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What we use · How we work

Every product that touches your boat — named.

Your boat floats in the water you swim in. Whatever runs off the hull goes straight into Boca Ciega Bay, untreated. So here's the full list of what we use, why we chose it, and the rules we follow — no mystery chemicals, no vague "eco-friendly" sticker.

EPA Safer Choice certified in-water Wash water contained on land Every job logged
The one rule everything else follows

If your boat is in the water, the only wash product we open is EPA Safer Choice "Direct Release" certified.

"Biodegradable" and "non-toxic" are unregulated words — any bottle can print them. Safer Choice Direct Release is an actual EPA certification for products tested and approved for use where the rinse water enters a waterway directly. That certification is the entire difference, and it's the only one we accept at the dock.

Don't take our word for it. Search "Star brite Direct Release" in the EPA's public Safer Choice database and you'll find it listed. We'd rather you check than trust us.

The products

These are the real names on the real bottles. Ask us on site and we'll show you the labels.

Wash — every visit
Star brite Direct Release Boat Wash Safer Choice

The everyday wash on any floating boat. Cuts salt without stripping wax.

EPA Safer Choice Direct Release certified — the only category legal to rinse into the bay. Used sparingly, low suds.

Deionized final rinse Pure water

The last rinse on every boat, through a DI filtration system.

Zero minerals means zero water spots on dark gelcoat — and zero chemicals, because it's just purified water.

Correct — oxidation & gloss (hauled-out or contained)
Collinite No. 631 Fleetcut Compound

Cuts oxidation and chalk out of tired gelcoat before protection goes on.

The professional prep standard. Compounding is dusty work, so it's done hauled out or fully contained — never over open water.

Finishing polish Gloss

Removes compound haze and brings up the deep gloss before wax or ceramic.

Skipping this step is why some "details" look cloudy in direct sun. We don't skip it.

Protect — the layer that lasts
Collinite No. 925 Fiberglass Wax Our workhorse

The quarterly protection on our Shine plan. Machine-applied.

The gold-standard marine wax — 4 to 6 months of genuine UV and salt protection in Florida sun, not the 6 weeks a spray sealant gives you.

Gtechniq Marine Ceramic Showroom

The multi-year ceramic coating on our Showroom package.

Two to three years of real durability. Only applied over properly corrected, clay-barred gelcoat — a ceramic over oxidation just locks the damage in.

Interior, canvas & metal
IMAR Strataglass #301 & #302 Non-negotiable

The only thing we allow on clear vinyl and isinglass enclosures.

Ammonia-based glass cleaners craze and ruin a $3,000 enclosure. No Windex ever comes out of our van — this rule is absolute.

303 Marine Aerospace Protectant

UV protection for vinyl seating, rubber and plastics.

Stops the cracking and fading that turns seats to dust in Florida sun — without the greasy silicone shine that bakes and attracts dirt.

Star brite Mildew Stain Remover

The black mildew spots that bloom on vinyl seating in Gulf humidity.

Targeted use on the spots themselves, wiped and captured — not sprayed freely over the water.

Flitz Metal Polish

Stainless rails, cleats and hardware, polished to a mirror.

Applied and removed by hand with microfiber, so the residue leaves with us instead of rinsing into the slip.

Two situations, two sets of rules

What we're allowed to open depends entirely on where your boat is sitting.

In the water — most visits

Safer Choice wash only, used sparingly. Soft mitts and soft-bristle brushes, never stiff. Deionized rinse. No compounds, no solvents, no heavy cleaners over open water — period.

Hauled out or on a trailer

The full product range is fair game, but the boat sits on a bermed containment mat that pools every drop. We vacuum the wash water into a holding tank and dispose of it through the sanitary sewer, where it gets treated.

Never, under any circumstance

Nothing but clean rainwater goes in a storm drain. Coastal storm drains empty straight into the bay with zero treatment — a driveway wash that runs to the curb ends up on the sandbar. We treat that as an absolute rule, not a guideline.

And we don't dump captured wash water repeatedly on the same patch of ground, which just relocates the problem into the water table.

What we will never do to your boat

Most detailing damage isn't malice — it's someone working fast with the wrong tool. These are our hard limits, and any crew member who breaks one is off the boat.

Never a pressure washer above 2,200 psi

Gelcoat is softer than people think, and high pressure drives water into seams, decals and rub rails.

We use electric washers capped well under the damage threshold, and we never blast seals, vents or canvas stitching.

Never ammonia on clear vinyl

Windex and every glass cleaner like it crazes isinglass into a permanent milky spiderweb.

Enclosures cost thousands to replace. Only IMAR products touch them — nothing else is allowed in the van.

Never a stiff brush on gelcoat

Stiff bristles leave fine scratches that dull the finish and hold dirt.

Soft mitts and soft-bristle brushes only, with the two-bucket method so grit never gets dragged back across your hull.

Never acid hull cleaners as a shortcut

Harsh acid strips the waterline stain fast — and etches the gelcoat while it does it.

We remove staining with correction and elbow grease. Slower for us, years longer for your finish.

Never dish soap

The classic driveway shortcut. It cleans by stripping — including the wax you paid for.

Marine wash keeps your protection intact, so the wax lasts its full season instead of washing off in month one.

Never greasy silicone dressings

The instant-shine trick on vinyl and rails that looks great for a week.

It bakes in Florida sun, attracts dust and goes sticky. We use real UV protectant that dries clean.

And if something ever did go wrong

This is the part most detailers don't want to talk about. We'd rather put it in writing.

We carry the right insurance

Fully insured, including care, custody & control coverage — the specific protection that covers a customer's boat while it's in our hands. Plenty of mobile operators skip it because it's the expensive kind. Ask any detailer for proof of it; we'll send ours before you book.

You'll hear it from us first

If we ever scratch, break or notice something wrong on your boat — including damage that was already there — you get a photo and a phone call that day. Not a quiet touch-up and hope. That's the whole reason we photograph every visit.

We write it all down

Anyone can claim they're careful. We keep the receipts.

Our practices follow the Florida DEP Clean Boater Program guidance for mobile boat washing and the EPA Safer Choice certification program.

Our promise, in one paragraph

We will tell you every product before we use it. We will not put anything in the water that isn't certified for it. We will not use a tool or chemical that trades your boat's finish for our speed. We will photograph and log every visit, and if anything goes wrong you'll hear it from us the same day. If we ever fall short of that, tell us and we'll make it right.

Want the list for your boat?

Tell us your boat and your slip, and we'll tell you exactly what we'd use on it — before we ever touch it.

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