Hull cleaning cost in Southern California: published rates

Published hull cleaning rates in Southern California

These are prices that businesses publish on their own websites and rate sheets. We read 14 pages from 9 Southern California businesses. They are not DockDash prices, and your quote may differ.

Other regions: San Francisco Bay Area, or all of California.

How hull cleaning is priced

A diver cleans the underwater hull at your slip, usually on a monthly or every-few-weeks route. Most California hull cleaners publish a price per foot, and many add a minimum charge per visit.

Per foot of boat length per visit is the usual basis. Check whether the business measures length overall (LOA) or waterline, because LOA is longer and gives a higher bill for the same rate.

What drives the cost

• Boat length and how the business measures it (LOA or waterline).
• How fouled the hull is. A first cleaning or an overdue hull often costs more than a route visit.
• Hull shape and running gear: sailboat keels, twin engines, trim tabs and thrusters add time.
• Frequency: monthly route customers often get a lower rate than one-time cleanings.
• Paint type. Copper paint has cleaning limits (below); some divers charge differently for soft or ablative paint.
• Harbor permits, certification and insurance the business has to carry to work in that harbor.

Length overall vs waterline

Most per-foot prices are multiplied by the boat’s length overall (LOA): bow to stern, often including pulpits, swim platforms and davits. A few businesses use waterline length, which is shorter, so the same rate gives a smaller bill. Before comparing two quotes, ask each business which length it bills on and convert both to the same basis.

Many price lists also change the rate with size: a higher per-foot rate for bigger boats, or a flat minimum for small ones. Where a business published tiers, the tables below show each tier separately.

What’s usually included, and what’s extra

California rules that affect the price

• State guidance: don't clean copper-based bottom paint in the water for at least 90 days after it is applied, and after that only when needed and no more often than once every 30 days. Non-biocide coatings are cleaned more often, every 2 to 4 weeks. (Port of San Diego, LA County, DBW and California Coastal Commission, 2019)
• In San Diego Bay, every hull cleaning business needs a Port of San Diego permit (the permit fee is $250), and the Port's ordinance requires best management practices for in-water hull cleaning. The Port says it is reviewing its hull cleaning policies. (Port of San Diego)
• In Marina del Rey, everyone doing in-water hull cleaning needs BMP certification and a Commercial Services ID from the Harbor Master, and cleaning that leaves a visible paint plume is prohibited. LA County publishes the list of certified divers. (LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors)

Rules change. Check with the harbor or agency before relying on them.

How to read a quote

• Ask whether the rate is per foot of LOA or waterline, and what minimum applies.
• Ask whether zincs are included or billed per zinc plus parts.
• Ask whether the price changes for a first cleaning or a heavily fouled hull.
• In San Diego Bay or Marina del Rey, ask for the diver's permit or certification.
• Get the price in writing, with what is included, before work starts.

To check a price for your boat, try the service cost estimator; to line up two or three quotes on the same basis, use the quote comparison tool. What the job involves: Hull cleaning explained.

Every published price we found

• Aquarius Yacht Services San Diego (Shelter Island) · San Diego

  • $2.25/ft — Sailboats up to 50 ft; per foot; >50 ft by quote
  • $2.75/ft — Power boats up to 50 ft; per foot
  • $3.25/ft — Boats on moorings; per foot

  Services – Aquarius, undated, read 2026-11-11

• CaliCoast Marine Services San Diego · San Diego

  • $2/ft — Monthly plan, 'starting at', per cleaning billed per visit Includes: Full hull scrub, zinc inspection & checklist, prop & running gear polish, video on request. The page lists different one-time prices in different places; we used the plan table.
  • $2.75/ft — Bi-monthly plan, 'starting at', per cleaning Includes: Full hull scrub, zinc inspection, prop polish. The page lists different one-time prices in different places; we used the plan table.
  • $3.50/ft — Quarterly plan, 'starting at', per cleaning Includes: Full hull scrub, zinc inspection, running gear check. The page lists different one-time prices in different places; we used the plan table.
  • $4/ft — Single (one-time) dive, used as comparison price The page lists different one-time prices in different places; we used the plan table.

  Boat Hull Cleaning San Diego | CaliCoast Marine Services, undated, read 2026-11-11

• Cook Precision Diving San Diego · San Diego

  • $2.50/ft — Contract/recurring; same rate sail and power; 3-month minimum term; $50 minimum charge Includes: 15 cleanings/yr (every 3 wks summer, 4 wks winter), hull reports, service photos.
  • $3.90/ft — One-time (non-contract); sail and power; $50 minimum Includes: Hull report, service photos.

  Affordable Boat Hull Cleaning in San Diego - 24/7 Service — Cook Precision Diving, © 2025 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11 · One-Time Hull Cleaning — Cook Precision Diving, © 2025 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11

• San Diego Dive Services San Diego · San Diego

  • $2.15/ft — Sailboats up to 50 ft; per foot per cleaning; >50 ft by quote
  • $2.30/ft — Power boats up to 50 ft; per foot; stern drives by quote
  • $3.30/ft — Boats on moorings; per foot

  San Diego Dive Services, © 2025 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11

• The Hull Master San Diego · San Diego

  • $2.25/ft — Recurring service, docked vessels; $60/visit minimum; $25 per outdrive extra Includes: Recurring: 15 cleanings/yr, underwater photos, hull reports, free zinc inspection, 12-month price lock.
  • $3.30/ft — Recurring service, moored vessels; $60/visit minimum Includes: Recurring: 15 cleanings/yr, underwater photos, hull reports, free zinc inspection, 12-month price lock.
  • $4/ft — One-time, docked vessels; $60/visit minimum
  • $5/ft — One-time, moored vessels; $60/visit minimum

  Hull Cleaning Prices - The Hull Master, © 2025 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11

• Bottoms Up Dive Service Seal Beach · Los Angeles & Orange County

  • $1.50–$1.80/ft — Monthly (every 4 weeks) sailboats, by length 0-35 ft $1.50 to 56-60 ft $1.80; >60 ft call
  • $1.65–$2.25/ft — Monthly (every 4 weeks) powerboats, by length 0-35 ft $1.65 to 56-60 ft $2.25

  Bottoms Up - Complete Hull Maintenance, © 2026 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11

• Del Rey Divers Marina del Rey · Los Angeles & Orange County

  • $1.65–$2.60/ft — Sailboats, per-foot rate rises with length (30 ft $1.65 to 80 ft $2.60); $45 minimum for boats to 27 ft; length basis not stated
  • $1.80–$3.20/ft — Powerboats, per-foot rate by length (25 ft $1.80 to 80 ft $3.20); $45 minimum for 20-25 ft; outdrives extra
  • $1.90–$2.80/ft — Sailboats, per-foot by length (30 ft $1.9 to 80 ft $2.80); $50 minimum
  • $2.20–$3.50/ft — Powerboats, per-foot by length (25 ft $2.2 to 80 ft $3.5); $50 minimum
  • $120/hr — Hourly labor incl. first cleanings of irregularly maintained bottoms; $70 minimum; +$25 per outdrive cleaned with bottom
  • $135/hr — Hourly labor incl. first cleanings; $80 minimum; +$30 per outdrive cleaned with bottom

  boat bottom cleaning marina del rey california, © 2026 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11 · Powerboats - Bottom cleaning prices for Marina Del Rey ( MDR ) - Del Rey Divers, © 2026 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11 · Sailboats - Bottom cleaning prices for Channel Islands and Ventura Harbor - Del Rey Divers, © 2026 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11 · Powerboats - Bottom cleaning prices for Channel Islands and Ventura Harbor - Del Rey Divers, © 2026 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11 · Boat Bottom Cleaning - Hull Cleaning - Marina del Rey - MDR, © 2026 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11

• May Day Yacht Service Huntington Beach · Los Angeles & Orange County

  • $2–$2.50/ft — By length: 21-39 ft $2.00, 40-44 ft $2.25, 45-49 ft $2.50; >50 ft upon inspection Includes: Hull inspection, anode removal/reinstall, paint condition advice.
  • $40 flat price — Boats up to 20 ft, flat per cleaning
  • $95/hr — Initial cleaning for any vessel, per hour per diver

  Professional Hull Cleaning in Huntington Beach, © 2024 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11

• Scrub a Dub Dive Service Santa Barbara · Ventura & Santa Barbara

  • $1.75/ft — Sailboats, monthly service, 'starting at', per cleaning; bimonthly schedules cheaper per cleaning Includes: Bottom scrub, running gear, anode monitoring, hull condition monitoring.
  • $2.25/ft — Powerboats, monthly service, 'starting at'

  Scrub a Dub Dive Service - Hull Cleaning, undated, read 2026-11-11

Methodology and limitations

• Sources: only the business’s own website or rate sheet. No reviews, directories, forums or quotes we requested. We did not contact any business.
• Sample: 29 published prices from 9 businesses on 14 pages. This is the set we could find, not a survey or a random sample, and many businesses don’t publish prices at all.
• Dates: we read every page on 2026-11-11. 0 of the pages carry a date or fiscal year, 11 show only a copyright year, and 3 have no date. Each price below shows what its page said.
• How we summarize: prices are grouped by unit (per foot, per hour, flat, per visit, per gallon) and by kind of job, and never mixed. The range runs from the lowest published price to the highest. The median gives each business one vote (the middle of its own range), so a yard with many size tiers doesn’t outweigh a diver with one price. Where a business wrote “starting at”, we used that figure, so real bills are often higher.
• Region pages exist only where at least 3 published prices from 2 or more businesses are available.
• Your quote may differ. Condition, access, season, and what’s included all change the price. Use these figures to ask better questions, not as a price promise.