Boat Prices

I

imported_PaPaHoFF1

New member
Hey I am new to this territory because I was just asked by one of my car detailing customers to detail his 27ft Sea Ray. How would I go about an estimate on such a thing and is it similar to car's in terms of polish and wax etc. Thanks a lot!
 
I figure $25 a foot for a compound and wax, if it's badly faded, I price gelcoat restoration by the hour.



The paint is *much* harder than a car's. You'll want a rotary and wool pads. I like Presta Strata 1000 on a twisted wool pad for the first step, and Meg's Marine Line one-step (#67 I think) on a wool polishing pad for the 2nd step. You can top that with Collinite if desired.
 
I agree with themightytimmah. The gel coat is tough so a rotary and wool pads are a good choice. Just be sure the owner did not paint over the gelcoat with some spray paint or something. Also I recommend a polish without abrasives for gelcoat. Like Pure Polish. This will chemically remove any oxidation and will also remove any swirls. I'd top it off with Collinite as well. I'd clean the haul with a haul cleaner first. BioKleen comes to mind as good marine cleaners.



As for pricing it's hard to say since this will be your first job. I'd say, from the people I deal with, 50% price per foot and 50% per hour. Personally I like the per hour because two boats might be 25' long but one might have a lot deeper haul than the other, meaning more to detail.
 
I have burned out a DA on a 24' open fisherman. It's a lot more work than a car and you are working against gravity under the boat.
 
'Thanks for the info everyone. Will definitely do as stated. Also with the whole per foot pricing, Does this include detailing the inside as well? or you normally charge extra for that? Just want to have a fair price as I will be needing to buy some supplies for this project.'
 
Boats..hate em, but I make the exception if its a good customer. Wet sanding is T&M, as is the compounding to remove the wetsand scratches and haze to prep for further polishing. Prices are from 35 an hour wholesale to 50 an hour retail. The detail can be set up two ways, either I charge T&M if the boat has previous burns or other problems that are above the standard buff n wax, or I quote 18 per foot from the rub rail down, and 24 per foot for the entire boat including from the windshield to the tip of the bow. If its a partial wet sand I combine the both. Your best defense is pick the boat apart in front of the customer during the quote, just like a car. Be sure and point out burns or other issues you will ultimately get blamed for. Remember, this ain't a car, you will be on a ladder most of the time like an acrobat, and climbing like a monkey the rest of the time. You are being asked to perform a service that the customer can not, or will not do themselves. Therefore, make it worth it. If you fall off, this could be your last detail period. DO NOT sell yourself short by wheeling and dealing, you are indirectly telling the customer, "well, my quality really isn't that good, so I can bend on the price"..Bulls*it. I just put 60+ man hours into a 42.5 foot fountain and it sucked, but the boat looks killer, I've got an extra 3 grand in my pocket, and I never touched the interior or the trailer, but then again it only took 20 years to become an overnight sensation.... Wool compounding pads are your friend especially compunding but keep the r's low, use more product if you have to, and keep on rockin. I Usually mix up some nasty concoction for step 1 that would rip your skin off....Dont heat the gel or glass too much or you'll be polishing for the rest of your life to get the swirls out. Use a good silicone glaze like Malco Glaze II for your second step. Dont forget to light that baby up like the 4th of July or else when it gets out in the sun you'll get a phone call from some customer bitchin. Also, dont let some clown talk you into doing the boat in the water unless youre 20 and dont have a bad back yet, make them pull it out of there, especially if youre using a Dewalt or Milwaukee buffer...they are expensive, they drown immediately, and 60 cycle A/C power will kill you if the conditions are right. These guys got money, and they can afford to drydock the boat for a week if needed. Also, make sure they acid wash first or whatever has to be done so you can walk in, plug in, and start grindin. Good luck!!!:nomore:
 
Boats..hate em, but I make the exception if its a good customer. Wet sanding is T&M, as is the compounding to remove the wetsand scratches and haze to prep for further polishing. Prices are from 35 an hour wholesale to 50 an hour retail. The detail can be set up two ways, either I charge T&M if the boat has previous burns or other problems that are above the standard buff n wax, or I quote 18 per foot from the rub rail down, and 24 per foot for the entire boat including from the windshield to the tip of the bow. If its a partial wet sand I combine the both. Your best defense is pick the boat apart in front of the customer during the quote, just like a car. Be sure and point out burns or other issues you will ultimately get blamed for. Remember, this ain't a car, you will be on a ladder most of the time like an acrobat, and climbing like a monkey the rest of the time. You are being asked to perform a service that the customer can not, or will not do themselves. Therefore, make it worth it. If you fall off, this could be your last detail period. DO NOT sell yourself short by wheeling and dealing, you are indirectly telling the customer, "well, my quality really isn't that good, so I can bend on the price"..Bulls*it. I just put 60+ man hours into a 42.5 foot fountain and it sucked, but the boat looks killer, I've got an extra 3 grand in my pocket, and I never touched the interior or the trailer, but then again it only took me 20 years to become an overnight sensation.... Wool compounding pads are your friend especially compunding but keep the r's low, use more product if you have to, and keep on rockin. I Usually mix up some nasty concoction for step 1 that would rip your skin off....Dont heat the gel or glass too much or you'll be polishing for the rest of your life to get the swirls out. Use a good silicone glaze like Malco Glaze II for your second step. Dont forget to light that baby up like the 4th of July or else when it gets out in the sun you'll get a phone call from some customer bitchin. Also, dont let some clown talk you into doing the boat in the water unless youre 20 and dont have a bad back yet, make them pull it out of there, especially if youre using a Dewalt or Milwaukee buffer...they are expensive, they drown immediately, and 60 cycle A/C power will kill you if the conditions are right. These guys got money, and they can afford to drydock the boat for a week if needed. Also, make sure they acid wash first or whatever has to be done so you can walk in, plug in, and start grindin. Good luck!!!:bigups
 
Whitey said:
Boats..hate em, but I make the exception if its a good customer. Wet sanding is T&M, as is the compounding to remove the wetsand scratches and haze to prep for further polishing. Prices are from 35 an hour wholesale to 50 an hour retail. The detail can be set up two ways, either I charge T&M if the boat has previous burns or other problems that are above the standard buff n wax, or I quote 18 per foot from the rub rail down, and 24 per foot for the entire boat including from the windshield to the tip of the bow. If its a partial wet sand I combine the both. Your best defense is pick the boat apart in front of the customer during the quote, just like a car. Be sure and point out burns or other issues you will ultimately get blamed for. Remember, this ain't a car, you will be on a ladder most of the time like an acrobat, and climbing like a monkey the rest of the time. You are being asked to perform a service that the customer can not, or will not do themselves. Therefore, make it worth it. If you fall off, this could be your last detail period. DO NOT sell yourself short by wheeling and dealing, you are indirectly telling the customer, "well, my quality really isn't that good, so I can bend on the price"..Bulls*it. I just put 60+ man hours into a 42.5 foot fountain and it sucked, but the boat looks killer, I've got an extra 3 grand in my pocket, and I never touched the interior or the trailer, but then again it only took me 20 years to become an overnight sensation.... Wool compounding pads are your friend especially compunding but keep the r's low, use more product if you have to, and keep on rockin. I Usually mix up some nasty concoction for step 1 that would rip your skin off....Dont heat the gel or glass too much or you'll be polishing for the rest of your life to get the swirls out. Use a good silicone glaze like Malco Glaze II for your second step. Dont forget to light that baby up like the 4th of July or else when it gets out in the sun you'll get a phone call from some customer bitchin. Also, dont let some clown talk you into doing the boat in the water unless youre 20 and dont have a bad back yet, make them pull it out of there, especially if youre using a Dewalt or Milwaukee buffer...they are expensive, they drown immediately, and 60 cycle A/C power will kill you if the conditions are right. These guys got money, and they can afford to drydock the boat for a week if needed. Also, make sure they acid wash first or whatever has to be done so you can walk in, plug in, and start grindin. Good luck!!!:bigups
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You're assuming that everyone lives in an area that has people wanting to pay $3000 for a detail on a boat.
 
Whitey said:
Boats..hate em, but I make the exception if its a good customer. Wet sanding is T&M, as is the compounding to remove the wetsand scratches and haze to prep for further polishing. Prices are from 35 an hour wholesale to 50 an hour retail. The detail can be set up two ways, either I charge T&M if the boat has previous burns or other problems that are above the standard buff n wax, or I quote 18 per foot from the rub rail down, and 24 per foot for the entire boat including from the windshield to the tip of the bow. If its a partial wet sand I combine the both. Your best defense is pick the boat apart in front of the customer during the quote, just like a car. Be sure and point out burns or other issues you will ultimately get blamed for. Remember, this ain't a car, you will be on a ladder most of the time like an acrobat, and climbing like a monkey the rest of the time. You are being asked to perform a service that the customer can not, or will not do themselves. Therefore, make it worth it. If you fall off, this could be your last detail period. DO NOT sell yourself short by wheeling and dealing, you are indirectly telling the customer, "well, my quality really isn't that good, so I can bend on the price"..Bulls*it. I just put 60+ man hours into a 42.5 foot fountain and it sucked, but the boat looks killer, I've got an extra 3 grand in my pocket, and I never touched the interior or the trailer, but then again it only took me 20 years to become an overnight sensation.... Wool compounding pads are your friend especially compunding but keep the r's low, use more product if you have to, and keep on rockin. I Usually mix up some nasty concoction for step 1 that would rip your skin off....Dont heat the gel or glass too much or you'll be polishing for the rest of your life to get the swirls out. Use a good silicone glaze like Malco Glaze II for your second step. Dont forget to light that baby up like the 4th of July or else when it gets out in the sun you'll get a phone call from some customer bitchin. Also, dont let some clown talk you into doing the boat in the water unless youre 20 and dont have a bad back yet, make them pull it out of there, especially if youre using a Dewalt or Milwaukee buffer...they are expensive, they drown immediately, and 60 cycle A/C power will kill you if the conditions are right. These guys got money, and they can afford to drydock the boat for a week if needed. Also, make sure they acid wash first or whatever has to be done so you can walk in, plug in, and start grindin. Good luck!!!:bigups
Click to expand...



This might just be the best post in the marine detailing forum yet! :LOLOL
 
27 foot sea ray is almost a 6 figure boat, 43 fountain probably what, 200k? Worth the 3 grand.



On boats more than cars, the restoration is phenomenal, you can charge a ton because the owner of even a mildly oxidized boat will drop his jaw. If you just need to wash and wax use brushes and polishers on poles and go.



I like boats personally...
 
I worked for a professional boat detailing company for 4 years while I was in high school. I can most assuredly tell you that it should cost SUBSTANTIALLY more than a car. We had teams of 3 people who would spend 8-10hrs per boat, and my employer charged between $30-40/foot (depending on amount of fiberglass, level of oxidation, etc). Most of our clientele was in the 30-45ft range, and none of them ever complained about the price. For an extra charge, we'd even do rub-rail down while the boat was in the water (yes, suction cups and inflatable row-boats).



You have figure, the average car costs $30-$40K with an above-average detail job running $300-$400. That's roughly 1% of the price of the car. Your brand new 27ft Sea Ray costs upwards of $150K, so 1% of that is $1,500.



Don't sell yourself short, if you do a quality job then charge a quality price!! Boat owners are good for it, or else they wouldn't own the boat!
 
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