DockDash
About

About DockDash

DockDash is a marketplace for marine service in California. Boat owners describe the work their boat needs; marine service providers quote it, schedule it, show the finished work and get paid, all in one place. We also publish free, cited guides and tools for both.

By the DockDash teamLast reviewed How we research

What DockDash does

The same problems come up again and again in boat owner forums: prices that are hard to compare (per foot of length or of waterline, zincs extra or not), mobile technicians who are hard to vet, and work that’s hard to check because it happens underwater or while the owner is away. Providers, many of them one- or two-person businesses, lose time to phone tag and rebuild the same job details from texts.

The DockDash app is built around those problems:

  • Owners find providers by service and by the marina where the boat is kept. Each provider chooses the services they offer and the marinas they serve.
  • Requests carry the boat details, photos and access notes, so providers can quote without a round of calls.
  • Quotes are itemized, so owners see what is included, what is optional and what each line costs.
  • Messages, appointments and availability sit with the job. When a job is done the provider submits photos or video, and the owner reviews them before approving.
  • Payment runs through Stripe: the owner’s card is authorized when they accept a quote and charged when the work is approved. You approve the work, or it's approved automatically 5 days after the provider marks the job complete unless you report a problem first. To report a problem, open a dispute on the job page before the 5 days are up. Say what went wrong (at least 20 characters) and whether you want a full refund, a partial refund or the work redone. The provider is notified, and the payment is not released automatically while the dispute is open.

The app is not open yet. We’re opening in California; you can join the waitlist to hear when it does.

What DockDash does not do (yet)

DockDash doesn’t set prices. Providers set their own, and our cost guides show published rates from other businesses’ public websites, not DockDash prices.

Why we publish free guides and tools

The rules for boat care in California are spread across state agencies, Water Boards, port districts, cities and individual marinas, often in PDFs. We collect them, cite them and date them so owners and providers can find the answer in one place. Every guide, calculator and form works without signing up.

More about how we work