Need help with pricing situation. Boat experience a Plus

[BaLisTeK]

Hey guys I just got me a boat. A guy just gave me 3 of his cars and he wants to do his 24ft boat. I havent seen the boat yet but I dont think it will be in horrible condition. Whats a fair price when cleaning boats. Proly just put some acid to clean then wax and polish all metal and stuff like that. Is multiplying length of boat by 10 a good method. 240 sound fair? or higher/lower?

He's also a family friend and a really really good source for referrals.

Also, Im getting paid 320 to do all three of his cars, if that helps any.

Thanks

[themightytimmah]

240 is a pretty good cost, as thats figuring 8 hours of work at 30/hour, but remeber that boat gelcoats are thick and hard. You're going to want to use a rotary on them (theyre 10 times thicker then car paint, pretty hard to F em up unless you're trying).

I've never detailed a boat, but my uncle owns one and he is ANAL about it, so I've picked up a few tips on it. Use a rotary with a polishing pad, keep the RPMS under 1500 (1000-1200 if you're fairly new), and use Collinite cleaner boat wax (forgot the # on it, 877 maybe?).

Also, when going by feet, remember that boat surface area increases exponentially as you go up by feet. A 40' cabin cruiser is going to have more than two times the area to polish than a 20' whaler.

-Tim