Im looking to provide this service to my customers but i've never done any of these. Might be a long shot but it never hurts to try, would anyone on here like some help on detailing any one of these? Someone local to seattle? I dont expect to get paid for someone training me on these. Its been terribly slow so I have nothing but time lol. Thanks for reading.
detailing boats, rv's and plains
- Thread starter jose206
- Start date
vtec92civic
New member
they do make gel coat specific products but if you check around on some threads here most detailers treat them as if they are a car thus using things like M105 & M205 etc . . . .
Boats are not to bad, we don't have RV's here and planes well . . . . i'm still looking to work on one at some point. Those i believe carry different products that you need to use. Hopefully someone else chimes in though.
Boats are not to bad, we don't have RV's here and planes well . . . . i'm still looking to work on one at some point. Those i believe carry different products that you need to use. Hopefully someone else chimes in though.
Jean-Claude
Keeper of the beautiful
You may want to get with a landscaper if you plan on detailing plains. 
Porsche Pilot
New member
As an airplane owner/pilot, you really need some professional training before you should even think about offering aircraft detailing. You bend an antennae on a car...50 bucks. You bend something on a plane...a thousand and up and a really pissed off client with a non airworthy aircraft. I dont trust others to detail mine. I do it myself and most pilots do. Not knocking the idea but it is a niche market. Do lots of reasearch first. Oh, and I agree with Jean-Claude's comments!
Not worried so much about proper spelling on a forum, so long as you guys get what im saying, thanks though. Had just woke up for what its worth lol. Thanks for your reply vtec, good to know i can use what i have already. I was just asking if someone local would help me by letting me watch them work on a plane, never said i would be offering this service without proper training.
Porsche Pilot
New member
Just breaking your balls on the spelling...it's what we do. Try heading out to one of the smaller general aviation airports in your area on a good weather weekend. You might get an idea of the lack of people detailing planes. I wash mine when I have to and wax maybe once a year. Usually its just wipe the bugs off, clean the windows and go. But, head inside the FBO and look for flyers, if any, or ask around about who offers the service. Hit them up and maybe they will let you help out. Just dont let them know you might be competition for em. In fact, find an airport AWAY from your local area. Oh, by the way, pilots are CHEAP!!!! I know, I is one. Good luck Jose and keep at it.
OnTheSpotMobile
New member
You can do a lot better at gel coat if you get the proper products. Go to your local marine shop and ask them about marine polishes and compounds. Trust me it will save you a lot of time. Also try a few different brands of the most aggressive wool buffing pad you can get, its amazing how much better some work than others. I love doing boats because I can make 4X the cash in the same amount of time. In my area it is $180 for an exterior detail and 2 step correction plus sealant on an average vehicle, which can take up to 8 hours. For your average 20 foot speed boat its $350 for the same thing and it takes me about 4 hours. If I was still using my automotive products on boats, I wouldn't even take any of that business because it wouldn't be worth my time and the cost of advil to keep me going lol.
As for the RV I have never had a single customer with an RV. For the price I have to charge for that kind of labor people just think you're ripping them off when you quote them. They don't even like the idea of paying $2/foot for a wash! I've seen people pay a couple neighborhood kids $20 between the two of them for them to slave at washing the thing all afternoon with a hose, bucket of soap, and a brush! You may have more success in this than I have, just saying.
I have contacted some of my local flight clubs and airport services and nobody seemed to think there was any such thing or a need to detail an airplane. This is something I had looked into because I absolutely needed more business at the time but I'm glad now that nobody hired me. The thought of standing underneath an airplane wing holding a buffer over my head is not appealing to me. What Porsche Pilot said about knowledge of planes is a very good point. I have destroyed one antenna this summer on a boat with the buffer but I was able to fix it myself. I know nothing about aviation and would not want to mess with something that has to carry someone thousands of feet in the air. Thats just me though.
I believe you may have your best success with the boating scene. If you can become efficient and get great results with detailing boats, you can generate some good business. Its hard to find a good boat detailer, and I'm the only mobile one in my city except for one girl that does interior cleaning with a shop vac for $6/foot. If you can stand the labor involved, go for it. That being said there are also some very successful RV detailing companies out there. You just need to research the hell out of it, get some hands on experience some way or another, and keep sharpening your skills.
Good luck!
As for the RV I have never had a single customer with an RV. For the price I have to charge for that kind of labor people just think you're ripping them off when you quote them. They don't even like the idea of paying $2/foot for a wash! I've seen people pay a couple neighborhood kids $20 between the two of them for them to slave at washing the thing all afternoon with a hose, bucket of soap, and a brush! You may have more success in this than I have, just saying.
I have contacted some of my local flight clubs and airport services and nobody seemed to think there was any such thing or a need to detail an airplane. This is something I had looked into because I absolutely needed more business at the time but I'm glad now that nobody hired me. The thought of standing underneath an airplane wing holding a buffer over my head is not appealing to me. What Porsche Pilot said about knowledge of planes is a very good point. I have destroyed one antenna this summer on a boat with the buffer but I was able to fix it myself. I know nothing about aviation and would not want to mess with something that has to carry someone thousands of feet in the air. Thats just me though.
I believe you may have your best success with the boating scene. If you can become efficient and get great results with detailing boats, you can generate some good business. Its hard to find a good boat detailer, and I'm the only mobile one in my city except for one girl that does interior cleaning with a shop vac for $6/foot. If you can stand the labor involved, go for it. That being said there are also some very successful RV detailing companies out there. You just need to research the hell out of it, get some hands on experience some way or another, and keep sharpening your skills.
Good luck!
imported_Ivan Rajic
New member
^^ I'm actually going to be doing a lot of research on boat detailing and this is a good post. My neighbor always seems me detailing cars and he, having a boat, mentioned that I should get into boat detailing as it's hard to find a good one. Plus he has a ton of recommendations for me, after I do his boat obviously. If you're bored, PM me some info on products, techniques, etc.