Hull Cleaning Cost Per Foot: What Divers Actually Charge

By Tomas Iglesias, Yacht service diver, South Florida. Reviewed by Amanda McCallister, editor.

Hull & Bottom Cleaning | Marine Salvage & Recovery Sunrise off Port Everglades, a 78-foot Hatteras with a bottom like a coral reef. I'd been on the hooks for two hours, scraping barnacles off the running gear with a steel blade, and my arms were done. But that boat taught me something about how we price this work. Everyone thinks they know the number per foot. They don't. People call me and say, 'What's your rate?' They want a single number, like $5 a foot, and they hang up. But that number doesn't exist outside of a brochure. It's always a range, always conditional. The short answer is: for a typical 40-footer in Fort Lauderdale, you're looking at $200 to $400 for a clean hull, but it depends on how she looks below the waterline. The real answer is that we charge by the foot, but the foot is just the starting point.

The Per-Foot Model

Most divers down here use a per-foot rate for in-water hull cleaning. Call it $2.50 to $6 per foot, give or take, and you're in the ballpark. A 40-foot boat runs $100 to $240. A 100-footer might run $300 to $600. But that's not a quote, that's a guessing range. The rate varies with the boat's condition, the time since the last clean, and the diver's skill. Some guys charge a flat rate for anything under 30 feet, because a 20-foot bowrider takes just as long to gear up for as a 50-foot sportfish. Others include the running gear in the per-foot number. Most don't. When you hear a cheap per-foot rate, ask what it includes. If it doesn't cover the shaft, struts, and rudders, you'll pay extra later.

What Makes the Number Move

The biggest factor is fouling. A layer of slime and a few barnacles? That's a one-hour job. A bottom that hasn't been touched in two years, with an ecosystem living on it? That's a four-hour job, and I'm working with a paint scraper and a cavitation brush. In the summer, when the water hits 85 degrees in the Intracoastal, growth is insane. That's why my summer rate is on the high side. Location matters too. If your boat sits in the middle of a canal with no current, it'll grow faster than one tied in a deep, clean marina like Bahia Mar or Pier 66. Access is another thing. If I have to walk a mile of dock carrying a scuba tank, that's time. I don't charge a walk fee, but I might build it into the per-foot. And if the boat's on a lift, I'm not diving it—that's a different job.

The Time Trap and the Minimum

Here's the thing about per-foot pricing: it's got to cover my time. A 35-footer with a clean bottom might take me 45 minutes. At $4 a foot, that's $140, so I'm doing fine. But a 35-footer with a heavy growth of barnacles might take me three hours. At $4 a foot, I'm making $46 an hour, which is about what a good deckhand gets, but I'm underwater, hauling a hose and working with a blade. So I set a minimum. For any in-water clean, my minimum is $150. That covers a 30-footer with a trip charge. Some guys go lower, some higher. It's just how I stay in business. And that's the part people don't see. We're not just scraping a hull. We're checking the anodes, looking at the prop for nicks, feeling for a loose cutlass bearing. If I find something, I'll tell you. But if I find it, I'm spending time on it. The per-foot rate is a quote, not a contract. The contract is: I do the job right, you pay for my time and skill.

The Digression: Why You Shouldn't Skip the Running Gear

A few years back, a guy on a 60-foot Viking told me to only do the hull, not the props. He wanted to save $50. I did what he asked. Two weeks later, he called me back because the boat wouldn't get up on plane. The prop was loaded with barnacles. A clean hull on a dirty running gear is like a car with a clean body and a plugged fuel filter. It doesn't work. Any decent diver will include the running gear in a standard clean, but if they don't, you need to add it. And while I'm on this soapbox—check your zincs too. If your anodes are gone, the hull is getting eaten. That's a bigger bill than a hull clean. So when you ask for a price, ask if anodes are included. If they're not, that's an extra $20 per zinc, plus the cost of the zinc. It's not a scam, it's just reality.

How to Get a Straight Quote

Don't just ask for a price over the phone. Send a picture of the bottom if you've got one, or tell me the last time it was cleaned. A good diver will give you a range, then come out and look. If I can't do that, I'll ask you to send a GoPro video of the hull. That's free for you and saves me from getting lowballed by a surprise. Ask about the extras: running gear, anodes, props. Ask about travel fees, especially if you're up in Deerfield Beach or down in Key Largo. Ask if the diver is insured and whether they follow the local rules for in-water cleaning. Some marinas require an EPA-licensed diver or a biofouling management plan. And be wary of a rate that's too good. If someone quotes you $1.50 a foot, they're either not experienced or they're going to miss half the hull. You get what you pay for, and on a boat, the waterline is the one place you don't want to cut corners.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I get my hull cleaned in South Florida? In warm, nutrient-rich water like Fort Lauderdale, every 2 to 4 weeks in the summer, and every 6 to 8 weeks in the winter. If you've got a good antifouling paint, you can stretch it, but the running gear still needs attention. Is in-water cleaning cheaper than hauling out? Usually, yes. A diver costs $2.50 to $6 per foot. A haul-out adds yard fees, typically $15-$25 per foot for the lift, plus blocks and a hauling washing. In-water is almost always cheaper, but you need a diver and clear access to the boat. Why did my neighbor get a lower quote than me? Your neighbor's boat may be cleaner, in a different location, or they got a deal from a diver who's just starting out. Condition, access, travel time, and the diver's experience all factor in. Ask exactly what's included in each quote. Does the per-foot rate include anodes and zincs? Not always. Many divers include inspection of anodes, but replacement is usually extra. A standard zinc for a 40-foot boat costs about $30-$50, and the diver may charge a small lab hour. Always ask for a breakdown.