours after the first job.
Why Duncan Elite
- Certified in the coatings we apply. Nano Pro and Dura Coat Technology certified installer, with the paint and gelcoat correction training underneath it.
- Family owned, one set of hands. Sean does the work.
- 5.0 on Google. Read the reviews; they are real customers and real vehicles. Boat reviews are coming as the marine side grows; the standard is the same one our car customers rate.
Boat Detailing FAQs
How much does it cost to detail a boat?
Our boat detail starts at $350 for an 18 to 20 foot boat. Bigger boats and heavier oxidation cost more, and the fastest way to a real number is to text us the length, where the boat is kept, and a few photos in daylight. Oxidation restoration and marine ceramic coating are quoted as their own line items.
What does a boat detail include?
It depends on what the boat needs, which is why we quote from photos and a look at the boat rather than a fixed list. Cleaning covers the hull and topside. Oxidation correction is a separate step that machine-polishes chalky gelcoat back to gloss. Ceramic protection is a separate step on top of a corrected surface. Your quote spells out exactly which of those are in the price.
How long does it take to detail a 20 foot boat?
A wash and protect on a boat that size is usually a partial day. Oxidation correction adds hours per side depending on how far gone the gelcoat is, and a ceramic coating adds its application and cure time. We give you a time estimate with the quote.
How often should a boat be detailed?
A boat that lives in salt water needs attention more often than one on a lift or a trailer. As a rule, protection should be renewed before it wears through, not after the chalk shows up, because chalk means the gelcoat itself is being lost. After the first job we will tell you an interval that fits how and where you keep yours.
Is ceramic coating worth it on a boat?
Gelcoat oxidizes faster than automotive paint, and a ceramic coating is a hard, hydrophobic layer that takes the sun and salt instead of the gelcoat. On a boat you keep and use, it means less chalk, easier cleanup, and longer between restorations. On a boat you are selling next season, a good wash and wax may be the smarter spend. We will tell you which.
How long does marine ceramic coating last?
That depends on the coating, how the boat is kept, and whether it gets fresh-water rinses. We quote a specific product with its manufacturer’s stated durability and care requirements, in writing, rather than promising a number here.
How much is marine ceramic coating per foot?
We quote it by length, condition, how much correction the gelcoat needs first, and which surfaces you want coated (hull sides, topside, hardware, glass). Text us the length and photos and you will have a number the same business day.
Which marine ceramic coating do you use?
We are a Nano Pro certified installer and a Dura Coat Technology certified installer, and we choose the product for the surface and how the boat is used. The product, its manufacturer warranty terms, and the care requirements are on your quote.
What can’t you fix?
Gelcoat that has been polished through to the fiberglass, spider cracks, and deep gouges are repair work, not detailing. We will point them out and tell you when a gelcoat shop is the right call.
Do you come to the marina?
Tell us where the boat is kept when you request a quote so we can confirm access and scheduling. We also work on trailered boats at our shop on 5th St.
Also From the Shop
Ceramic coating for the truck that tows it. RV and golf cart detailing from the same shop.
★★★★★ 5.0-rated on Google (59 reviews)
“I recently had Duncan Elite Detailing take care of my Jeep Wagoneer, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. The ceramic coating/Liquid PPF came out incredible, and the attention to detail was top-notch from start to finish. If you’re in Naples or Marco…” — Andrew N., Jeep Wagoneer
“Had an excellent experience with Duncan Elite Detailing in Naples. I reached out about getting my wife’s 2021 Lexus RX 350 detailed, and they went above and beyond to shift their schedule around and accommodate me the same day. We had a hand wash and…” — Shawn M., 2021 Lexus RX 350