Paul’s yard on Bluffton Road
Custom Marine Finishes is a licensed and insured refinishing yard at 138 Bluffton Rd (Hwy 46) in Bluffton, run by its owner, Paul. He brings more than 24 years of hands-on marine work to every hull, including five years of European apprentice training in fabrication, structural repair, glassing, coatings and finish work, alongside boat builders and fabrication teams in England and Italy.
years on boats, five of them as an apprentice in England and Italy
That training shows in how the yard is run. Repair, paint and detail work happens in protected indoor bays, every job starts with an evaluation and a clearly defined scope of work, and the quote is a fixed price with no surprise hourly billing at pick-up. Paul’s own question sums up the pitch: why buy a new boat when our professionals can make it new again?
Hulls in coat order, from primer to boot line
Frames from the bays and the lot on Bluffton Road. Scroll sideways.
Primer on a hull bottom, outdrive bagged 
Deck gelcoat refinish under the bay lights 
Navy topsides with the bay lights in the gloss 
Taped boot line over fresh bottom paint 
New red boot stripe above dark bottom paint 
Refinished console gelcoat with new rod holders 
Polishing a white hull by hand 
Seafoam-green console, finished, outside the shop
Who handles the hull, and in what order
Paul is the owner and the one who evaluates the boat, explains what needs doing and writes the fixed-price quote. A reviewer on the yard’s own reviews page names the rest of the crew: Doug, the marine mechanic, and Carson, the detailer. The yard is also an outboard service center with a factory technician for Yamaha, Suzuki and Mercury, repowers included.
The paint is Awlgrip, Awlcraft and Alexseal. Bottoms go on as a certified Sea Hawk Bottom Paint Center, ceramic coatings as a certified Glidecoat Pro center, and detailing runs on Starke products. See every service or the gallery.
The coat schedule
Wash, then inspect for cracks, chips and soft spots
Repair what the inspection found: fair, reinforce, rebuild
Primer
Two base coats, and a clear coat if the job calls for it
Boot stripe, decals and the boat's name
Every project begins with an evaluation of the vessel. The finish at the end is easier to clean than the one that came in.
Handed back when Paul said it would be
4.9 out of 5 from 100 Google reviews
“Paul and the Team at Custom Marine Finishes transformed by 2012 Sea Ray 270 SLX into a brand new boat. The boat was originally navy and Paul painted my boat an ice blue awlgrip finish so it will never fade. Paul got even the teakwork to look new again. I highly recommend Paul and his team for meticulous work and finish.”
Gary Bolton, Google
Gregory Clarke“Paul did a phenomenal job on my custom 20 foot panga. He did everything he said he was going to do and stayed within the budget we discussed throughout the whole process. I had a small hiccup with one of the hatches due to contamination while painting and he immediately fixed the issue and had the hatch back to me in a timely manner. Great customer service and quality work”
Peter Denigris“Custom Marine Finishes did a remarkable job bottom painting my pontoon boat. It was a pleasure doing business with Paul. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommend this business for your boating needs.”
Craig“...Paal did everything he said he would. The boat truly looks brand new. No more white haze on the gelcoat, no scratches, gouges, etc. Just a showroom finish on the interior and exterior of the boat. ... And everything is protected with ceramic coating. Paal is a good guy, very knowledgeable, transparent, explains things in layperson terms, shares his wisdom and is honest. I wouldn't go anywhere else for this type of work.”
Michael Wilson“...He got it done in time and it looks new again! I would highly recommend him for any repair work. High quality work and very knowledgeable! I plan to go back next week to have him do the ceramic coating.”
From the yard’s own reviews page
“Our boat needed extensive repair. They sucked 13 gal. of water out of the hull and repaired the hole in our boat. They also resurfaced the deck of our boat and painted it on the outside. All of this work and we had our boat back in one week. It was a great decision to go with Custom Marine Finishes. Paul and his crew were very personable and they did an outstanding job on our boat. Paul really went the extra mile with customer service.”
Tucker Byrd
“Had my 23' boat waxed and bottom painted here. Paul (owner) is clearly an expert in all facets of boat restoration! ... Doug (marine mechanic) and Carson (detailer) clearly take ownership in their work and are outstanding! ... They are very busy and you need to be patient to get an appointment. It's worth the wait!”
Fishing Focus
“...I'm not only pleased with the quality of the work, I'm even more impressed with how Paul took the time to explain what needed to be done, how it would be done, and why. ... after seeing the quality work they do on the other boats in the yard, I'm going to have him completely repaint it.”
Ricky Frazier
“CMF/Paul took an older boat I bought that looked to be never taken care of. All the finishes were worn and rough! ... Now have a boat I can be proud of. Exceeded expectations. Highly recommend!”
Russell Sowers
“Couldn't be happier with the quality of service and professionalism from Custom Marine Finishes! Paul went over in detail what needed to be done on my boat and what he quoted, was what he charged. It was completed on time, when he said it would be finished. The boat looks fabulous!”
Karen Ryan
“Just an absolute pleasure to work with! They not only did a fabulous job repairing my boat and customizing the belly paint job, but they were incredibly professional and fun every step of the way. They went over and above to ensure the boat would be ready BEFORE the deadline.”
Laura Morgan
Shorter notes from the same page, from owners with a bottom job, a floor repair or a full restoration.
“Can't say enough good things about Paul at Custom Marine Finishes in Bluffton, SC! Completely restored our '85 Outrage and its even better than we could have imagined...looks brand new!”
Betsy Dargan
“Paul got my boat in quick and repaired the flooring, gave it a fresh coat of paint on the bottom. Couldn't be happier with the quality of service.”
Elizabeth Tuyls
“I can't recommend this place enough. They did great work for a reasonable price in a quick time frame. My boat never looked better, engine is running perfect.”
Carson Cash
“Completed the bottom paint project earlier than expected and right on budget. Excellent customer service and workmanship. I will be a return customer.”
Kenny Blackwood
Bring the boat to Bluffton Road
The yard is open Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and weekends by appointment only. Call Paul with the make, the length and what needs doing, or send the details and he will set up the inspection.