The short answer
Boat detailing in DFW is priced per foot of length overall on top of a base. A Boat Wash & Vac is $5/ft plus a $75 base, so a 22 foot bowrider starts around $185. Our most-booked Deluxe Boat Detail, which adds a hand-applied marine wax, vinyl work, and a full interior, is $16/ft plus a $180 base, about $530 at 22 feet. Gelcoat Restoration, the multi-stage compound and polish for an oxidized hull, is $28/ft plus a $350 base.
Working the boat in its slip rather than on a trailer adds $5/ft, which covers the extra setup, containment, and dock access.
Those are starting estimates. On a boat, the number is mostly a statement about gelcoat condition, and gelcoat condition is the one thing nobody can grade from a form.
What each tier costs on a real boat
Three lengths that cover most of what launches at Lewisville, Grapevine, and Ray Hubbard on a Saturday: a small runabout, a typical bowrider or wake boat, and a bigger deck boat or cruiser.
| Package | 18 ft runabout | 22 ft bowrider | 28 ft deck boat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boat Wash & Vac | $165 | $185 | $215 |
| Deluxe Boat Detail | $470 | $530 | $630 |
| Gelcoat Restoration | $899 | $965 | $1,135 |
Published boat detailing starting prices by length overall (2026)
Put in your length, get a range
The estimator shows the per-foot rate and the base so you can check the arithmetic yourself, and it gives a band rather than a single number because condition is real.
The add-ons, and which ones are not really optional
If you only add one thing, add the trailer. A boat trailer spends its life being dunked in lake water and then parked wet, and it is the component that quietly rots while everyone photographs the hull.
| Add-on | Price | Worth it when |
|---|---|---|
| Interior and cabin only | $9/ft | You want the cockpit and cabin done without paying for exterior work |
| Heavy oxidation or wet sand | $14/ft | The gelcoat is chalked past what compounding alone will bring back |
| Trailer detail | $89 | Always, if the trailer sees lake water. Corrosion starts here, not on the hull |
| Bilge clean and degrease | $149 | It smells on start-up, or you are about to list the boat |
| Canvas, cover and bimini | $129 | Water soaks in instead of beading, or the cover has gone spotty |
| Heavy mildew treatment | $119 | Vinyl has gone black in the seams, not just dirty on the surface |
| In-slip or on-water service | $5/ft | The boat stays wet and you do not want to pull it |
Boat add-ons and when they earn their price
What boat detailing does not include
It is worth being clear about the line, because the two most expensive marine jobs sit just past it.
Anything below the waterline on a boat that lives in the water is a haul-out conversation. Bottom growth, blistering, and bottom paint are their own trade, done on the hard, and quoting them as part of a detail would be dishonest. What we do detail is everything from the waterline up, including the waterline stain itself on a trailered boat.
Serious gelcoat repair is the other one. Cracks, chips, and spider crazing get filled and faired by a fiberglass shop, not polished out. We will tell you when what you are looking at is a repair rather than a correction, and we would rather say so before you have paid us than after.
How to compare two marine quotes honestly
- 1Is the rate stated per foot with the base named? A single lump sum with no math behind it cannot be compared to anything.
- 2Is the interior included or an add-on? This is where the two quotes in front of you most often differ, and the cheaper one is usually the one that left it out.
- 3Does the price assume the boat is on a trailer? In-slip work is genuinely more setup and it should be priced, not silently assumed either way.
- 4How is heavy oxidation handled if they find it? The right answer is a named per-foot rate agreed before the work, not a phone call halfway through the day.
- 5Is the trailer in scope? Almost every quote leaves it out and almost every boat needs it.
- 6Do you get photos? Correction work is invisible in a listing photo taken from twenty feet away. Panel-level before and after is the proof.
One legal thing that affects every DFW boat
Texas law requires boaters to remove all water from the boat, including the motor, bilge, and livewells, before approaching or leaving a public fresh water body, and to remove visible plants and animals from the boat and the trailer. It is a Class C misdemeanor to skip it, escalating for repeat offenses.
That is aimed at zebra mussels rather than at cleanliness, but it lands in the same place as good detailing practice: a boat that gets drained, cleaned, and dried after every outing does not develop the mineral waterline, the bilge smell, or the mildew that people pay us to fix later. The rule and the maintenance advice happen to be the same advice.
This is an educational guide written to help DFW drivers budget and decide with confidence. It is not a binding quote. Your price is confirmed up front before any work begins, with no deposit.