Boat Hull Cleaning Cost: What Divers Charge by Region (2026)
By DiverHire
A routine in-water hull cleaning costs about USD 3 to 5 per foot of length overall at the Florida dive services that publish their rates, for a boat under 50 ft on a regular schedule, with a minimum of USD 95 to 100 a visit at two of them (rate cards viewed September 2026). Heavily fouled hulls, and one-off cleanings at some firms, are billed by the hour instead, at USD 120 to 150 an hour on those same lists, and zinc swaps cost extra. One Victoria, BC diver quotes CAD 180 to 320 before GST for a 30 to 40 ft sailboat or small powerboat. One Solent firm in the UK charges GBP 253 before VAT for a full scrub on a sailboat under 39 ft.
How much does boat hull cleaning cost?
The table lists only prices that dive services publish themselves. Owner reports from forums are in the regional sections. Prices are per cleaning for a boat on the provider's regular schedule unless noted.
| Region | Provider and date | Regular-schedule price | One-off or heavy growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville, FL | DS Diving, 2026 | USD 5/ft under 50 ft; USD 6–8/ft for 50–65 ft (no schedule stated) | Priced on fouling, paint age and distance |
| Sarasota to Fort Myers, FL | Bottom Time Dive, 2026 | USD 3.00/ft sail, 3.50/ft power under 55 ft, 4.00/ft power 55 ft and up, cleaned at least monthly; USD 100 minimum | USD 150 per diver-hour, 1 hour minimum |
| Tampa Bay to Charlotte County, FL | Hull Diver, undated (site dated 2018), viewed Sep 2026 | USD 3.00/ft sail, 3.25/ft power, 3.75/ft catamaran; USD 95 minimum | USD 120 per hour for neglected boats; one-time cleans on 40–59 ft boats add USD 1/ft |
| San Juan Islands, WA | PNW Diving Services, viewed Sep 2026 | No hull price listed; USD 250 video inspection that includes cleaning the running gear | USD 200 per hour general diving |
| Victoria, BC | Danny's Diving, April 2026 | CAD 140–220 (25–30 ft sailboat) up to CAD 400–600+ (50–60 ft), before GST | Hulls left 6+ months can take 2 to 3 times as long |
| Hamble and Solent, UK | Andark, 2026 | GBP 253 (sailboat under 39 ft) to GBP 537 (motorboat 49–55 ft), before 20% VAT | 20% dirty-boat surcharge |
For a 35 ft powerboat on a regular schedule, the three Florida lists work out to USD 114 to 175 a visit. Budget more if the boat is over 50 ft, sits at a private dock, has thrusters or a swim platform, or hasn't been cleaned for months. The hull cleaning service page explains the work itself.
Do divers charge by the foot?
The US rate cards above do: length overall (LOA, the full length of the boat, not the waterline) times a per-foot rate, with a minimum. Not everyone works this way:
- Hourly or by the job. Danny's Diving in Victoria bills time under the boat, so a lightly fouled 40-footer can cost less than a neglected 30-footer. It calls per-foot pricing the industry default, usually CAD 10 to 20 per foot; no other BC rate card was available to check that.
- Banded by type and size. Andark in the UK prices sailboats, catamarans and motorboats in three size bands up to 55 ft.
- Hourly off the plan. Bottom Time bills neglected boats and one-off visits by the hour. Hull Diver bills neglected boats by the hour and adds USD 1/ft to one-time cleans of 40 to 59 ft boats.
Get the unit in writing. In a May 2025 TrawlerForum thread, the owner of a 30 ft boat in Napa, California took a "$350" quote for a clean and zinc change as a flat fee. It was USD 350 per hour, and the bill came to almost USD 1,200. Other owners in the thread (May 2025 to February 2026) reported paying USD 65 to 295 a cleaning for boats of 33 to 65 ft.
Hull cleaning prices by region
Florida
Florida has the most published price lists, clustered at USD 3 to 5 per foot for boats on a schedule. DS Diving in Jacksonville charges more per foot as boats get longer and quotes boats over 65 ft after a free look. Bottom Time Dive and Hull Diver on the Gulf coast add small charges for thrusters, swim platforms and private docks (listed below). Owner reports posted in the TrawlerForum thread in May 2025:
- USD 150 a month for a 45 ft trawler in Fort Myers (paid April 2024)
- USD 200 a month for a 53 ft trawler in St. Petersburg
- USD 178 a clean, twice a month, for a 65 ft boat in Stuart
For Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, no published rate card was found: Barnacle Busters, which covers Palm Beach, Broward and Martin counties, puts most boats on monthly schedules but lists no prices, so ask for quotes. One Stuart owner in the thread says his marina makes him pay a "dock sitter" while the diver is down; check your marina's rules. City pages: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Jacksonville.
Frequency drives the yearly bill: both Gulf coast firms recommend cleaning every two weeks in the warm months (May to September at Bottom Time, April to October at Hull Diver). See the hull cleaning frequency guide.
California
The only recent California prices found are owner reports. In the May 2025 thread, a San Diego owner paid USD 65 a cleaning for a 36 ft boat plus USD 10 per anode, and called that "on the low side". Another paid about USD 85 for a 33 ft boat, bow thruster included, every three to four weeks. Local rules also shape the job:
- San Diego Bay. The Port of San Diego requires every hull-cleaning business to hold a bay-wide In-Water Hull Cleaning Permit (USD 250 fee) and follow best management practices (BMPs). Copper in Shelter Island Yacht Basin exceeds water-quality limits, and the Port paused in-water cleaning of copper-painted boats there from December 2021 to February 2022.
- Marina del Rey. A 2018 Los Angeles County ordinance requires everyone who cleans hulls in the water, commercial or private, to hold BMP certification (renewed every two years) and a Harbor Master Commercial Service ID. A visible paint plume is prohibited; fines run up to USD 250, and a third violation is a misdemeanor.
- Statewide guidance. The California Coastal Commission's factsheet (guidance, not law) advises hand cleaning with soft tools, hauling out if growth needs metal scrapers, and no cleaning for at least 90 days after new paint.
Ask the diver for the permit or certificate number. City pages: San Diego, Long Beach.
Pacific Northwest and British Columbia
PNW Diving Services, based in Washington's San Juan Islands, publishes no hull-cleaning price. Its USD 250 vessel inspection includes video, cleaning of all running gear and a zinc check, and it will swap zincs on the same dive if you tell it which ones you have.
In Victoria, Danny's Diving adds GST to the bands in the table. Prices come down for three or more boats at one marina, sometimes in winter, and when a clean and a zinc change share one dive. City pages: Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver.
Chesapeake Bay
No Chesapeake dive service found publishes a rate (Annapolis Diving Contractors, for example, takes work orders without listing prices), so get two or three quotes. In Maryland, the Clean Diver Pledge for professional divers says not to clean ablative paint underwater, notes that the General Permit for Discharges from Marinas prohibits it at covered facilities, and says to wait at least 60 days before cleaning new hard paint. With ablative paint at a permitted marina, in-water cleaning may not be an option. City pages: Baltimore, Norfolk.
Great Lakes and Ontario
No Ontario dive service found publishes in-water cleaning prices. Toronto's Buff Bottoms cleans at the dock with a robotic cleaner, quotes on request, says a 30 ft boat takes about two hours, and offers a season package that saves 15 to 20%. Freshwater fouls more slowly: a Fort Lauderdale yacht manager suggests every 8 to 12 weeks in peak season in freshwater, against 4 to 6 weeks in saltwater. The local problem is zebra and quagga mussels, which colonize boats, docks and cottage intake pipes (Invasive Species Centre). The Toronto and Great Lakes guide covers the diving season and Ontario's rules for paid dives; see also the Toronto page.
United Kingdom
Andark scrubs boats every Thursday in Hamble and nearby Solent marinas with a four-person team, allowing about an hour a boat. Its booking calculator adds a boat-size charge to a scrub-type charge; summed, before 20% VAT, a full scrub costs:
- GBP 253.00 for a sailboat under 39 ft, GBP 316.25 for 39 to 49 ft, and GBP 403.65 for 49 to 55 ft
- GBP 327.75 for a motorboat under 39 ft, GBP 402.50 for 39 to 49 ft, and GBP 537.05 for 49 to 55 ft
A 20% surcharge is added after the clean if the boat is dirty.
What raises the price?
Growth level
The biggest single factor. Danny's says a hull left six months or more can take two to three times as long, and barnacles that need chipping cost more than soft growth. Andark adds 20%, while Bottom Time (May to September) and Hull Diver bill heavy growth by the hour: USD 150 per diver-hour and USD 120 an hour. Growth that needs metal scrapers belongs on land, per California's guidance.
A cleaning plan or a one-off visit
Per-foot rates assume a schedule. Bottom Time treats any boat cleaned less than monthly as a one-time job at USD 150 per diver-hour (one-hour minimum), and Hull Diver adds USD 1 per foot for one-time cleans on 40 to 59 ft boats.
Running gear, thrusters and props
Running gear should be part of every cleaning; Hull Diver's scope includes it, plus intakes, through-hulls and transducers. Thrusters and swim platforms are often extra: USD 10 to 30 per thruster and USD 45 to 50 per platform on the Gulf coast lists. Danny's names folding props, saildrives and twin rudders as things that add time.
Prop removal is separate. Bottom Time charges USD 13 to 17 per inch of prop diameter per operation, depending on shaft size, so pulling and refitting two 20-inch props on shafts under 2 inches costs USD 1,040 (15% less for regular customers).
Zinc swaps
Zincs are usually extra:
- Florida labor. Bottom Time charges USD 20 per anode to install, plus the part at list price. DS Diving lists USD 20 per anode and a USD 50 special-trip charge.
- Owner reports. Owners in the 2025 thread paid USD 10 to 20 an anode in labor, some supplying their own zincs.
- UK. Added to a scrub, Andark charges GBP 35 for one anode, up to GBP 95 for five, before VAT.
- Yearly spend. UMS Florida (2025) puts a year of zincs with professional labor at USD 120 to 250 for a small powerboat and USD 400 to 1,200 for a large yacht.
PNW Diving Services says most zincs need changing about twice a year; the zincs and anodes guide explains when.
Travel and location
Distance, dock type and marina rules show up as surcharges:
- USD 25 for a private dock (Bottom Time)
- USD 0.25/ft at a private residence, and a USD 0.25 add-on in Charlotte, Lee and Sarasota counties (Hull Diver)
- GBP 60 before VAT for listed marinas in Southampton, Gosport and Portsmouth (Andark)
- A travel adjustment for a single boat in the Gulf Islands (Danny's)
- A paid dock sitter, if your marina requires one (one Stuart, FL owner's report)
Booking several boats at one marina on the same day is the easiest saving.
Is in-water cleaning cheaper than hauling out?
In Florida, by a wide margin; in the UK, less so. Bottom Time's 2026 sheet prices both options for a 35 ft powerboat:
| Option | Where | 35 ft boat | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-water clean on a monthly plan | SW Florida | USD 122.50 | Bottom Time, 2026 |
| Haul and launch plus pressure wash | SW Florida | USD 455, or USD 555 with blocking and one day ashore | Bottom Time, 2026 |
| In-water full scrub, motorboat under 39 ft | Hamble, UK | GBP 393 incl. VAT | Andark, 2026 |
| Lift, wash and launch (about 10.7 m) | Swanwick, Hamble, UK | About GBP 535 incl. VAT | Premier Marinas, from Sep 2026 |
In Florida that's roughly four times the price of a dive, and Danny's gives three to five times for BC once lift fees, yard time and paint touch-up are counted. At Premier's Swanwick Marina, one of the marinas Andark serves, lift, wash and launch is GBP 45 to 70 per metre including VAT, under twice the cost of a dive. A haul-out still has its place: it's how a hull gets repainted, and the right call for a hull too fouled to clean by hand.
What should a hull cleaning include?
Use this list, drawn from the providers above, to compare quotes:
- The whole hull from the waterline down, including the keel
- Running gear: props, shafts, struts and rudders
- Through-hulls, intakes and transducers cleared
- Thrusters and swim platforms, if you have them (often priced extra)
- A zinc check with how much is left on each one
- Video or photos (Danny's films every clean, and Hull Diver gives before-and-after video on request)
- A note on paint condition and anything unusual, such as a bent prop blade
- Soft tools suited to your paint, with no visible paint cloud in the water
As Danny's puts it, a cheap, rushed clean that leaves growth on the running gear can cost more in fuel than a thorough one.
How to get a fair quote
- Give the length overall, the boat type (sail, power, catamaran), and where it's kept: the marina name and slip, or a private dock.
- Say when it was last cleaned, what bottom paint it has (ablative or hard) and when it was painted.
- List the extras: thrusters, swim platform, saildrives, and the number and position of zincs, with part numbers if you have them.
- Ask whether the price is per foot, per hour or flat, and ask about the minimum, what counts as heavy growth and what that costs.
- Ask whether tax is included. Danny's adds GST to its invoices, and Andark's prices are before 20% VAT.
- Where it applies, ask for the diver's permit or BMP certificate (San Diego, Marina del Rey), proof of insurance, and whether your marina has its own rules.
To sanity-check a quote: length × per-foot rate, times a growth factor if the hull is dirty, plus add-ons, zinc labor and parts. A 36 ft powerboat on Bottom Time's list with one thruster at a private dock comes to 36 × USD 3.50 = USD 126, plus USD 10 and USD 25, for USD 161; two zinc swaps add USD 40 plus parts. See also the hiring checklist and the planning and pricing guide.
Can I clean the hull myself?
Only if you are a trained diver with the right equipment. Visibility under a boat is very limited, and Hull Diver points out that an inexperienced diver stirs up silt and can damage the hull or running gear. The NFPA warns that faulty wiring at marinas, docks and on boats can leak current into the water and cause electric shock drowning, and tells swimmers never to swim near a marina, dock or boatyard. If you aren't trained for it, don't do it. In Marina del Rey, the BMP certification rules apply to private cleaners too.
Hiring a diver through DiverHire
DiverHire is a new marketplace in public beta with only a few divers listed so far, so there may not yet be one near your marina. You can post a hull-cleaning job free with length, location, paint type and last cleaning date, and divers who see it can bid; there is no fee on jobs, and you arrange payment directly with the diver. DiverHire reviews uploaded certificates but checks nothing beyond that, so check certifications, insurance and local permits yourself. If you clean hulls, you can create a free diver profile and set your own rates. The hull-cleaning business guide covers pricing from the diver's side.
Sources
- DS Diving Service: Pricing — Jacksonville per-foot rates by length, USD 20 per anode replacement, USD 50 special-trip charge (page dated 2026)
- Bottom Time Dive Service: Service rates and estimates — SW Florida per-foot rates, minimum, add-ons, hourly one-off and heavy-growth rate, prop and anode pricing (2026)
- Bottom Time Dive Service: 2026 rates sheet (PDF) — haul and launch USD 9/ft, pressure wash USD 4/ft, blocking USD 50, storage USD 50/day (2026)
- Hull Diver LLC: Hull cleaning rates — Tampa Bay area per-foot rates, USD 95 minimum, USD 120/hour for neglected boats, surcharges, cleaning scope, frequency advice (rates undated, site footer 2018, viewed September 2026)
- PNW Diving Services: Services and rates — San Juan Islands, WA: USD 250 vessel inspection with running-gear cleaning, USD 200/hour general diving, zinc change advice (viewed September 2026)
- Danny's Diving: How much does boat hull cleaning cost in BC? — CAD size bands, hourly billing, growth and travel factors, GST, haul-out comparison, what to ask (April 2026)
- Andark Commercial Diving: Hull scrub quote — four-person team, Thursday scrubs, 20% dirty-boat surcharge (2026)
- Andark Commercial Diving: Hull scrub booking calculator — GBP charges by boat type, size and scrub type, marina surcharge, anode prices, VAT at 20% (2026)
- Premier Marinas: Swanwick schedule of retail boatyard charges (PDF) — lift, wash and launch per metre including VAT (from 1 September 2026)
- TrawlerForum: Bottom cleaning charges — owner reports, not published rates: prices in Florida, California, Seattle and Alabama, the USD 350 per hour bill in Napa, owner anode labor, dock sitter requirement (posts May 2025 to February 2026)
- UMS Florida: Typical zinc replacement costs for boats and yachts — yearly zinc spend with professional labor (August 2025)
- Port of San Diego: Copper Reduction Program — In-Water Hull Cleaning Permit, USD 250 fee, BMPs, Shelter Island cleaning pause (viewed September 2026)
- Los Angeles County Beaches and Harbors: Hull cleaning — Marina del Rey BMP certification, Commercial Service ID, fines (2018 ordinance, viewed September 2026)
- California Coastal Commission: Boat hull coating selection and hull cleaning factsheet (PDF) — soft-tool cleaning, haul out if metal scrapers are needed, wait at least 90 days after painting (2017)
- Maryland DNR: Maryland Clean Diver Pledge (PDF) — no underwater cleaning of ablative paint, marina general permit, wait at least 60 days after hard paint (viewed September 2026)
- Annapolis Diving Contractors — Annapolis hull cleaning by work order, no published prices (viewed September 2026)
- Buff Bottoms: Power and sail boat hull cleaning — Toronto robotic cleaning, about 2 hours for 30 ft, seasonal saving of 15 to 20% (viewed September 2026)
- Yacht Management South Florida: How often should you get boat bottom cleaning done? — saltwater and freshwater cleaning intervals (2023)
- Invasive Species Centre: Zebra and quagga mussels — mussels attach to boats, docks and intake pipes in Ontario (viewed September 2026)
- Barnacle Busters: How often should I get my boat bottom cleaned? — Palm Beach, Broward and Martin County provider on monthly schedules, no published prices (undated, viewed September 2026)
- NFPA: Protect yourself from electric shock drowning — current leaking from marina, dock and boat wiring; never swim near a marina, dock or boatyard (viewed September 2026)
Last updated: September 2026. Prices and rules change; confirm with local providers.