FAQ
Questions About Haul-Outs, Bottom Jobs, Slips and Storage
For anything not here, call the office or send the quote form.
Haul-out questions
How much does it cost to haul out a boat in Bradenton?
At Blenker, haul, block and re-launch is $25/ft, so the haul itself follows the boat's length.
What is a travel lift?
A travel lift is a tall wheeled frame that straddles a boat in the water, lifts it out on slings and carries it across the yard.
How big a boat can Blenker's travel lift haul?
Every travel lift has limits on weight, beam and length, so the boat's own numbers decide it.
What is a short haul?
At many boatyards, a short haul lifts the boat and holds it in the slings for a limited time, long enough for a survey or a look at the bottom, instead of blocking it in the yard.
How often should a boat be hauled out?
There is no fixed interval.
Can the yard haul a pontoon boat?
Call with the pontoon's length, beam and weight, and ask whether the travel lift can take it and how that haul is priced.
How do I schedule a haul-out?
Send the quote form, or call (941) 794-5500, with the boat's size, what the haul is for and the week you have in mind.
Bottom job questions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
How big a boat can you haul?
A bottom job starts on the travel lift, so the lift sets the limit. Call with the boat's length, beam, draft and weight if you know them and ask whether the lift can take it; its size limits are not posted on this site.
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.
What decides the price of a bottom job in Florida?
Size, hull condition, paint, coats, prep, repairs and the haul and wash lines decide it, which is why no single per-foot figure fits every boat.
Slip and storage questions
How much does a boat slip cost in Bradenton?
On the Manatee River in Bradenton, the West Dock is $25/ft/month with power included and the East Dock is $25/ft/month without power, each billed monthly with a 25-foot minimum plus tax.
Which dock has power, and is it extra?
The West Dock, slips W1 to W21, includes power in its monthly rate, and the rate stays the same if the power goes unused.
What size boat fits a Blenker slip?
Both docks have a 25-foot minimum.
Are any slips open right now?
Ask the office, because openings change as boats come and go.
Is a boat slip worth it?
A slip suits a boat that goes out often: it stays in the water, tied up and ready, with no launch before each trip.
How much does it cost to keep a boat in a slip each month?
Multiply the length the slip is billed on by the per-foot monthly rate, then add tax; the billed length is never less than 25 feet.
Is there dry storage and trailer storage?
Yes: dry storage is $25/ft/month with a 23-foot minimum, billed monthly. Trailer storage is available as an additional monthly charge and the trailer is stored off-site; ask the office for a quote. The dry storage page has the size rule and how to ask for a space.
Dry storage and trailer questions
How much does dry boat storage cost in Bradenton?
Dry storage at Blenker is $25/ft/month, billed monthly, with a 23-foot minimum and tax on monthly charges.
What is the cheapest way to store a boat?
Compare monthly totals, not headline rates, because the rate, the length you are billed on and the extras added on top all change what you pay.
How much does it cost to store a 20-foot boat?
A 20-foot boat is billed as 23 feet, because dry storage has a 23-foot minimum.
Dry storage or a wet slip: which is better?
It depends on how the boat is used. A wet slip keeps it in the water; dry storage keeps it out. Both are billed per foot per month, and the minimums differ: 23 feet for dry storage and 25 feet for a wet slip, with power included on the West Dock. How often you launch the boat and how long it sits between trips usually settle the question.
Does Blenker offer boat trailer storage?
Yes, as an additional monthly charge, and the trailer is stored off-site rather than at the yard.
What size boat fits in dry storage?
A boat shorter than 23 feet can be stored and is billed as 23.
How do I reserve a dry storage space?
Call (941) 794-5500 during office hours, or send the quote form with the boat's length and whether you want trailer storage. Ask what is open and on what terms.
Repair and paint questions
What is done at a 20-, 100- and 200-hour outboard service?
Blenker offers 20-, 100- and 200-hour outboard services.
How much does it cost to service an outboard motor?
The total depends on the engine, the interval and the parts it needs, and labor is $150/hr.
How often should an outboard motor be serviced?
Follow the maker's schedule in the owner's manual, which usually sets service by running hours or by months, whichever comes first, so an engine that sits unused still needs its yearly service.
Can Blenker service my outboard?
Call with the make, model, year and hours to check whether the yard can service your engine.
What should I tell the office when I call about a service?
Give the engine's make, model and year, the hours on the meter, the interval you are due for, when it was last serviced and any symptom such as hard starting, overheating or a warning horn. Then ask what the interval covers and when the yard can take it.
Does Blenker repair outboards, or only service them?
Both. Blenker does the 20-, 100- and 200-hour outboard services and repairs engines and transmissions for problems beyond an interval.
What engine and transmission work does the yard do?
Blenker repairs engines and transmissions and works on electrical and mechanical systems, bilge pumps and through-hulls. It also does stuffing box, exhaust hose, seacock, gas tank, marine toilet, electrical panel and holding tank work. Describe the symptom and what has already been tried, and ask how the yard would approach it.
Can Blenker repair my boat's engine?
Call with the engine's make, model, year, fuel and drive type before bringing the boat, and ask whether the yard takes the job.
How much does boat engine repair cost in Bradenton?
The total is the hours the diagnosis and the repair take, plus parts, and labor at Blenker is $150/hr.
Does the boat have to come out of the water for engine repair?
Not always. Engine, drive and electrical work can usually be done while the boat floats at a dock or sits on its trailer.
Does Blenker do boat electrical work and wiring in Bradenton?
Yes. Blenker works on electrical and mechanical systems and repairs electrical panels.
What does bilge pump and through-hull service involve?
A bilge pump moves water out of the bottom of the boat, so the work is testing or replacing the pump, its float switch, hose and discharge.
How do I get a quote for boat engine repair?
Fill in the quote form on the Engine & Transmission Repair page with the make, model, hours and what the engine is doing, or call (941) 794-5500 on a weekday.
How much does it cost to fix fiberglass or gelcoat on a boat?
The price follows the size and depth of the damage, whether the fiberglass behind the gel coat needs rebuilding, and how much color matching the finish takes.
Can gelcoat be repaired?
Yes, in most cases. Chips and scratches in gel coat, the thin outer layer of a fiberglass hull, can usually be filled, sanded and polished to match the surface around them.
Can you fix fiberglass on a boat?
Yes. Blenker repairs fiberglass and gel coat and collision damage.
What is dock rash and can it be fixed?
Dock rash is the scrapes, gouges and paint transfer a hull picks up from pilings, docks and fenders.
Does the yard repair boat collision damage?
Yes, Blenker repairs collision damage.
Does the yard repair soft decks and transoms?
Blenker repairs and replaces transoms.
Does the boat need to be hauled for a fiberglass repair?
Not always. Damage above the waterline can often be repaired with the boat afloat or on a trailer, while damage at or below it, and most structural work, needs the hull out of the water and dry.
What photos should I send with my quote request?
Send one wide photo that shows the whole side or area, one or two close-ups of the damage from different angles with something for scale, such as a hand or a coin, and the boat's name and length if you can. The form takes up to two photos, so choose the wide shot and the best close-up.
How much does it cost to repaint a boat hull?
The price follows the hull's length and shape, the surfaces painted, how much prep the old finish needs, and the system and coats chosen, Awlgrip topsides among them.
How long does Awlgrip last?
An Awlgrip finish lasts according to the prep beneath it, the sun and salt it sees, and how it is washed and cared for, so the figure differs from boat to boat.
Is it better to gelcoat or paint a boat?
Neither is better in every case.
Can a fiberglass boat be repainted?
Yes. A fiberglass hull can be repainted once the gel coat is cleaned, sanded and primed for the system going on.
Which marine paint goes on which part of the boat?
Antifouling bottom paint goes below the waterline, chosen for how the boat is used and where it is kept, and a topside system made to hold its gloss in sun and salt goes above it.
Can an aluminum or pontoon boat be painted?
Yes, with coatings made for the metal: bare aluminum takes the primer the paint maker specifies, and the bottom paint must be one its maker approves for aluminum, because ordinary copper bottom paint corrodes the metal.
How do I get a paint quote?
Call (941) 794-5500 during office hours with the boat's length and what you want, such as a bottom job, topsides or a refinish, or send the quote form with a photo.
Boat detailing questions (general answers)
How much does it cost to detail a boat?
Detailing prices vary from boat to boat and from one detailer to the next.
Is boat detailing priced by the foot?
Sometimes. Detailers price by the foot, by the hour or by the job.
Is boat detailing worth it?
A detail can bring back a finish that sun has dulled, and wax slows the next round of wear.
Can oxidation be removed from a boat, or does it need paint?
Light oxidation on sound gel coat may polish out.
Can a boat be detailed while it is hauled out for a bottom job?
A haul-out puts the whole hull within reach, so it is a good time to ask whether the topsides can be detailed too.
Does the boat come to the yard, or does someone come to my dock?
Ask where your boat would be detailed.
How long does it take to detail a boat?
Ask when the work could start and how long it would take.
Should I wax the bottom of my boat?
Not if it has antifouling paint.
Disposal questions
How do I get rid of an old boat in Bradenton?
Take it to a yard that scraps boats, or check whether it qualifies for Florida's Vessel Turn-In Program.
Will Blenker take a boat that doesn't run?
Yes. Blenker accepts derelict and non-running boats for disposal and scrapping.
How much does boat disposal cost in Bradenton?
The price depends on the boat's length and hull, where it sits, how it reaches the yard and what is still aboard.
Do I need a boat removal service to get a boat to the yard?
Not always. Ask the office before you book one: a boat that can run to the yard by water, or arrives on its own trailer, may not need one.
Is there free boat disposal in Florida?
For some boats, yes: FWC's Vessel Turn-In Program removes and destroys qualifying at-risk vessels at no cost to the owner.
How do I dispose of an old or derelict boat in Florida?
Three routes are worth checking: the state's Vessel Turn-In Program for a boat that has drawn a written citation or warning, the county, and a yard that scraps boats.
Fuel dock and Fuel Club questions
What does fuel cost at Blenker's dock today?
Call the office at (941) 794-5500 for today's price per gallon at the dock.
Can anyone buy fuel at the dock, or only Fuel Club members?
Call (941) 794-5500 before you come to ask whether the dock sells to anyone who pulls up or only to Fuel Club members.
How do I join the Fuel Club?
The sign-up form on the Fuel dock and Fuel Club page is a request to join: send it with your name, phone number and boat, then ask the office how membership starts and when you can come for fuel.
What are the fuel dock's hours?
Ask the office for the dock's hours before you come.
How do I get to the fuel dock by boat?
Come up the Manatee River from the south side of Tampa Bay; from Sarasota Bay on the Intracoastal Waterway, a boat passes up to two drawbridges in Anna Maria Sound, the Cortez Bridge and the Anna Maria Island Bridge.
Reaching the yard
How far is the yard from Cortez, Holmes Beach and Palmetto by road?
Without traffic the yard is 15 minutes from Cortez, 18 minutes from Holmes Beach and 21 minutes from Palmetto by road.
Which bridges are on the way to the yard by water?
Coming up the Intracoastal Waterway from Sarasota Bay, a boat passes up to two drawbridges in Anna Maria Sound: the Cortez Bridge and the Anna Maria Island Bridge.
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.