How a Tide detail works
The standard came from Sunseeker. The methodology hasn't changed.
Before we touch a single surface
Every job starts with a full assessment. We photograph the boat, note its condition, and plan the work around what it actually needs — no guessing on products, no shortcuts. We read the gelcoat for oxidation, UV damage, thinning and burnt-through areas, and check for the things that quietly spoil a finish: mould and mildew, rust and tannin staining, hard-water spotting, hazing in the clears.
Anything of concern is taped, logged and photographed, and you're made aware of it before work begins. This protects you from unexpected repair costs, and it ensures we never overwork a surface that needs specialist attention rather than compounding. If we find a section too thin to safely compound, we tell you clearly and recommend the right next step — a lighter treatment, or a specialist repair before detailing.
The promise is simple: we will never proceed in a way that risks further damage to your hull.
The work itself
Wash and decontaminate
This is the step most people rush, and it's the one that makes or breaks everything after it. Salt is abrasive — left to dry on the gelcoat it doesn't just stain, it scratches the moment a cloth moves across it. So before anything touches the hull, we soak the boat in a marine pre-wash to lift and soften the salt, grit and grime, then wash from the top down by hand. We run the water through an inline filter, too — Brisbane's water is hard, and unfiltered it leaves mineral spotting as stubborn as the marks we came to remove. Where a boat needs it, this is also where we treat what a normal wash leaves behind: rust and tannin staining, mould and mildew, and hazing in vinyl clears.
Cut
This is the stage that brings a dull, chalky hull back to life. Using a machine and a cutting compound, we take off the thin top layer of oxidised, UV-damaged gelcoat to reveal the fresh, glossy surface underneath. The skill is in matching the work to the boat — cut harder than a surface needs and you remove good gelcoat that can't be put back, so we read each section and use only what it calls for.
Polish
Cutting restores the surface; polishing refines it. A finer pass clears the fine marks the cut leaves behind and brings the finish to a deep, even gloss — then we check it under direct light and go back over anything that isn't right.
Wax and seal
A freshly polished surface starts oxidising again almost straight away — UV, salt air and weather never stop. Wax and sealant lay down a protective barrier that takes that damage so the gelcoat doesn't. It locks in the gloss, beads water, and makes every clean after it easier.
Glass
Streak-free, properly degreased, with the right products for marine glass.
Basic interior
Cabin surfaces, seats, dash and panels — cleaned, dressed and conditioned. Not a full upholstery restoration (that's a separate job), but everything visible is brought up with the rest of the boat.
What we use
Everything we use is marine-grade, Australian-made, and safe to use on and around the water — we work on the waterways, and we take that seriously. The compounds are matched to the boat's condition rather than a one-size product; the waxes and sealants are UV-rated for the Queensland sun; the interior products feed vinyl and upholstery rather than drying them out. The product choices are part of the standard — we don't drop to cheaper alternatives that won't hold up to sun and salt.
After the Reset
Once we've done your Detail Reset and we know your boat, we can put a custom care package together. Visits scheduled around how often you're out on the water, your local conditions, and what your boat needs to stay at the Tide Standard.
A care package is never a rigid subscription. It's built around you — frequency, scope, and timing all flex with how you use the boat. Some customers want quarterly visits to keep things at the same baseline. Others want a single annual reset and a spring service before the season.
When you're ready to talk about ongoing care, we are.
Big boats
Vessels 20ft and over are detailed with the hull out of the water, giving full access below the waterline, to the keel and running gear. Larger vessels require more product, longer hours, and in many cases scaffolding for full topside coverage. Big boat jobs are always quoted individually after an in-person inspection — there's no per-foot rate that does justice to the work.
Getting a boat ready to sell?
A pre-sale detail builds on everything above, plus the extra work a sale demands — so your boat survives a buyer's eye and shows its best in the listing photos.
See pre-sale detailing →Detailing FAQs
[Methodology-focused subset of the detailing FAQs on the FAQ page. See full list there.]
View full FAQ page →Start your Detail Reset
Send us a few photos and a quick description — we'll come back with a quote within 24 hours.
We aim to reply within 24 hours, 7 days a week. Larger boats may need an in-person inspection before quoting — we'll let you know when we reply.