(954) 941-6447South Florida’s warm waters provide the optimal environment for barnacles, plants and microorganisms to grow on underwater surfaces. In an environment such as this, it is crucial to clean boat bottoms every month.
Bottom cleaning prices cost between $2.50 and $3.50 USD per foot in this market, so hiring a professional diver with a great service record is important to your boat, your budget and your boating enjoyment. A clean hull has an important impact on your vessel’s overall health.
But how should you go about choosing a boat bottom cleaning service? The team at Yacht Management South Florida Inc. has some amaizng insights to offer.
Professional Yacht and Boat Bottom Cleaning Service
Divers are your underwater eyes. You must rely on divers not only to clean your boat or yacht properly, but also to report any identifiable issues you cannot see for yourself. Here’s what to expect from your diver:
- Expect the diver to clean the boat with the least abrasive materials required and to use environmentally safe marine products.
- Ensure there is no barnacle growth on the hull or running gear.
- Check the condition of bottom paint and any additional hull issues like blisters or de-lamination.
- Check and replace zincs as necessary to maintain them at no less than 40 percent. Otherwise, the integrity of the zinc will be unreliable. This will be needed every 4 to 6 months.
- The effects of electrolysis and galvanic corrosion on through-hulls, props and running gear, evidenced by shiny metal surfaces, surface pitting and rapid zinc degradation, should be reported immediately.
- Checking and cleaning for growth of any sort on through-hulls and AC intake is crucial as these problems can affect air conditioning performance, overheat engines, or even sink the boat.
Questions to Ask Boat Bottom Cleaning Professionals
Fort Lauderdale's yacht bottom cleaning professionals
Reputable yacht bottom cleaning services are easily identifiable, if you ask the right questions. Below is a list of items you should inquire about before putting your investment, in their hands.
- Make sure all the service items listed above will be included in the bottom cleaning.
- After the hull cleaning, they should be able to give a clear description of findings after each service and make maintenance recommendations.
- Ask to see the diver’s certification.
- Check for insurance. Ask for proof of a minimum of $1 million USD coverage in liability insurance and worker’s compensation insurance.
- Check to make sure the person or company is registered with the State of Florida at Sunbiz.org and that they have a business license in the county and city in which your boat will be serviced.
- Contracts are not usually necessary. However, you might receive a discount by entering into an annual maintenance agreement.
- Fort Lauderdale’s yacht bottom cleaning professionals are not created equal. Not all yacht maintenance service centers can offer haul outs on large yachts so be sure to ask about tonnage, or the boatyard can accommodate.
Dockside or Haul Out Service
All boat bottom cleaning work can be performed in the water. Haul out should only be necessary when replacing props, running gear or through-hulls, and every 12 to 16 months when new bottom painting is needed. A haul out also allows closer inspection of the boat hull to eliminate future mechanical issues.
When it’s time for a haul out, make sure the yard has the equipment and personnel capabilities to properly service vessels the size of yours. Also, make sure you know exactly where your boat will be serviced and who will be in charge of it from haul out to re-launch.
Yacht Management South Florida, Inc. provides mobile dockside service and an 80-Ton Travelift for boats up to 100 ft. at our service center on Fort Lauderdale’s New River. Our divers, mechanics, painters and electricians are all certified, and we are licensed and insured for your protection. If you have any questions related to this service, or any of the other services offered by our team, reach out to us through our online contact form or call us for a no obligation discussion about our boat bottom cleaning services: (954) 941-6447.
