boats

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shaunthebadboy

New member
do any of you deal with any boats? the reason that i ask is becuase the other day when i got finished doing a job, my neighbor approached me and asked if i would do his boat for him and about how much it would cost. i told them that i had never dealt with a boat and imagine that you would go through pretty much the same steps as you would a car when detailing a boat.



the boat (i think) about a 27-30 open top single 250 engine boat. as you can tell i dont know much about boats and i was wondering how much you would charge someone to do the exterior (wash, clay, polish, seal) and how much you would charge to do a full interior/exterior detail. is there anything i should know when detailing a boat that is different than doing a car?

thanks
 
I have done one boat. It wasn't the most exciting thing (it was nice being on the water with a bit of a breeze I suppose), but it wasn't very difficult.
 
Yes, I also offer boat detailing.



Here's an article about professional boat cleaning and detailing that was printed in the May 2000 edition of Professional Carwashing & Detailing magazine.

http://www.carwash.com/article.asp?IndexID=6630457



Summary: For detailers living near waterways, boat detailing can be a natural extension of auto detailing, with few barriers to entry. Getting started can be relatively easy, but there are a number of considerations before taking on those first customers. What to charge for boat detailing services is also covered in this article.
 
Boats are a great way to get your name out there. People with boats talk as they are always together at the dock. before you know it they will all start to call you
 
I did a boat this summer... first off the PC wont cut through the gelcoat AT ALL!



I used my PC on 6 with Diamond cut and it didnt dent it at all.



Secondly, I did the boat outside... it was a hot day and it was the worst thing ever. I was literally dying from the heat and all I did was buff the entire hull.



After it was done it was realized that the guy should have been charged much more as it took all day and that was only the hull of the boat.



Make sure you have the time and space to do boats they are a PITA!!
 
If you are thinking about doing boat detailing you should always keep in mind the age and general condition of the fiberglass gel coat.



Newer boats that have been polished and waxed regularly usually can be done by hand since the gel coat is basically in good condition. That's not always the case with older boats that have been neglected.



You can identify the age of the boat by the date code stamped on the serial number, which is usually located on the stern(rear) of the boat. The last two numbers of the serial number always identify the year the boat was manufactured.
 
362821___small_-med.jpg






This was a fairly new 21 footer. Klasse twins. AIO by PC, SG by hand.



Brief cleanup on the interior, 303 on all vinyl. Did the windows in/out.



$250. Rule of thumb around here is $10-12 per foot, exterior only.



BTW, Klasse AIO 'cuts' mildly faded gelcoat quite well...



Oh yeah, do the trailer, also!

362821__trailer__small_-med.jpg




Jim
 
thanks jim, im pretty sure that im going to tell the guy $200 to do the outside and see what he says. since he is a neighbor and a freind of mine and this being my first boat detail, im going to cut him a deal and hopefully hell talk to others and well take it from there.
 
rlspringer is our resident boat expert, hopefully he will see this thread and comment.



Oxidized gel coats can be a pain, as 2k2blackWRX noted. You will need gel coat specific compounds and polishes if the boat is oxidized.



The average sized 20 footer that is well taken care of takes me 4-5 hours inside and out. Price it according to what you feel is a fair price for that amount of time.
 
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