Having a boat antifouled professionally costs, all in, €450-900 for a boat up to 6 m (20 ft), €1,200-2,300 for a 10-12 m (33-39 ft) sailboat or motorboat, and €2,300-4,500 for boats of 15-20 m. The price covers the lift-out and relaunch, the pressure wash, a few days ashore, hull preparation, paint and labour. If the hull has to be stripped back to gelcoat, the bill can double.
All figures in this guide are indicative ranges in euros, VAT included, based on price lists published in 2025 and 2026 by boatyards and marinas in Mediterranean Europe, with the UK for comparison. Prices elsewhere, and even between two ports on the same coast, can be very different.
Antifouling cost in 2026: overview
The table above shows the cost of a complete professional job: the boat is lifted, washed, lightly sanded, given two coats of standard antifouling and relaunched within two to five days.
Three real reference points put the ranges in context:
- A yard on the Costa Brava advertises a fixed-price package with lift-out, relaunch, three days ashore, hull cleaning and two coats of International self-polishing antifouling for €951 plus VAT on a 10 m boat with one drive, about €1,150 with VAT. At 15 m it rises to €1,587 plus VAT.
- A Croatian shipyard charges for antifouling by area, paint not included: €9/m² for light sanding and the first coat and €6/m² for each extra coat, with 25% VAT included.
- On England's south coast, one marina advertises antifouling from £49 per metre of length for one coat and £70 for two, VAT included, lifting extra. That is roughly €57 and €82 per metre.
The top of each range reflects luxury marinas, heavily fouled hulls, premium paints or yards that only allow their own staff to work.
What the price includes
An antifouling invoice has five parts.
Lift-out and relaunch
This is the cost of lifting the boat out with a crane or travel lift and putting it back in. It is charged per movement and rises with length: in the price lists we checked, a 10 m boat pays €115-260 per movement including VAT, and you need two. Blocking off on stands is usually included, but not always.
Pressure wash and time ashore
A pressure wash as soon as the boat comes out is essential. It costs €30-130 on a 10 m boat, depending on whether the yard charges per metre, per machine hour or a flat fee. Then come the days ashore: €12-30 a day for a 10 m boat at the yards we checked. Some waive the first few days if you buy your paint from them or have an annual berth.
Hull preparation
This is the most variable item. A light sand to key the old antifouling and remove anything flaking takes 3-6 hours on a 10 m boat. If there is heavy build-up, blisters or lifting paint, the work multiplies. Bottom-painting labour costs €40-65 an hour at the yards we checked: a Costa del Sol marina lists €53 including VAT for hull cleaning and bottom painting, and a marina in Castellón €38-45 plus VAT depending on the grade of worker.
Paint and consumables
A 2.5 L tin of branded antifouling costs €110-190 at retail: Hempel Hard Racing and Mille NCT sell for €150-160 on offer and €190-200 at list price. A 10 m boat needs about three tins for two coats, plus masking tape, rollers, sandpaper, thinners and primer for the propeller or drive.
Propeller, shafts, drives and anodes
Metal parts take a dedicated antifouling or propeller coating and are billed separately: at a yard in Castellón, €124-225 plus VAT per unit depending on length. It is also the moment to replace sacrificial anodes, €40-150 in parts depending on the boat.
Factors that change the price
Length and wetted area
Prices are listed by length, but what gets painted is the wetted area. A 10 m fin-keel sailboat has around 23-28 m² underwater, while a motorboat of the same length can exceed 35 m². That is why some yards apply multipliers: one Costa Brava yard charges catamarans 1.2 times the price, and a Croatian yard adds 50% to lift them.
Type of antifouling
- Hard: cheapest per litre and resistant to abrasion. It builds up over time and needs more sanding every few years.
- Self-polishing (ablative): the standard for sailboats and cruisers. Similar in price, it wears away at a controlled rate without building thickness.
- Copper-free: uses organic or zinc-based biocides. Required on aluminium and in some protected waters. Usually costs the same as conventional paint or slightly more.
- Silicone or foul-release: releases no biocides, and fouling washes off under way. At retail it costs around €60-66 for a 0.75 L tin, against €150-160 for 2.5 L of self-polishing paint. It also needs a dedicated primer and a well-prepared hull, so the first application usually costs two to three times as much. It pays off most on boats that are used often, because it can last several seasons.
Condition of the hull
Painting over a sound bottom is quick. If paint is lifting or flaking, or the old and new coatings are incompatible, the hull has to be stripped by scraping, blasting or chemical stripper, then primed with epoxy. On a 10 m boat, stripping by hand can take 20-40 hours of work, plus €300-600 of primer and paint. If the hull shows blisters, rule out osmosis before you paint.
Port, country and season
March, April and May are peak months in the Mediterranean: there are waiting lists and less room to negotiate. Many yards discount for annual berth holders: an Andalusian marina takes 15% off lifts all year round, and a Croatian yard 30% from October to February. Work on Sundays, public holidays or out of hours often costs double.
Marina yard or independent contractor
A marina gives you everything in one place, but labour can be dearer and some do not allow outside contractors. An independent contractor working in a public yard or wash-down area is usually cheaper.
Worked example: 10 m (33 ft) sailboat
Take a 10 m fin-keel sailboat with a sound bottom and last year's self-polishing antifouling, in a Mediterranean marina outside peak season. Estimate including VAT:
- Lift-out and relaunch by travel lift, two movements: €230-520
- Pressure wash: €40-130
- 4 days ashore on stands: €50-120
- Light sanding and masking, 4-5 h: €180-330
- Two coats plus an extra coat at the waterline, 5-6 h: €220-390
- Paint: three 2.5 L tins of self-polishing antifouling: €450-570
- Propeller and shaft coating: €80-200
- Shaft and propeller anodes: €40-90
- Approximate total: €1,290-2,350
If the yard offers a fixed-price package like the Costa Brava one above, the same job comes to about €1,150-1,550 with VAT. If the hull also needs stripping and an epoxy barrier coat, add €1,200-2,500.
DIY or hire a professional?
Antifouling is one of the most affordable maintenance jobs for a reasonably handy owner. In the example above you would save around €400-700 in labour. The lift, the time ashore and the paint cost the same either way.
For DIY:
- Real savings on labour and full control over the preparation.
Against DIY:
- Not every yard allows it. Some charge a fee or require you to work only in the wash-down area with runoff and waste collection.
- It is physical, dirty work with toxic products. You need a mask with filters, gloves, goggles and disposable overalls.
- If it rains or you run out of time, every extra day ashore is charged.
- A mistake with compatibility or film thickness shows all season.
For a routine recoat on a sound bottom, DIY makes sense. For stripping, blister repair, a silicone system or boats over 12-14 m, a professional is better value.
How to save without cutting corners
- Book your lift-out in autumn or early winter, when there are free slots and berth-holder discounts.
- Have the hull pressure-washed the moment it leaves the water. It saves hours of scraping.
- Buy paint ahead of time and compare prices: the gap between offer and list price can exceed €40 a tin.
- Ask about lift-and-antifoul packages, which usually cost less than the parts added up.
- Choose antifouling for how you really use the boat: a mid-range self-polishing paint is enough for a weekend sailboat.
- Combine other jobs in the same haul-out, such as anodes, seacocks or the stern gland, so you only pay for the lift once.
- Stick with the same type of paint, or check compatibility before switching, so you do not have to strip the hull.
How to choose a professional
Get at least two or three written quotes and compare them line by line: lift, wash, days ashore, prep hours, brand and quantity of paint, metal parts and waste fees.
Questions worth asking:
- Which paint will you use, how many coats and how many litres?
- Are sanding and masking included, or charged by the hour?
- How many days ashore are included, and what does each extra day cost?
- What happens if the hull has blisters or lifting paint?
- Do you guarantee adhesion?
Red flags: prices far below everyone else's with no explanation of the paint used, refusing to itemise the quote, painting without washing or sanding, or not working in an approved wash-down area.
On Nautify you can find marine painters in Mallorca or haul-out services in Valencia, among other areas, and ask them for a quote directly. If you are still unsure which paint suits your boat, read our antifouling paint guide.
Conclusion
Antifouling is a fixed cost every season: budget €1,200-2,300 including VAT for a 10 m boat done professionally, and much less if you paint it yourself. What drives the bill up is not the paint but the lift, the days ashore and, above all, the condition of the hull. Planning the haul-out off-season, asking for itemised quotes and keeping the bottom in good shape year after year is the best way to keep costs down. If you need someone to do the job, Nautify lists painting and haul-out professionals in your area to compare.
