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H1: Yacht and marine cleaning UK
A couple at Portishead Quays Marina asked us to clean their 38-foot Beneteau last spring. They’d paid a local lad to do a “full valet” the week before. The gelcoat still had waterline staining. The teak was grey. Inside, the heads smelt like a bus station and the upholstery had mildew spots along every seam.
We spent a full day on it. Hot water extraction on all the soft furnishings, enzymatic treatment in the heads, machine polish on the hull, and a ceramic coating to finish. The owner’s wife said it looked better than when they bought it. Honestly, it probably did.
If your boat needs proper attention before the season starts, call us on 07985 505061. We’re usually booked a week or two ahead between March and May, so don’t leave it late.
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Trust Bar
25 years’ experience | £2M insured (AXA) | Industrial marine-grade equipment | Portishead to Swansea
The Only Specialist Marine Cleaning Team Near Bristol
There are plenty of people who’ll wash your boat. Marina staff, mobile valets, the bloke three berths down with a pressure washer and a bottle of Fairy Liquid.
None of them have industrial extraction equipment. None of them carry marine-specific polishing compounds, enzymatic cleaners, or ceramic coatings. And none of them are insured for two million pounds if something goes wrong on your vessel.
We’re based on Southmead Road in BS10, about twenty minutes from Portishead Quays Marina. We also cover Bristol Harbour, Penarth Marina, Cardiff Bay, and Swansea Marina. We’ll travel further for larger vessels.
Personally, I think most boat owners don’t realise how much damage a bad wash can do. A standard pressure washer at the wrong angle will strip antifoul, crack gelcoat, and force water behind fittings. We use variable-pressure equipment with fan tips suited to marine surfaces. It’s slower. But your boat doesn’t come back to us with new problems.
What We Offer
Exterior Washdown and Deck Clean
The basic service, and the one most boats need at minimum twice a season. We remove salt deposits, algae, bird mess, and general grime from the hull (above waterline), deck, cockpit, and superstructure. All fittings, stanchions, and rails cleaned by hand. Teak scrubbed and treated if needed.
This isn’t a hose-down. We use marine-grade cleaning agents that break down biological deposits without damaging gelcoat or paintwork.
Interior Deep Clean
Everything inside the boat, properly done. Galley degreased and sanitised. Heads treated with enzymatic cleaners that destroy odour at the source, not just mask it. All soft furnishings extracted with our portable hot water units. Lockers and bilges cleaned. Windows and hatches cleared of salt haze.
If there’s mildew (and there usually is, after a winter under covers), we treat it with anti-microbial solution and dry the space with forced-air equipment.
Worth saying: a boat interior is harder to clean than a house. Tight spaces, odd angles, sensitive materials. We’ve got the tools sized for it.
Full Detail with Ceramic Coating
The complete job. Exterior wash, machine cut-and-polish to remove oxidation and restore gloss, then a marine-grade ceramic coating that protects the gelcoat for twelve to eighteen months. Interior deep clean included.
Ceramic coating isn’t cheap. But it makes washing easier for the rest of the season, and it stops UV degradation on gelcoat, which is the single biggest cause of that chalky, faded look on older boats. We use Gtechniq Marine, which bonds to the surface rather than sitting on top like a wax.
We won’t pretend this makes sense for every vessel. If you’ve got a 20-year-old fishing boat, a good wash and wax is probably more proportionate. We’ll tell you that.
Anti-Foul Preparation
Before your antifoul goes on, the hull needs to be properly clean and dry. We pressure wash the hull below the waterline, remove old flaking antifoul, treat any osmosis blisters we find (or flag them for your yard), and leave the surface ready for recoating.
We don’t apply antifoul ourselves. That’s a job for your boatyard or chandler. What we do is make sure the surface is right, because antifoul over a dirty hull is money wasted.
Marinas We Serve
Portishead Quays Marina is our home patch. Around 300 berths, twenty minutes from our base. We’re there regularly and know the harbour master’s team. Access is straightforward and we carry our own pontoon trolley for equipment.
Bristol Harbour. City centre location with good road access. We’ve cleaned narrowboats, motor cruisers, and sailing yachts here. Parking can be tricky, but we’ve sorted it.
Penarth Marina. Just across the Severn, about forty minutes from us. A smaller marina with a good mix of vessels. We’re happy to work here on any size job.
Cardiff Bay. Larger marina with plenty of boats that need attention. About fifty minutes’ drive. We group Cardiff jobs together to keep costs sensible.
Swansea Marina. Our furthest regular patch, just over an hour away. For vessels over 30 feet, it’s worth the trip. Smaller boats, we’d suggest finding someone more local unless you want the full detail treatment.
Our Process
Step 1: Photos or visit
Send us photos of your boat, inside and out. Tell us what you want done and we’ll quote from that. For larger vessels or full details, we’ll come and look in person. No charge for that.
Step 2: Scheduling
Marine cleaning is weather-dependent. We can’t polish a hull in the rain or apply ceramic coating below 10 degrees. We’ll book a primary date and a backup. Between March and June, book early.
Step 3: Equipment setup
We bring everything to the pontoon: portable hot water extraction unit, variable-pressure washer, polishing machine, generator (where shore power isn’t available), cleaning agents, and protective sheeting for neighbouring boats.
Setup takes about thirty minutes.
Step 4: The work
A basic washdown on a 30-footer takes three to four hours. An interior deep clean adds another three to five hours depending on condition. A full detail with ceramic coating is a full day, sometimes two for larger vessels or badly oxidised hulls.
We work methodically, bow to stern, top to bottom. Same principle as house cleaning, but wetter.
Step 5: Walkthrough
We’ll walk you through everything we’ve done. If you can’t be there, we send before-and-after photos. Any issues we’ve spotted during cleaning (cracked seals, damaged fittings, suspect areas on the hull) get noted and flagged. We’re not surveyors, but 25 years of cleaning boats means we notice things.
Pricing Guide
Marine cleaning costs vary more than house cleaning because boats vary more than houses. A 25-foot sailing yacht is a different job from a 50-foot motor cruiser.
Rough guide:
- Exterior washdown (25-35 ft): from around £150 to £300
- Interior deep clean (25-35 ft): from roughly £200 to £400
- Full exterior and interior (25-35 ft): from about £300 to £600
- Full detail with ceramic coating (25-35 ft): from £600 to £1,200
- Anti-foul prep (hull wash below waterline): from £15 per foot
Larger vessels, worse condition, more money. We quote each job individually after seeing photos. No hidden charges.
If you’re comparing us to the marina’s own wash service, we will be more expensive. Significantly. The difference is equipment, products, insurance, and results. A £50 pressure wash and a £600 full detail are not competing services.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I have my boat professionally cleaned?
Most owners benefit from a full exterior wash at the start and end of the season, with a mid-season touch-up if the boat’s in the water. Interior deep cleans once a year are enough for most. If you live aboard or use the boat heavily, every six months.
Can you clean my boat while it’s in the water?
Yes, for everything above the waterline. Hull cleaning below the waterline requires the boat to be lifted out. We work with local boatyards at Portishead and Bristol for lift-out arrangements if you need anti-foul prep or below-waterline work.
Do you clean narrowboats?
We do. We’ve cleaned several on Bristol Harbour and the Kennet and Avon Canal. Narrowboat interiors can be challenging because of the confined spaces, but our portable equipment handles it well. Exterior paintwork on narrowboats needs care too, as the paint systems are different from gelcoat.
What’s the difference between a wax and a ceramic coating?
Wax sits on the surface and lasts a few weeks to a couple of months. Ceramic coating bonds chemically to the gelcoat and lasts twelve to eighteen months. Ceramic is more expensive upfront, but you spend less on maintenance washes through the season. For boats kept in the water year-round, ceramic is the better investment.
Is my boat insured while you’re working on it?
We carry £2M professional indemnity and public liability insurance through AXA. If we damage your vessel during cleaning, you’re covered. We’ll give you a copy of our certificate before we start if you want one. Your marina may also ask for it.
Can you remove heavy staining and oxidation from gelcoat?
In most cases, yes. Machine compounding removes oxidation and restores gloss on gelcoat that’s gone chalky or dull. Heavy waterline staining usually comes off with specialist marine acid cleaners. There are limits, though. If the gelcoat has been neglected for years and the surface is crazed or delaminating, no amount of polishing will fix it. We’ll be honest about what’s achievable.
Do you work in winter?
We do reduced marine work between November and February. Ceramic coating needs temperatures above 10 degrees, and polishing in the rain isn’t practical. But washdowns, interior cleans, and anti-foul prep for early-season launches are all doable through winter. Just book ahead because we’re running other specialist cleaning jobs during the quieter marine months.
Related Services
- Deep Cleaning - Same industrial extraction equipment, applied to your home instead of your boat
- Luxury Property Cleaning - If you own a yacht, you probably own the house to match
Book Your Marine Clean
If you’re at Portishead Quays Marina, Bristol Harbour, or anywhere along the South Wales coast, we’re the closest specialist marine cleaning team with industrial equipment and proper insurance.
We’re not a mobile car wash that does boats on the side. This is specialist work, done with specialist kit, by people who’ve been cleaning vessels for years.
We’re based at 290-294 Southmead Road, BS10. Twenty minutes from Portishead, half an hour from Cardiff Bay.
Phone: 07985 505061 WhatsApp: 07985 505061 Email: hello@bristolcleaningheroes.co.uk
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