By Private Commission · Southwest Florida & Beyond
Private yacht detailing, ceramic coating, and paint correction — a small number of vessels each season, finished to a standard most never see. We come to your yacht, wherever she lies.
A Different Standard
Most outfits run packages and move to the next hull by lunch. We work the opposite way — a short calendar, one vessel at a time, and a finish judged by how it holds in the sun a year on. Engagements are accepted by commission, and the list is intentionally short.
The Work
Professional-grade, hydrophobic protection that locks in depth and shrugs off salt, sun, and grime for years — not weeks.
Oxidation, swirls, and haze removed by hand and machine until the surface reads like glass under any light.
Complete vessel care — hull, deck, gelcoat, vinyl, teak, and interior — restored and protected end to end.
The Science
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.
Silicon bound to oxygen — the backbone of glass and quartz. It forms a lattice of Si–O bonds that is chemically inert, UV-stable, and dramatically harder than any wax or sealant.
A liquid sol cures through hydrolysis and condensation into a solid film — chemically anchored to the surface as a semi-permanent layer, not a sacrificial coat that washes away.
The cured surface drives water's contact angle past 100 degrees. Water beads and sheets off, carrying salt and grime with it — less standing water means less oxidation, spotting, and staining.
It resists UV, salt, chemicals, and light marring — it is not a force field. It won't stop a hard impact or deep gouge. Anyone promising "scratch-proof" is selling marketing, not chemistry.
An Honest Comparison
| Carnauba Wax | Polymer Sealant | Ceramic (SiO₂) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical lifespan | Weeks | Several months | Years |
| Surface hardness | Soft | Moderate | Hard, glass-like |
| Water repellency | Good, fades fast | Very good | Excellent & lasting |
| Warmth of gloss | Rich, warm glow | Crisp and slick | Deep and glassy |
| How it holds on | Rests on the surface | Bonds loosely | Chemically bonded |
| Prep required | Minimal | Moderate | Extensive — correction first |
| Upkeep | Frequent reapplication | Periodic | Simple washes |
| Best suited to | Show days & quick warmth | Seasonal protection on a budget | Long-term marine protection |
No thumb on the scale: carnauba still gives the warmest show-day glow, and a sealant is a sensible budget choice. For a yacht living in saltwater and Florida sun, ceramic is simply the chemistry that lasts.
Why It Matters — On The Water
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.
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.
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.
We Come to You
Home marina, private dock, dry storage, or mid-season at a destination berth — we mobilize our team, equipment, and power to your vessel's location. You never move the boat for us; we arrange ourselves around your yacht and your calendar.
Across Southwest Florida as standard, and farther afield by arrangement for the right commission. Travel and on-site logistics are coordinated discreetly as part of every engagement.
The Person Behind 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 commission me, 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.
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
Portfolio
A private selection, finished to standard. Tap any to look closer.
Private Client Access
Commissioned 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.
Make an Inquiry
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.