Marine Protection & Finish
Film, tint, correction and coating for everything above the waterline.
Protective film, non-skid deck film, cabin tint, gelcoat correction and ceramic coating — the work that keeps a hull looking like it is worth what you paid.
Protection, Correction and Coating
Five jobs that usually get booked together because they belong together.
Correct first, protect second. Sealing a chalky hull just preserves the chalk.
Protective film on the hull
Clear urethane on the topsides that take dock rash and fender rub.
What it covers+
Boarding areas, the rub strake line and wherever a fender actually sits. The film takes the scuffing instead of the gelcoat, and a scuffed film is a far cheaper thing to replace than a repaired hull side.
Non-skid deck film
Textured film on decks, steps, swim platforms and gunwale tops.
What it covers+
Factory moulded non-skid wears smooth and gets slippery long before anything else on the boat looks old. Film restores grip without regelcoating the deck.
Cabin and windshield tint
Solar film on cabin glass, windshields and hatches.
What it covers+
A cabin in Houston sun is unusable by mid-morning without it. Tint cuts the heat and the glare and slows the fade that ages upholstery and dash plastics faster than hours on the water do.
Gelcoat correction and polish
Cutting chalky, oxidised gelcoat back to gloss.
What it covers+
Gelcoat oxidises rather than failing like clear coat, which is why a hull that looks past saving often is not. Correction is slower and more aggressive than car paint work, and it has a limit we will be honest about.
Ceramic coating on gelcoat
A hydrophobic layer over corrected gelcoat.
What it covers+
This is the step that keeps correction work from undoing itself in one season. Coated gelcoat sheds water, resists waterline staining and washes down in a fraction of the time.
Waterline and stain management
The band just above the waterline that goes brown and stays brown.
What it covers+
Coated, it releases instead of etching in. This is the single most visible thing on a boat that sits in a slip, and it is the thing owners complain about most.
Gelcoat Is Not Clearcoat
It is thicker, it oxidises instead of failing, and it behaves differently under a machine.
That difference is why marine correction is quoted by condition rather than by length.
| Gelcoat | Automotive clearcoat | |
|---|---|---|
| What goes wrong | Chalks and oxidises | Fails, peels, clouds |
| Material available | Thick — more room to correct | Thin — very little room |
| Correction speed | Slower, more aggressive cut | Faster, far more delicate |
| Can it come back | Often, even when it looks gone | Once it has failed, no |
| After correcting | Must be sealed or it re-chalks | Coating optional |
Cabin & Windshield Tint
A cabin without film is unusable by mid-morning in a Houston summer.
The same solar films we fit to cars, specified for the glass that is actually in your boat.
Heat and glare
The reason anyone does it.
Why it works+
Cutting solar gain in a cabin that has glass on every side changes whether the space is usable at anchor. Glare off the water is its own problem and film handles both.
Fade protection
UV ages upholstery, dash plastics and trim faster than use does.
Why it works+
A boat sits in the sun far more hours than it moves. Film is what stops the interior aging while the boat is doing nothing at all.
Straight Talk
Things we would rather say up front than after you have paid a deposit.
The first one is the most important thing on this page.
We are an automotive shop moving into marine
Say it plainly: we built our reputation on cars, not boats.
What to know+
The films, the tools and the install skill transfer directly — a compound curve is a compound curve. What we do not have is years of marine-specific history, and we will not pretend otherwise. If you want a shop with a decade of hulls behind it, that is fair. If you want a very good film shop applying the same standard to your boat, that is what this is.
We stay above the waterline
No antifouling, no bottom paint, no running gear.
What to know+
That is a separate trade with its own products and haul-out requirements. If your boat needs bottom work, have a yard do it first and bring it to us after.
Film has a harder life on the water
Expect a shorter service life than the same film on a garaged car.
What to know+
Constant UV with no shade, plus salt, is the harshest thing you can do to film or a coating. We spec products rated for it and give you a realistic expectation for how your boat is actually stored, rather than a brochure number.
How It Runs
Nothing gets quoted off a photograph.
Condition and access vary enormously between boats, and both move the number.
Tell us the boat and where it sits
Make, length, slip or trailer, and how it is stored between uses.
Inspection
Oxidation depth, existing damage and access all change the number. We look before we quote.
Written quote
Itemised, so you can drop or defer a line rather than approve a lump sum.
Correction, then protection
In that order, always. Sealing over chalk just preserves it.
Care sheet
What to wash it with, and what to keep off it.
We are in EaDo, about an hour from Kemah, Seabrook and Clear Lake and a straight run to Galveston. Tell us where the boat sits and we will say honestly whether a slip visit makes sense or whether trailering it in gives a better result.
Marine Protection and Finish FAQ
Can oxidised gelcoat really be brought back?+
Usually, yes — and further than most owners expect. Gelcoat is thick, and chalking is a surface condition rather than a failure.
There is a limit. If the oxidation has gone deep enough to expose the substrate, polishing will not fix it and we will say so rather than take the job.
Do I need a coating after correction?+
We would strongly recommend it. Correction removes the oxidised layer and leaves fresh gelcoat exposed to exactly the UV that oxidised the last one. A coating is what makes the work last more than a season.
Do you do bottom paint or antifouling?+
No. We stay above the waterline. That is a separate trade with its own products and haul-out requirements — have a yard handle it and bring the boat to us afterwards.
How long does marine film or coating last?+
Less than the same product on a garaged car, because there is no shade on the water and salt is unforgiving. We will give you a realistic expectation for how your boat actually lives rather than a brochure figure.
Can you work on the boat in its slip?+
Sometimes. It depends on the job, the access and the weather window. For correction and coating we almost always get a better result with the boat out of the water, and we will tell you honestly which way makes sense.
Tell Us About the Boat
Make, length, where it sits and what you are after. Send a few photos and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth us coming to look.