Doing a boat?

[eric77]

I was supposed to detail an M3 this weekend, but when I called to reconfirm, the customer said the M is out, but was wondering if I could do his 23` boat instead. It is a gelcoat and according to him is oxidized. I said I could do the job and quoted him 250. How long do you think this should take? Is my quote fair?



Now, I currently only use a pc ro and am wondering if this is going to be enough. Also, I have poorboys, optimum, menzerna, and meguiars car polishes but I have heard I would be beter off picking up some meguiars dedicated marine chemical cleaners and polishes. Do you have any recommendations for particular products? Thanks in advance :thx

[DETAILKING]

You don`t need any special marine products, but you will see that to bring back an oxidized gel coat you will have to go a lot more aggressive than what you would do on a car. On poor boat finishes, I use 3M super duty compound with a wool pad, then follow up with a finer polish, and last, apply a sealant. If it is very bad, nothing will bring it back. Be prepared to spend a lot of time on this boat if it`s in bad shape. Are you doing the entire boat? Or just the hull?

[hondaguy2582]

Im assuming you have a rotary polisher? If so good. Pick up a 3m polish that is for moderate to heavy oxidation. Im not big on super duty rubbing compound bc I find it to be too harsh for majority of boats(imo). Follow up with either 3m finesse it 2 or 3m foam pad finishing glaze, and then use a good wax like collinite fleetwax paste or 3m marine wax.





I used to detail boats for 2 months for a company. This is the process we used and it worked well for 50-60`!!!

[eric77]

Im assuming you have a rotary polisher? If so good. Pick up a 3m polish that is for moderate to heavy oxidation. Im not big on super duty rubbing compound bc I find it to be too harsh for majority of boats(imo). Follow up with either 3m finesse it 2 or 3m foam pad finishing glaze, and then use a good wax like collinite fleetwax paste or 3m marine wax.





I used to detail boats for 2 months for a company. This is the process we used and it worked well for 50-60`!!!

I actually only have a pc. Will this be enough?

[doged]

I actually only have a pc. Will this be enough?



IMO,You need a rotary with a wool pad and some aggressive polish. If the client say it’s Oxidized then it’s going to be bad but you never know. A PC is going to wear you out!!!

[DETAILKING]

You definately need a rotary.

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

Eric,



The age of the boat and the condition of the gelcoat are the two most important factors to consider when it comes to polishing and waxing a boat.



In your case, the owner has given you an idea of the condition. You should keep in mind that once the gelcoat becomes oxidized, either because of lack of regular maintenance or old age, it is not going to be easy to restore the finish to its original condition. Sure the surface can be worked to bring back a gloss, however in most cases the boat will usually begin to re-oxidize within a week or so. Sometimes the oxidation will begin to re-appear within a few days. This is usually the case with oxidized boats that are over five years old.



When it comes to detailing a boat, it would be better for you to use boat specific products for cleaning, polishing and waxing. Boat polishes and waxes are designed to be used on gelcoat finishes. Use your car products for cars and boat products for boats.



Another thing to think about is that the price you quoted is way below what most boat detailing businesses charge. At $250 you are basically a little above $10 per foot. Of course, your price should be based on your own situation, considering your operating expenses and other business costs. However, most boat detailing prices average between $20 to $25 per foot for a complete detailing. That would work out to between $450 to $575 for a 23 foot boat in average condition.



A good rule to keep in mind is that most boats require about two feet per hour for a complete detailing. So the time needed to complete a 23 foot boat will usually work out to about 12 hours.



I hope this helps.

[Scottwax]

I would run by your local Meguiars distributor and pick up some boat/rv specific products if you are going to work by PC. Oxidized gel coats are really tought to bring back without some very aggressive products.



Also, never give a firm quote over the phone, especially with boats. They are usually much dirtier than cars are and take a lot longer to detail than you might think. You could be looking at 10+ hours on this one.

[DETAILKING]

Mirrorfinishman has some very good points. Typically when the gelcoat becomes oxidized and aged, it starts to become porous. At this point it is very difficult to wax, as the wax just seems to take forever to buff off. When polishing and buffing, the oils from the polish seep into the gelcoat and make it appear to have been restored. A few hours or days later, it looks exactly like it did before you touched it. Sometimes the only solution is a respray.



In my experience colored gelcoat is the hardest to restore. White or off white you can work with but if the boat is in bad shape, it will be a frustrating and long day. On the other hand, if the boat just has light oxidation, you should be able to breeze right through it.



How old is the boat?

[imported_mirrorfinishman]

In my experience colored gelcoat is the hardest to restore. White or off white you can work with but if the boat is in bad shape, it will be a frustrating and long day. On the other hand, if the boat just has light oxidation, you should be able to breeze right through it.



How old is the boat?



DETAILKING has it right. It is always the darker color gelcoats that appear to oxidize long before white.



I was recently at a local marina and noticed heavy oxidation on a boat with a dark blue hull. What was interesting is that the oxidation was only on both sides of the rear lower stern area above the waterline. The rest of the boat looked okay. I checked the serial number and could not believe that the boat was only a 2003. That just goes to show how the UV rays of the sun can attack the gelcoat and why it is so important to polish and wax everything on a regular basis.

[eric77]

Thanks for the input guys. I think I will call him tomorrow and get a little more information on the boat. I gave him a rough price of 250 but explained that I charge based on time and effort required so it could be more or less. I assumed that the boat would be fairly quick and easy to fix since all I was taking car of was oxidation. On cars, I have never had much trouble removing this but it sounds like gelcoats are much different. I may just reschedule him until I get a rotary.

[eric77]

It is a 23" white ski boat and was just detailed last year. It has been used only twice since then so I am hoping it is still in pretty decent condition. I am off to west marine to pick up some gel coat products. Hpefully, this job isn`t too tought.

[Brian_Brice]

yeah and the fact that its only been used twice doesnt really mean much when it comes to boats, i detailed and kept up about 30 pontoons last year and ten to fifteen malibus and every week they sat more and more bonded contaminants seemed to evolve on land very strange, just the fact that your client says its oxidized most likely means the worst, as most lamen dont have an eye for what exactly is going on.

[Scottwax]

just the fact that your client says its oxidized most likely means the worst, as most lamen dont have an eye for what exactly is going on.



:werd: Agree 1000% percent. Be afraid, be very afraid! :nervous2:

[eric77]

okay, I survived!!! Luckily only the 2 black areas pictured below were oxidized. Had the entire boat been oxidized it would have made for a very, very, very long day!



no befores but this black part was badly oxidized

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/6590/dsc00444qu.jpg



http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/9066/dsc00469ow.jpg