Envious Eric
New member
price it just like a RV, by the foot? same process and what not, maybe shine more chrome and condition vinyl seats....
boat detailing
- Thread starter Envious Eric
- Start date
David Fermani
Forza Auto Salon
I usually charged $10-20 per linear foot. Good luck making a neglected 5+ year old boat finish look and stay shiny. I always hated doing them unless they were very well kept. The interiors are very easy and can get wet during cleaning, but the exteriors(gel coat) is nothing like doing auto paint. Buff a portion of the finish and that will tell you what you're about to deal with.
Envious Eric
New member
well the boat in question is 2002 wakeboard boat....obviously it may not come out perfect if its been neglected, but AI hae yet to encounter someone expecting miracles on their old neglected car/toy....hopefully that never happens to me....lol
imported_mirrorfinishman
New member
toyotaguy said:
Here's a link to an interesting article that was printed in Professional Carwashing & Detailing magazine. Plenty of good information about pricing and how to get started in detailing boats.
Get on board with boat detailing
http://www.carwash.com/article.asp?IndexID=6630457
Envious Eric
New member
yeah this one is a wakeboard boat, and I quoted a range of prices for different processes, just like a car....$5, $11, $18, and $23....all per foot....we'll see what happens, the guys on the forum tend to not want to spend money, but rather look for cheap work....oh well
imported_mirrorfinishman
New member
Compared to detailing cars, there is a lot more involved in cleaning, polishing and waxing boats. That is because you are constantly working with different materials, such as fiberglass gelcoats, vinyl & cloth canvas, teak wood, chrome & stainless steel, vinyl upholstery, glass & plastic windows. The key to detailing boats is learning how to work smarter, not harder.
Envious Eric
New member
yeah I hear you....this would be my first boat, but i have done jetskis in the past....i also quoted for the trailer polish and wax too....i think it adds to the overall look of a freshly detailed boat...
toyotaguy said:
That's funny...I've actually experienced that a few times with so-called Autopians that have sought out my assistance...where they actually seemed to balk at my prices a little bit...like they expected a clay, compound, polish, and wax job to run $100 or something (I only charge $200 for this which is more than fair considering the quality of my work).
When I did boats, my employers typically charged per foot. There a per foot price for HULLS and a per foot price for TOP SIDES. For Hulls, obviously these were done when the boat was pulled (Typically spring or fall unless it was pulled for maintance).
Hulls are super easy. I enjoyed doing them as long as they were chocked really low and I didn't need a ladder. If you have a helper lay some compund on just ahead of you, you can bang out a hull really fast! FOr teh most part hulls are smooth easy pieces. The transom was the biggest biotch with the cables from the loran, motors if outboards, swim platforms...etc, but nothing too bad.
Doing teak is a PITA but not very hard either. The chemicals to do it right are expensive and if you want it to look killer, you need to sand it smooth before sealing with oil. Always oil the teak after you seal the gelcoat and for best results & allow the teak to dry fully (Sometimes we would go back a day or 2 later to do the teak) before oiling).
I think boats could be a very lucrative field for many of you guys. One guy I worked for got a contract with a huge marina and that was enough work for him and up to 6-8 guys. He would sell weekly washes, wash n wax, etc.
Interiors aren't as hard as they appear. 3M gum and adhesive eliminated just about every problem. ALso, scrubbing the vinyl with a scotchbrite pad and an APC worked wonders on the vinyl pieces. Believe it or not, a very good wash took care of most of the work. Just need to be careful of not getting wax on non-skid surfaces, not hitting the smooth gelcoat with the scotchbrite pads, and be sure to lift all the hatches and clean those out! Think of them as the wheels wells of cars! LOL
Figure it this way, if you do 1 boat for about $400-600 and it takes a full day, you would need at least 2 if not 3 cars to get the same. Only thing with a boat is you will need a helper as it more than cuts the time in half! My boss was the biggest tool and he made a ton of money.
Hulls are super easy. I enjoyed doing them as long as they were chocked really low and I didn't need a ladder. If you have a helper lay some compund on just ahead of you, you can bang out a hull really fast! FOr teh most part hulls are smooth easy pieces. The transom was the biggest biotch with the cables from the loran, motors if outboards, swim platforms...etc, but nothing too bad.
Doing teak is a PITA but not very hard either. The chemicals to do it right are expensive and if you want it to look killer, you need to sand it smooth before sealing with oil. Always oil the teak after you seal the gelcoat and for best results & allow the teak to dry fully (Sometimes we would go back a day or 2 later to do the teak) before oiling).
I think boats could be a very lucrative field for many of you guys. One guy I worked for got a contract with a huge marina and that was enough work for him and up to 6-8 guys. He would sell weekly washes, wash n wax, etc.
Interiors aren't as hard as they appear. 3M gum and adhesive eliminated just about every problem. ALso, scrubbing the vinyl with a scotchbrite pad and an APC worked wonders on the vinyl pieces. Believe it or not, a very good wash took care of most of the work. Just need to be careful of not getting wax on non-skid surfaces, not hitting the smooth gelcoat with the scotchbrite pads, and be sure to lift all the hatches and clean those out! Think of them as the wheels wells of cars! LOL
Figure it this way, if you do 1 boat for about $400-600 and it takes a full day, you would need at least 2 if not 3 cars to get the same. Only thing with a boat is you will need a helper as it more than cuts the time in half! My boss was the biggest tool and he made a ton of money.