How often should you detail a boat on Lake Ouachita?

Lake Ouachita is one of the clearest lakes in the country, so the water itself is easy on your hull. The wear comes from above: long bright summers oxidize gelcoat, hard water spots the waterline, and spring pine pollen settles in the coves. Here is a realistic schedule for a boat kept on this lake.

In season, April through September

• Wash every 3 to 4 weeks. The cheapest insurance there is. Regular washing keeps pollen, film and early oxidation off the gelcoat before anything needs correcting. The wash program runs est. $7-12 /ft.
• Wash & wax when water stops beading. Beading is the finish telling you its protection is gone. A wash & wax at est. $13-20 /ft relays it.

Once a year

• Full detail or spring commissioning. A once-a-season reset covering exterior correction, interior, vinyl and metal. Best in spring before the first warm weekend, or in fall before storage. A full detail runs est. $20-35 /ft.

As needed

• Oxidation removal at est. $25-40 /ft, when the gelcoat is dull and chalky and a wipe leaves color on the rag.
• Ceramic coating at est. $45-90 /ft, after correction, to slow how fast oxidation comes back.

Three quick checks

Does water still bead on the hull. Does a clean rag come away chalky when you wipe the topsides. Has the color gone flat compared to below the rub rail. Any one of those means it is time to step up from a wash.

Every figure above is an estimate. The written quote our crew sends after seeing the boat is the actual price.