Getting to the hull.

[AlphaOmega]

Okay, this is for anyone who does boats regularly.....
How do you get to all parts of the hull of a trailered boat? There are going to be parts of that hull resting on bunks or rollers. So what do you do to make sure you are hitting every inch with wax, buffer, etc?

[Troy@Protekt]

Good question.

I only get what I can get when it`s trailered. The marinas usually have stands that allow you to get to more of the hull.

[RTexasF]

You have to have access to a large hoist like the boat dealers get the boats off the truck with. Even then you may have to set it back on the trailer to adjust the straps. Another possibility is one of the huge forklifts that lift boats to the water from their storage stall. Just tell the owner you will get what you can.

[AlphaOmega]

Okay, let me throw this out....and Troy, maybe you know something about this......Agreements with marinas?? I mean, do boat detailers do that? Get with a marina and negotiate haulout fees so they can work on boats. I don`t know whether to arrange that myself or tell a customer to get the boat hauled-out and set up then call me when it`s ready.

Get this, I have a client who wants a price on detailing a boat for her uncle as a gift. She doesn`t know what kind it is or even its length. I keep telling her I need to know these things to price it and she keeps asking for a "ball park figure."

[CharlesW]

My boat polishing was regular, once a year for 33 years.

The bottom of my boats didn`t get machine polished, just the top and sides.
I hand waxed the bottom as best I could on the trailer and then finished the job after the boat was on the lift. Since I was often in the water, I didn`t use an electric polisher. If the underside of the hull is clean, it`s not that difficult to polish and wax by hand. It doesn`t get much oxidation below the water line.
Two fiberglass boats were cared for in that way, one for 19 years, another for 14 years and they both looked pretty good when I sold them.

Good move on avoiding the "Ballpark" quote. Those can often come back to haunt you.