Zinc (anode) replacement cost in California: published rates
The most common published price for zinc replacement is per zinc, $10–$25, from 8 businesses in Southern California, Central California and the Bay Area. These are prices businesses publish on their own sites, not DockDash prices. Below: ranges by region, what drives the cost, and every price we found with its source and date.
Published zinc replacement rates by region
These are prices that businesses publish on their own websites and rate sheets. We read 8 pages from 8 businesses in Southern California, Central California and the Bay Area. They are not DockDash prices, and your quote may differ.
| Region | Job and unit | Published range | Median | Prices | Businesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern California | Per zinc flat price per job or item | $10–$22 | $17.50 | 6 | 6 |
| Outdrive zincs flat price per job or item | $50–$75 | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Central California | Per zinc flat price per job or item | $25 | — | 1 | 1 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | Per zinc flat price per job or item | $15 | — | 1 | 1 |
Across the regions we have, the largest group is per zinc: $10–$25 (8 published prices from 8 businesses in Southern California, Central California and the Bay Area).
Region pages: Southern California.
How zinc replacement is priced
Zincs (sacrificial anodes) protect underwater metal and wear away over time. Divers usually check them on every cleaning and replace them as needed.
Usually a labor charge per zinc on top of the part. Some divers include labor for small zincs and charge only for the part.
What drives the cost
- How many anodes the boat has and where (shaft, prop, trim tabs, outdrive, hull plates).
- Whether the part comes from the diver or from you.
- Hard-to-reach or bolted anodes take longer than collar zincs.
What’s usually included, and what’s extra
Usually included
- Removing the worn anode and installing the new one.
Often extra
- The anode itself.
- A haul-out if the anode can't be changed in the water.
How to read a quote
- Ask whether the price is labor only or labor plus part.
- If zincs wear away unusually fast, ask about a stray current check.
- 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.
Every published price we found
Cook Precision Diving San Diego · San Diego
- $22 flat price — Labor per zinc; parts billed separately
Zinc Replacement Service - Cook Precision Diving — Cook Precision Diving, © 2025 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11
San Diego Dive Services San Diego · San Diego
- $20 flat price — Per zinc replacement (page does not say whether part included)
San Diego Dive Services, © 2025 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11
The Hull Master San Diego · San Diego
- $22 flat price — Install labor per zinc, plus price of anode
Zincs - The Hull Master, © 2025 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11
Bottoms Up Dive Service Seal Beach · Los Angeles & Orange County
- $14 flat price — Labor only per zinc, excludes zinc cost
- $50–$75 flat price — Outdrive ring zinc labor: single prop $50, double prop $75 (excludes part)
Bottoms Up - Complete Hull Maintenance, © 2026 on the page (no other date), read 2026-11-11
May Day Yacht Service Huntington Beach · Los Angeles & Orange County
- $10–$20 flat price — Anode install: button and transom plate $10; outboard/outdrive $20 (part basis not stated)
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
- $10 flat price — Service charge per zinc, plus zinc at current West Marine price
Scrub a Dub Dive Service - Hull Cleaning, undated, read 2026-11-11
Peninsula Dive Services Marina (Monterey Bay) · Central Coast
- $25 flat price — Per zinc; customer supplies zincs
Peninsula Dive Services - Underwater Services, undated, read 2026-11-11
Poseidon Boat Services Alameda (service area) · San Francisco Bay
- $15 flat price — Labor per zinc, plus cost of zinc Includes: Zinc anode replacement labor.
Pricing — Poseidon, © 2023-2026 on the page (no other date), 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: 9 published prices from 8 businesses on 8 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, 6 show only a copyright year, and 2 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.
Sources
- San Diego Dive Services. San Diego Dive Services.
- Cook Precision Diving. Zinc Replacement Service - Cook Precision Diving — Cook Precision Diving.
- The Hull Master. Zincs - The Hull Master.
- Bottoms Up Dive Service. Bottoms Up - Complete Hull Maintenance.
- May Day Yacht Service. Professional Hull Cleaning in Huntington Beach.
- Scrub a Dub Dive Service. Scrub a Dub Dive Service - Hull Cleaning.
- Peninsula Dive Services. Peninsula Dive Services - Underwater Services.
- Poseidon Boat Services. Pricing — Poseidon.