Bottom painting · Manatee River, Bradenton
Boat Bottom Painting and Bottom Jobs in Bradenton, Florida
Blenker Boatworks & Marina paints boat bottoms at its family-owned yard on the Manatee River in Bradenton, Florida. Each bottom job runs from the haul on the yard's travel lift through the pressure wash and the bottom paint to the re-launch, all at 2504 88th St Ct NW.
Antifouling bottom paint is for boats that stay in the water, because in warm Florida water marine growth builds quickly on a worn or bare hull. Blenker applies Pettit and Interlux bottom paint.
Why Blenker
What sets the Blenker yard apart for bottom painting
Lift, paint and launch at one yard
Blenker uses its own travel lift for the haul and the re-launch, and the paint work is done in the yard. All three happen at the same yard on the Manatee River.
Pettit and Interlux below, Awlgrip above
The yard applies Pettit and Interlux paint systems and Awlgrip topside and finish systems, so the bottom and the topsides can be painted during the same haul.
Repairs while the boat is out
Blenker does fiberglass and gel coat repair, collision repair, transom work, seacock repair and through-hull service. Ask for any damage the wash turns up to be repaired during the same haul.
Family owned, with slips on site
Blenker is a family-owned yard with wet slips on two docks, so a boat kept on the West Dock (W1 to W21) or the East Dock (E1 to E20) is already on the property when the bottom is due.
Two rates you can check first
Haul, block and re-launch and the pressure wash both carry published rates on the pricing page, so those parts of a bottom-job quote can be checked before you ask for one.
Published rates
What it costs
The haul and the wash have listed rates. The bottom-job price depends on size and condition, so ask for it in a written quote.
- Bottom jobsdepending on vessel size and condition
- Written quoteRequest a written quote
- Haul / Block / Re-Launch
- $25/ft
- Pressure Wash
- $150
Rates as published by the yard. The quote is where the price for your boat is set.
Length estimator
Estimate your boat
Choose Haul-out to estimate the haul, block and re-launch charge for your boat's length. For bottom painting, request a written quote.
Written quote
A bottom job needs a written quote
- A bottom job is priced in a written quote for your boat.
An estimate for planning only. It uses your boat's length, rounded up to a whole foot, and the line's minimum length where one applies. It leaves out tax, fees, repairs found along the way and anything a quote lists on a separate line. The written quote is the price. Rates as published by the yard. The quote is where the price for your boat is set.
Before you agree to a price
What to get in writing before a bottom job
Ask for these lines in writing for your boat. A quote that names each one can be compared line by line with any other.
- The boat: length, beam, draft, hull material and when the bottom was last painted.
- The haul: lift, blocking and re-launch as one per-foot line, and which length of the boat it is multiplied by.
- The wash: inside the bottom-job price or listed as its own line.
- The paint: Pettit or Interlux by product name, the number of coats and any extra coat at the waterline.
- The prep: a wash only, a scuff, sanding or full removal of the old paint, and how extra prep gets approved.
- Repairs and running gear: blisters, damage, anodes, the propeller and through-hulls, each priced as its own line and agreed before work starts.
- Tax, fees and the charge if the boat stays on the blocks longer than planned.
How a bottom job goes
From the lift to the water at one yard
Ask your quote to show which of these steps are inside the bottom-job price and which are separate lines.
Haul and block
The travel lift raises the boat out of the Manatee River in its slings and sets it on blocks in the yard. The haul, the blocking and the later launch are billed together by the foot.
Pressure wash
A pressure wash strips growth and slime from the hull while it is out of the water and shows the condition of the old paint. The wash is a separate line on the yard's price list.
Look over the bottom
With the hull clean and on the blocks, the running gear, the anodes and the through-hulls are within easy reach for a check before any paint goes on.
Bottom paint
Pettit or Interlux bottom paint goes on below the waterline. Ask which product and how many coats suit the way you use the boat.
Re-launch
The travel lift lowers the finished boat back into the Manatee River at the same yard where it came out.
The parts of a bottom job
What is below the waterline
Tap a part of the drawing, or pick one from the list. These are general facts about a typical powerboat hull on the hard.
Typical
Hull bottom
Everything below the waterline. Bottom paint, also called antifouling, goes here to slow marine growth, and it is renewed as it wears or ages.
Before and after
What a bottom job changes
Drag the handle to compare. These are illustrations of the kind of change each job makes, not photos of a customer's boat.
“Reasonable prices, very happy with them.”
Google review · January 2023 · 4.3 on Google, 95 reviews
Questions about bottom jobs
How much does a bottom job cost in Bradenton?
Each bottom job is priced in a written quote, because the boat's size, the state of the old paint and the prep change the work. Haul, block and re-launch is $25/ft and a pressure wash is $150. Send the length and a photo of the bottom with the quote form to start one.
What does a bottom job include?
A bottom job at Blenker covers four stages: haul and blocking on the travel lift, a pressure wash, the bottom paint and the re-launch. Ask for the quote to show whether the haul and the wash sit inside the bottom-job price or appear as lines of their own.
Where can I get my boat bottom painted near Bradenton?
Blenker paints bottoms at its yard at 2504 88th St Ct NW in Bradenton, where the travel lift hauls boats out of the Manatee River. The service area page lists drive times from nearby towns and the drawbridges on the water route from Sarasota Bay.
Which bottom paint is right for my boat in Florida?
No one paint suits every boat: the choice follows the hull material, how often the boat runs and whether it stays in the water between trips. Blenker applies Pettit and Interlux bottom-paint systems, so ask which product and which type, ablative or hard, fits your boat and have it named in the quote.
Does old bottom paint have to come off before new paint goes on?
Not always: old paint in sound condition is usually sanded or scuffed and painted over, while thick, flaking or incompatible layers may need to be removed first. Ask what the old paint on your boat needs once it has been pressure washed, and have that prep, from a scuff to full removal, priced as its own line.
How do I know my boat needs new bottom paint?
Growth that comes back soon after a cleaning, bare or flaking patches and paint worn through to the layer beneath are the usual signs. For what affects how long bottom paint lasts in Florida, read the cost guide on this site.
How long does a bottom job take?
The prep, the number of coats, the paint's drying time between coats and the weather all change the length of the job, so no single figure fits every boat. Ask for a haul date and a target launch date when you book, and allow for rain or wind to move outdoor work.
Can a pontoon or aluminum boat get bottom paint?
Aluminum hulls, including most pontoon tubes, need a bottom paint made for aluminum, because copper-based antifouling can corrode aluminum. Give the hull material, the boat type and the length when you call, and ask whether the yard takes it for a bottom job. A pontoon does not price as a simple length times a rate, so the estimator on this page sends it to a written quote.
Can a boat on a trailer get a bottom job?
Paint cannot reach the hull where the trailer's bunks or rollers press against it, so a full bottom job needs the boat lifted clear of the trailer. Say the boat arrives on a trailer when you call, and ask how it comes off for the paint.
How do I book a bottom job?
Phone (941) 794-5500 on a weekday during office hours, or use the quote form with the boat's length, its type, where it is kept and a photo of the bottom if you have one.
Related at the yard
- Haul-out and the travel liftEvery bottom job starts with the haul, block and re-launch line.
- What sets bottom paint cost in FloridaWhat moves the price, ablative against hard paint and how to compare quotes.
- Pettit, Interlux and AwlgripThe paint systems the yard applies, and where each kind of paint goes.
- Published ratesHaul, wash, labor, slips and storage by the foot, the hour and the month.
- Slips and storageWet slips and dry storage, billed monthly by the foot.
- Boat detailingAsk whether a detail of the topsides can be lined up with the bottom job.
- Photos from the yardThe travel lift, the work bay and the docks.
Get a quote
Tell us about the boat
Length, type, where the boat is kept, when you need it, and a photo of the bottom if you have one.
Tell us what your boat needs.
Call the office during Mon–Fri 9:30am–4:00pm, or send the quote form with your boat's length, type and what it needs.