At Boat Beautiful, our staff are not only passionate about boats and the entire central Texas lake scene, but they also relish the satisfaction of a delicious meal after working on the docks. In this blog we’re combining two of our favorite things: local restaurants and showing off a beautiful boat!

There’s an undeniable allure to pulling up to your favorite restaurant in a boat, and in Austin, where the waterways are as iconic as the city itself, this experience is elevated to a whole new level. Join us as we delve into three of Austin’s most beloved eateries where you can dock your boat and indulge in culinary delights lakeside!

1. Hula Hut

The Hula Hut is a classic institution of Austin’s boat and restaurant culture since 1993. Nestled on the shores of Lake Austin, this Tex-Mex paradise offers a tropical island vibe and mouthwatering dishes like the famous Mango Chicken Quesadillas and signature Coconut Shrimp. Boaters and jet skiers often dock their vessels along the waterfront, soaking in the laid-back atmosphere and breathtaking views of the water and hill country by the dam. Let’s not forget about their delicious chips and salsa that you just can’t get enough of! Hula Hut perfectly embodies the fusion of Austin’s restaurant and boat culture! If you’re hitting the water in style, make sure your boat is looking flawless with Boat Beautiful.

2. Ski Shores Cafe

For over six decades, Ski Shores Cafe has been a beloved gathering spot for boaters and lake enthusiasts on Lake Austin. This family-owned restaurant exudes a charming, retro vibe that harkens back to the golden age of lakefront dining. Boaters can easily access the cafe’s dock and enjoy a menu filled with classic comfort foods and refreshing beverages. Whether you’re craving a juicy burger, a cold beer, or their famous frozen margaritas, Ski Shores Cafe promises a laid-back atmosphere and friendly hospitality that keeps guests coming back year after year.

3. Sundancer Grill

Nestled on the shores of Lake Travis, Sundancer Grill offers a perfect blend of stunning views and some of your all time favorite comfort food. Boaters can pull up to the restaurant’s dock and step ashore for some true Texas eats. From mouthwatering burgers to seafood favorites, Sundancer Grill’s menu has something for everyone. Whether you’re enjoying a leisurely lunch or catching a colorful sunset over the lake, Sundancer Grill promises a dining adventure that perfectly captures the essence of lakefront dining in Austin.

Picture this: cruising up to one of these beloved lakeside restaurants in your boat or jet ski, turning heads as you dock. Make a statement on the water by getting your boat detailed ahead of time by us at Boat Beautiful. With our expert services, your boat will shine as brightly as the dining experience awaiting you onshore. Click below to schedule service!

With Austin being the fastest growing city in the nation, the questions begs, what does the future hold for Austin’s lakes? Currently, in times of drought, the state has difficulty supplying enough water for the current population. This has led the City of Austin to adopt a “Water Forward” initiative. This initiative is a 100- year water plan that could ensure all Austinites have access to water.

The Water Forward initiative has a strong focus on water conservation and increasing the use of water-efficient products. This initiative also utilizes non-traditional sources of water. Examples of non-traditional sources of water are rain water, storm water and waste water. You can utilize these non-traditional sources in areas such as watering lawns, in your toilet, or for washing you clothes. These would save millions of gallons of potable water every year. These simple goals can help achieve long term sustainability of Austin and surrounding areas even in times of drought.

Rest assured that the City of Austin is doing everything they can to make sure our lakes stay full and beautiful. We encourage you to take part in Water Forward thinking to help conserve our currently full lakes.

We hope that you enjoy your time out on the lake! If you are looking to get your boat looking sparkling new, please reach out to us at any time. (512)963-3290.

These days more and more boat manufacturers are including special details in their designs to stand out. Whether that’s a collapsible tower, removable bimini, state-of-the-art sound system or impressive aesthetics, it’s a game of who can produce the most impressive product in an ever-growing competitive market.

This Centurion is no exception! The bold green and dense flake of the exterior gel coat makes this a stunner on and off the water. Check out this video of our process taking her from good to great!

The 4th of July means hotdogs, fireworks and most importantly time at the lake! This week we kept busy getting everyone’s toys ready to party this weekend.

We had an amazing black-sparkle Centurion come in for a full exterior detail and ceramic coating, a gorgeous Malibu 22LSV do a full exterior detail and ceramic coating, tower and window coating and a unique McLaren sports car do a detail and 5-year coating as well!

Our shop was hustle and bustle all week long but we managed to get everything done by the deadline so our staff can enjoy our 4th on the lake with our clients!

Take a look at these works of art. We had so much fun working on them this week. Next week is going to be even busier!

This Malibu came to us from the factory, so you’d think she’d be perfect right? Unfortunately not! As good as Malibu is at making wonderful boats, they don’t always look perfect when they arrive at your door.

That’s the main reason that we do a test spots on every single boat that we see, whether it’s a 2020, or 1990. Every boat is different and our trained technicians will diagnose exactly what is needed upon arrival at your boat.

It may take some extra time and effort, but going the extra mile is what Boat Beautiful is all about, and the results speak for themselves!

It was a very busy week here at Boat Beautiful! We’ve got a bigger staff than ever, so we can handle the craziness of this summer. In our shop this week we had three AMAZING boats come in for full details and ceramic coatings.

After a single-stage polish these babies are shining! Especially the flake finish really shows off how well the detail and ceramic coat lock in the beauty of a boat.

Take a look at these pics!

Usually, we ceramic coat in our private, enclosed shop. This way we can control the elements, and make sure the coating is as immaculate as possible. But, for bigger boats, sometimes that’s not possible.

This week we ceramic coated a 42′ Regal. This was far too big to fit indoors, so we had to get creative. The boat was in a covered slip, so we didn’t need to worry about rain so much, (plus living in Central Texas, it almost never rains!) But, we did have the challenge of how to polish and coat the sides of the hull that we couldn’t reach from the dock, or from leaning over the rails on the side.

This is where we excel. We are great at creative problem solving, and making sure the job gets done right! We reached out to our friends at local marina stores and found one of these, a BOTE floating pad.

We got her blown up, tied off to the boat, and our technician sat atop the water and went to work! She turned out absolutely beautiful and we couldn’t have been happier with the success of our solution.

So many people come to us asking what to use to maintain their details. After our technicians spend sometimes multiple days on a detail, people want them to last as long as possible. So, here are our recommendations for getting the most out of your details!

1. Wipe down your boat after every use. The best defense against water spots is keeping your boat free of the calcium buildup that our lakes are full of. Wipe down your boat with something PH balanced, so your wax doesn’t get stripped. We recommend our Ceramic Infused Water Spot Remover, or CCT spray for short. It’s specially formulated not to damage your boat, while providing strong water spot removal and even the added benefits of ceramic. You can find yours here.
2. We also love Hula Boat Care products! They’re marine safe and work wonders. Some of our favorite products are the Wipeout Vinyl Cleaner and Conditioner and the Chill Mold Retardant. They are awesome to keep around to freshen up the boat between details. You can find Hula products here.
3. The last thing that we recommend is getting on a regular detail schedule. We offer Bi-weekly, Monthly and Bi-monthly service to maintain your detail. We will keep everything sparkling for you and even keep up with your wax application between uses.

All in all, getting a detail is just the beginning of making your Boat Beautiful! Let us know how we can customize a solution that works for you.

We’ve all been there. Out for a day on the lake with the family and friends, everything is going well until you go to park her for the day. You get her up on the lift and notice hard, ugly water spots all over your exterior.

The lakes in Central Texas have some of the hardest calcium around. That makes those awful spots more prevalent, and more sticky.

If you just leave them there, they can turn into “hard” water spots, where the calcium actually eats away at the gel coat on your boat’s exterior and can cause serious damage that can cost thousands to fix.

Many people take to wiping down their boats after each use, which is the best way to make sure you don’t let those spots set in. But what do you use to wipe her down?

We’ve formulated a Ceramic Infused Water Spot Remover to solve this problem. The formula is designed to eat away at water spots without hurting your gel coat in any way, and the extra layer of Ceramic Coating acts as a protective layer for you as well.

Try yours here and let us know what you think!

With kids these days being so busy, it’s hard to carve out any true family time. Between school, sports, clubs and the ever-present phone all vying for attention. How are families supposed to spend any quality time together?

That’s where boats come in. Load the boat up with the whole family, disconnect from the rest of the world and make some memories that you’ll cherish forever.

So many families have adopted this model of quality time that it’s almost more common to see a boat full of kids in life jackets than a boat full of adults with beers. It’s effective, it’s easy, and in Central Texas it’s local.

After the big family weekend on the boat, she may look a little worse for the wear. That’s where we come in. She’ll need to have the chips vacuumed out of the carpet, the windows wiped of sticky prints and the outside wiped down from the calcium in the lake.

Give Boat Beautiful a call and we’ll get her back to looking great! (512) 963-3290