Been asked to Polish a BIG boat...what to I need?

M

Mitchubishievo

New member
So my buddy calls me up and asks if I can polish his dad's 56' long 200 Sea Ray 560 :buffing: . I asked right away, and have verified that it is GEL COAT. I've got both a PC and Rotary, but nothing more aggresive than a wool pad (never opened) and Hyper Compound, Powergloss, and #84.



THE QUESTION: What pads and polishes, if any, do I need to do this detail? I havn't completely agreed to it yet, but I'd like the cash and the reward of finishing a HUGE job.





BTW, this will only be the part of the hual that is above the water, but still, 56 feet should take at least 2 days right? Does 500-600 sound reasonable to polish and protect it, working about 10-11 hours a day?



UPDATE



I had him all wrong...when he said the uper portion, he literally meant above the deck. So now what should I do? I told him I need to see the boat first...
 
you should use marine products.



Use a good quality boat wash.



Meguiars offers M49 heavy oxidation remover and M44 Boat polish.



and you can use the collinite wax.



I'm asuming your just doing the exterior.

$15 per foot is about what I would charge for that.



Is it dry docked? a scaffold can be rented from home depot for the hull.
 
I used to detail boats many moons ago. I worked at a Sea Ray marina for 2 years so I am very familiar with those boats!



If you haven't done any boats before, be sure to wash, dry, the compound (most boats need it as they are often neglected and face harsh elements.



Few tips:

Amazon roll off/simple green is your friend, be sure to dilute and use it for the initial wash.



After compounding, you will need to wash again to remove the compound from the NON-Skid surfaces. I would used a medium bristled deck brush for the non-skid and a soft one or a sponge for the smooth areas.



Does the boat have any teak? If so you will need an acid stripper and oil. The ones I used were a 2 part stripper (Acid and neutralizer) - WEAR RUBBER GLOVES!! Ver caustic stuff and will burn your skin!) - A stiff nylon brush will remove all dirt from the teak, then apply neutralizer, hose off allow to dry, light sanding, then oil!



For vinyl seating surfaces - ALWAYS test a small area first. For some reason, many manufacturers use very sensitive vinyls that tend to run. DIlute your APC whichever you choose to avoid streaking.



We always used a rotary for the entire process. With 2 guys on the 63 footer, we can do a topside detail in under 8 hrs.



Pricing is usually given on a per foot basis. Call boat detailers in your area and see what they charge per foot for topsides in addition to hulls (so you can reference in the future) Hulls are super easy to do when the boats are out of the water and you can make great money!



Keep in mind that if you are working in a marina, I will bet anything that you will get a few more jobs as you're working!



If you have any ?'s, feel free to shoot a PM. I'll try to think of some other tips.



Oh - BE CAREFUL USING THE ROTARY NEAR ANTENNA'S & WIRES! Safer to do by hand.



KEEP THE EXTENSION CORD OUT OF THE WATER!!!!
 
Mitchubishievo said:
UPDATE



I had him all wrong...when he said the uper portion, he literally meant above the deck. So now what should I do? I told him I need to see the boat first...
Click to expand...



so I'm thinking he basically wants the exterior of the cabin polished and waxed. which is better for you.



take a look at the boat,ask what does he exactly want done, besides the gelcoat?



this is a $750,000 boat so don't be afraid to charge



This is a sea-ray 560

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Excellent....that's EXACTLY what I needed to know folks! It's going to be the above deck, and I believe I don't have to do the floor or anything like that...just the painted surfaces need to be washed, polished, and sealed. Its really 62 feet according to him...it has some sort of an extension that needs some work too. He wants my price and then wants to compare it to the boat shop's prices...I told him I need to see the boat first. And, since I have no gel coat items yet, I figure I'll need to spend 100-150 for gel coat pads and polishes, so I need to know what I'm looking at before I dive in to territory I'm un accustomed with. The only thing I was told is they want it to look nice and "shiney" again...and my friend told his dad that the only way that'll happen is if it's polished by machine.
 
Call the same boat shop and tell them you have a 45' Carver 450 voyager, with a flybridge



Ask them how much to wash, polish and wax it above the deck



then you can figure out how much per foot they get
 
Don't use anything more aggressive than a wool pad on your rotary. Any good quality abrasive polish should do. It mostly depends on the shape of the gel coat. Oxidized and weathered / aged gel coat becomes porous and seems to soak up all the product you put on it. If this is the case go more aggressive (I'm talking compound) and then follow up with something more mild. Above the deck portions are usually the hardest and most time consuming to detail because they get the most UV exposure and tend to weather quickly. They also are not all flat surfaces so that makes it a bit more difficult too. Follow up with a quality sealant and and remember not to wax any textured portions that you walk on.



I use zaino on my dads 31 silverton (by hand) and I have never had to use an abrasive product on it yet.



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