I had my truck ceramic coated with Zippy Klean they did a great job. I would definitely recommend Steve and his team. They got me on in short notice and my truck looks awesome! Thanks again Steve
Home › Boat Detailing & Ceramic Coating
Gelcoat doesn’t stand a chance out here
The strongest UV in the country chalks it, salt works on it long after it dries, and vog falls on it as dilute acid. Wash, compound, polish and permanent ceramic coating — priced honestly by the foot, with the wash and decon already in the number.
Priced by the foot
Wash & decon included
Harbour, yard or our Kona shop
Fully insured
Visual proof
Chalk out, gloss back, then sealed
Oxidised gelcoat is chalk — a dead layer sitting on good colour underneath. Cutting that layer off is what brings the colour back, and coating it afterwards is what keeps the sun from doing it again. The per-foot price covers the whole hull up to the rub rail; the deck and everything above it is quoted after we look.
Before — chalky dead gelcoat and a stained waterline
After — the colour was always under the chalk
That white on the pad is the dead gelcoat layer
Per foot covers the whole hull, up to the rub rail
Waterline down, by the foot
What we do, and what we don’t
Wash & salt decon
Oxidation compounding
Gelcoat polishing
Wax or ceramic sealant
Permanent ceramic coating
Stainless & brightwork polishing
Isinglass & clear vinyl
Interiors — quoted separately
The per-foot price is the whole hull, up to the rub rail. Everything above the rub rail — deck, console, cabin, superstructure — is quoted on inspection, because that is where the hardware, windows, non-skid and fittings are and no two boats are alike. Pricing that by the foot would mean overcharging simple boats to cover complicated ones.
Included in every coating price
- Full wash and salt decontamination
- Chemical decon — rust bloom, exhaust staining, waterline scum
- Tar and sap removal
- Surface prep wipe-down before any coating goes down
- Written warranty, registered with NanoPro in your name
Prep is separate and always quoted first. Heavy oxidation, chalked gelcoat, deep staining, or a previous coating that has to come off. You get the number before anything starts — we do not discover work halfway through and bill you for it.
Why gelcoat fails faster here
Three attacks, one hull
Vog
Dilute battery acid, falling on your paint
The USGS describes vog as primarily sulfuric acid, and says its droplets have “the corrosive properties of dilute battery acid.” Kona sits on the wrong side for it — trade winds blow 80–95% of the time from May to September and carry it around the south point and straight up this coast, where the sea breezes hold it in place. It etches clear coat and glass.
Salt
It does not stop working when it dries
Marine salt is hygroscopic — it pulls moisture back out of the air every humid night, so a dried salt crystal on a panel is still an active corrosion cell days after you parked. That is why island cars rust in places mainland cars never do, and why rinsing matters more here than anywhere.
UV
The highest UV load in the country
Hawaiʻi runs a UV index around 7 in winter and 11+ in summer — extreme on the EPA scale, and the highest sustained load of any U.S. state. Not because the sun is closer, but because at 19°N it is nearly overhead, so its rays cross far less atmosphere than they do on the mainland. It breaks down clear coat, trim and interiors faster here. Full stop.
Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. EPA UV Index scale. More on vog, salt and UV.
Island Special · Big Island pricing
What it costs, by the foot
Prices shown are cash prices. Pay by cash or check and that is what you pay. The card price is shown in grey beside every figure — slightly higher, because card processing costs us that. Nothing is added at checkout either way: both prices are on the page before you book.
Hawaii GET is added at invoice and shown as its own line, at the state maximum visible pass-on of 4.712% (4% state + 0.5% Hawaiʻi County surcharge). Prices on this page do not include it.
Priced on overall length. We measure the boat rather than look up the model, because a 32-footer is 32 feet.
Cleaning & protection
Wash & decon
$8 / ft$8.30 / ft card
Wash, decon & wax
$12 / ft$12.45 / ft card
Ceramic Infused Super ProtectionSix to twelve months on this island
$12 / ft$12.45 / ft card
Gelcoat correction
$25 / ft$25.90 / ft card
Heavy oxidation compoundingMulti-stage — chalked, neglected gelcoat
$65 / ft$67.30 / ft card
Permanent coating
Stealth Diamond Borograph CeramicPermanent, 10+ years, written warranty
$65 / ft$67.30 / ft card
Liquid PPF + Stealth Diamond BorographAdds impact and abrasion resistance
$130 / ft$134.55 / ft card
Quoted on inspection: interiors, canvas, upholstery, non-skid, and any hull that has been compounded enough times that gelcoat thickness is a question.
Travel fee $50$52 card past 20 miles outside the Kona district. Gas on this island runs well above the mainland and the run to Waimea, Hawi or Hilo is real time in the truck — that fee goes straight to the technician working your job, not onto the service price. No fee if you drop off at our Kona shop near Magic Sands Beach Park — we give you the exact address when you book. We tell you the travel fee when you book, never when we arrive.
Priced by the foot
13 years on the Big Island
5,000+ vehicles
Fully insured
Trained & certified techs
100% satisfaction guaranteed
Real numbers
What that works out to
So you can check our arithmetic rather than take it on faith.
24 ft centre console
Wash, decon & wax
$288$299 card
Single-stage oxidation removal
$600$622 card
Stealth Diamond Borograph
$1,560$1,615 card
Liquid PPF + Borograph
$3,120$3,229 card
32 ft cabin cruiser
Wash, decon & wax
$384$398 card
Heavy oxidation compounding
$2,080$2,154 card
Stealth Diamond Borograph
$2,080$2,154 card
Liquid PPF + Borograph
$4,160$4,306 card
Wash, decon, and tar and sap removal are already in the coating figures above. Heavy prep, if the hull needs it, is quoted on inspection and sits on top.
In our customers’ words
Five stars, every one
Google Reviews
Shown word for word
I had 3 pickup trucks and 3 SUV’s done by Kelson. He did a great job and all the vehicles look like new. Thank you
The guys at Zippy Klean did a great job buffing the scratched up dull paint job on my old Prius and making it shine like new. Appreciate, the really professional, friendly and speedy service, which included dropping me by a coffee shop while I waited. Couldn't be happier with Steven's team. Thanks!
No obligation
Get your boat quoted
Tell us the overall length and where she sits, and send a few photos of the hull in daylight. We will come back with a firm number and an honest read on the gelcoat.
Prefer to talk? (808) 201-6005 — call or text. Open 7 days · 6am–6pm.
Straight answers
Boat questions
How much does boat detailing and ceramic coating cost on the Big Island?
Boats are priced per foot of overall length: $8 per foot for a wash and decon, $12 per foot with wax, and $65 per foot for Stealth Diamond Borograph ceramic.
A 24-foot centre console is $288 for a wash, decon and wax, or $1,560 coated. A 32-foot cabin cruiser is $2,080 coated.
We measure overall length, not what the brochure called the model. A 32-footer is 32 feet.
What is included in the coating price?
Wash, decontamination, and tar and sap removal are included in every coating price — they are not separate line items and never appear as a surprise on the invoice.
What is not included is prep: heavy oxidation, chalked gelcoat, deep staining, or a previous coating that has to come off. That work is quoted after inspection or billed hourly, and you get the number before anything starts.
We do not coat over oxidation. A ceramic locks in whatever is underneath it, and on gelcoat that means locking in chalk. See heavy gelcoat oxidation compounding for what that correction involves.
Why does a coated hull matter more in Hawaii?
Because gelcoat here is attacked from three directions at once — the highest UV load in the country, constant salt, and vog that the USGS describes as primarily sulfuric acid.
UV is what chalks gelcoat. It breaks down the resin at the surface until the pigment is loose and powdery, and once that has happened the only fix is compounding away the dead layer. A coating takes the UV instead.
Salt is the quiet one. It is hygroscopic, so dried salt on a hull keeps pulling moisture out of humid air and keeps working on hardware, fasteners and seams long after the boat came out of the water. Coated surfaces give it nothing to grip and let a rinse actually carry it away.
Do you work in the water, on the trailer, or in the yard?
On the hard — on the trailer, on stands, or in the yard. We do not detail boats in the water.
Coatings need a dry, stable, controlled surface and a cure window. A boat moving on its lines in a slip gives us none of that, and runoff into the harbour is not something we are willing to cause.
Harbour, driveway, storage yard or our Kona shop all work. Tell us where it sits and we will tell you if it is workable.
What does the per-foot price actually cover?
The whole hull, up to the rub rail. Everything above the rub rail — deck, console, cabin and superstructure — is quoted on inspection.
The split is about how the work scales. The hull is a large, continuous, predictable surface, so pricing it by the foot is honest. Above the rub rail is hardware, windows, non-skid, rails and fittings, and no two boats are alike — pricing that by the foot would mean overcharging simple boats to cover complicated ones.
Interiors, canvas, upholstery and non-skid are quoted separately for the same reason. They are real work, not an add-on.
How long does a ceramic coating last on gelcoat?
Stealth Diamond Borograph is permanent on gelcoat as it is on paint, with 10+ year protection and a written warranty — but it still needs washing on the recommended schedule to perform.
The coating does not stop you needing to rinse the boat. It makes the rinse work. Salt and vog come off a coated hull with water where they need chemicals and effort on bare gelcoat.
Boats that sit in Kona sun uncovered and unwashed will test any coating. If the boat lives outside and gets used hard, talk to us about a maintenance schedule rather than assuming the coating handles it alone.
My gelcoat is already chalky. Can you fix it?
Usually yes — chalking is dead resin at the surface, and compounding removes it to reach sound gelcoat underneath.
Single-stage oxidation is $25 per foot. Heavy oxidation that needs multi-stage compounding is $65 per foot.
The limit is thickness. Gelcoat is finite, and a hull that has been compounded repeatedly over decades may not have enough left to cut again. We check before we quote, and we will tell you if the honest answer is paint rather than polish.
Island Special · Big Island pricing
We take one coating a day
(808) 201-6005Honokohau, Kawaihae, Hilo and every yard in between. Book your spot.