Captains Choice Detailing — Surface Protection Experts · Yacht Ceramic Coating & Paint Correction

Services

What we do, and what it means for your vessel.

Ceramic-coated hull with deep mirror gloss

Ceramic Coating

Your boat's shine is its top layer — gelcoat on fiberglass, paint on a painted hull — and it's what sun and salt break down first. A ceramic coating bonds to that layer like a hard, clear shell, so she keeps her color and gloss for years, not weeks.

Multi-year protection for gelcoat & paint
Effortless washdowns, lasting gloss
UV & saltwater defense

Corrected gelcoat reading like glass under direct light

Paint & Gelcoat Restoration

Oxidation, swirls, and haze removed by hand and machine until the surface reads like glass under any light.

Single & multi-stage polishing
Heavy oxidation restoration
True, mirror-clear depth

Full Yacht Detailing

Complete vessel care — hull, deck, gelcoat, vinyl, teak, and interior — restored and protected end to end.

Hull & gelcoat restoration
Interior, vinyl & teak care
Bespoke maintenance plans

The Full Scope

The three above are where most engagements begin. If it lives on the vessel, it's in our care — every project can fold in the work below, defined with you before anything starts.

Teak Sanding & Sealing Brightwork & Stainless Polishing Oxidation & Waterline-Stain Removal Gelcoat & Fiberglass Repair Interior · Vinyl · Fabric Protection Non-Skid & Deck Cleaning Metal Polishing & Engine Detailing Coating Boosts & Maintenance

How It Works

A cleaner path from inquiry to protected finish.

Every job starts with the surface, not a package menu. The plan changes depending on oxidation, previous products, marina conditions, and how you actually use the boat.

Inspect

Photos and vessel details establish the starting point before time is reserved.

Correct

Oxidation, haze, and swirl marks are removed so protection bonds to a proper finish.

Protect

Sealant or ceramic coating is matched to the vessel, surface, and maintenance plan.

Maintain

Washdowns become easier, gloss lasts longer, and the vessel stays ready to show.

The Person Behind It

This isn't a franchise. It's my name on it.

Captains Choice began because I couldn't stand handing a boat back unless it looked the way I'd want my own to look. Every coat, every panel, every seam gets my full attention — no rushing, no shortcuts, no rotating crew of strangers on your deck.

When you bring me your yacht, you get me: someone who treats your yacht as the only vessel on the schedule that day. That focus is precisely why the list stays short.

Private boats Hands-on work Direct line

— Captains Choice Detailing

The Creed

I don't detail yachts for a living. I detail them because I can't not.

This is the work I think about on the drive home and again before sunrise — the way light finally moves across a hull once the oxidation is gone, the stillness of a finished deck, the feeling of handing back a vessel that looks better than the day she launched.

Every yacht I take on carries my name as much as yours. That's why I'll spend an extra hour on a single panel no one else would notice — because I notice. This is my craft, my everyday, my bread and butter. I won't be anything less than the best at it.

— Captains Choice Detailing

Private Client Access

A direct line, answered personally.

Clients don't wait in a queue or speak to a dispatcher. You reach me — directly — on a private line reserved for the owners and captains I work with.

Private Client Line

By invitation

Reserved for active and prospective clients. Calls and messages answered directly, day or evening.

Private Correspondence

Concierge email

A dedicated channel for vessel details, scheduling, and discreet coordination — separate from general inquiries.

Make an Inquiry

Request your appointment.

Share your vessel and what you'd like to achieve. If it's a fit, we'll arrange a private consultation to walk the boat — in person or by video — and define the plan together before anything begins.

1You send your vessel details and goals for the boat.
2I review personally and, if it's a fit, propose a consultation.
3We meet, define the plan, and reserve your place on the calendar.

Full Name *

Phone *

Email *

Vessel Name

Vessel Type

Make / Model / Length *

Hull Number (HIN)

Current Location / Marina *

Mailing Address *A marina address is perfectly fine if you'd prefer.

Services of Interest

Ceramic Coating Paint / Gelcoat Correction Full Yacht Detail Maintenance Program

Your Goals for the Vessel *

Referred By (optional)

Photos of Your Vessel (optional)

Tap to add photos — or drag them here

Up to 6 images. A few shots of her current condition help me prepare a more accurate estimate.

The Science

Protection is chemistry. We understand it.

Ceramic coating is, at its heart, glass chemistry. The active ingredient is silicon dioxide — SiO₂, silica, the same family of compound found in quartz and glass. Applied as a liquid "sol" of silane precursors, it undergoes hydrolysis and condensation — the sol-gel reaction — curing into a hard, dense, optically clear ceramic film that bonds to the gelcoat or paint, rather than merely resting on top of it the way a wax does. That distinction is the entire difference between protection measured in weeks and protection measured in years.

Why It Matters — On The Water

Saltwater is relentless

Salt is corrosive and abrasive at once. Unprotected gelcoat chalks, dulls, and oxidizes faster in a marine environment than paint ever does on land. A coating is the barrier between your finish and the sea.

The Florida sun is brutal

UV breaks down gelcoat and pigment continuously. SiO₂ is UV-stable and shields the surface beneath it, slowing the fade that otherwise turns a deep hull color flat and tired.

It protects the asset

A maintained, coated finish washes in a fraction of the time, holds its depth, and presents far better at survey or sale. Protection isn't an expense — it's preservation of what the vessel is worth.

When you understand what's happening on the surface, the right decision becomes obvious.

Historical & scientific references: the sol-gel lineage — J. J. Ebelmen (1846), W. Geffcken & Schott Glaswerke (1939), and Dislich & Hinz (1971) — and modern silica-coating chemistry are documented in the peer-reviewed literature. See the history and principles of the sol-gel process, and reviews of sol-gel nanomaterials and sol-gel coatings.

Questions, Answered

What owners ask before they book.

What does yacht detailing cost?

Standard detailing starts at $100 per foot. Beyond that, every engagement is quoted individually — ceramic coating and paint correction are scoped to the vessel's size, condition, and the finish you're after, with a clear line-by-line estimate before anything begins.

Do you come to my marina?

Always. Your yacht is detailed where she lies — home marina, private dock, dry storage, or a destination berth. The greater Tampa Bay area — Sarasota, Tampa, Bradenton, Longboat Key, Venice — down to Boca Grande is standard territory. Outside that range, travel to the vessel's location can be facilitated: owners have flown the team out to detail boats across the country.

Is ceramic coating worth it on a boat in Florida?

In this climate, more than anywhere. Florida sun and saltwater break down unprotected gelcoat continuously — a professionally applied SiO₂ ceramic coating bonds to the surface and shields it for years, not weeks. It also cuts washdown time dramatically and preserves the vessel's value at survey or sale.

How long does a ceramic coating last on a yacht?

A professional marine ceramic coating delivers multi-year protection when maintained with proper washdowns — compared with a few weeks for wax.

How long does a full detail take?

It depends on the vessel's size and condition — a full correction and coating is measured in days, not hours. One vessel at a time, finished until the result holds up in full sun.

How do I get started?

Send an inquiry with your vessel's details and your goals. Every inquiry is reviewed personally, and if it's a fit, we walk the boat together — in person or by video — and define the plan before anything begins.

Can I just call to talk through options first?

Of course. If you’d simply like to discuss options for your vessel or have a question about coatings, correction, or care — no commitment implied — call or text (407) 448-2477 or email lucaswaligura@gmail.com. Every call and message is answered personally, and a conversation about a boat is never wasted time.

Yacht finishes that hold their nerve in the sun.