Holzem opens Badger Boat Detailing
In August 2025, Chris Holzem began Badger Boat Detail. Holzem said the name of his business got its start from some research he did to find the best materials he would need to work. This product, he said, is called Glidecoat.
After finding out what he needed to know about the product he and the gentleman he was on the phone with both realized they are from Wisconsin, he said. As time went on, they became more familiar with one another.
“He started calling me, Badger Chris, and then eventually we just started calling it, Badger Boat. That’s how Badger Boat Detail came up. It’s a combination of his idea and my idea,” Holzem said.
It’s two guys from Wisconsin, he explained, who don’t want to let go of their upbringing and where they came from. Before beginning this business, his boating experience had been up in Wisconsin, he said.
“We’d pull the boat in every year — in fall time we’d clean it all up and put a coat of wax on it — and it’s all good again for another year,” Holzem said, explaining that in Wisconsin waxing a boat could last 6 to 7 months or sometimes even several years.
Of course, here in Florida, this would never be the case, which is where Holzem’s business comes in handy for boat owners. Waxing your boat, he said, is actually more work than putting a ceramic coating on a boat.
“Most of the work comes in during the prepping — getting it as shiny as possible by using the polishing compounds, but once you have it as shiny as possible, it’s more work putting wax on the boat than it is ceramic. You just put it on with a sponge — usually in a 3 by 3 area and let it sit for 20 or 30 seconds and then you wipe that all back off again and go on to the next 3 by 3 area,” Holzem said.
When you put a second coat of ceramic on, he explained, it will activate the first coat and they bond together. Once the second coat is added, he said, you wait approximately 72 hours and the process will be complete.
Once Holzem realized he could prep, polish and coat boats in ceramic himself, he said he knew he could do this himself.
“I did my boat and I did a couple of friend’s boats and I decided this was something I liked doing,” he said.
Holzem said boats need regular care and they will offer a custom maintenance plan to fit anyone’s boating habits — whether out weekly monthly or seasonally. You can call today to get a quote at (239) 486-2470, or email info@badgerboatdetail.com.
Badger Boat Detailing is at 9101 Stringfellow Road, St James City, FL 33956. The hours of operation are Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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