pricing on boats

[bigron62]

i have a guy that wants a boat cleaned up . how much are you charging a foot ? what is expected on a boat .

[detailz]

Prices will certainly vary by region; however, keep in mind that boats are a luxury item and were purchased as disposable income. That being said, charge what your time is worth. What we do is charge by the foot for the hull and everything else is per job(topside, cockpit, cabin and flydecks). We also charge a premium for colored hulls.
I try to keep my hull price competitive to the marinas by charging~$2 less/ft which comes to $13.50/ft. I add $1.50/ft for colored hulls. The topside, from the rub rail up, is all by the hour. Obviously, every boat is different and not all owners want the same services. Whether they want the teak treated, carpeting shampooed or cabin even detailed all effect the price. When it comes to boats we charge $45/hr.
Without knowing the boat I tell customers to expect:$550-750 ~30' complete
$750-1100~35'+
$1100-??? ~40'+
Keep in mind that the total surface areas on boats are much greater than vehicles. Sometimes a customer will balk at our pricing;however, we stick to our guns and wait. Many times the owners do not have the time themselves, the expertise or equipment. I am also careful to point out the pricing in relation to car detailing. Many of my boat customers bring in their vehicles for complete details. These customers do not hesitate to pay $200-500 for a detail and need to be reminded that their boat is obviously much larger than their Benz.

Hope this helps and good luck

[detailz]

Originally Posted by bigron62

i have a guy that wants a boat cleaned up . how much are you charging a foot ? what is expected on a boat .

Sorry, forgot to answer the "what is expected". I will address the hull first.
Our definition of the hull is: rub rail down, the engine area can be open to interpretation. We will remove the orange water line if necessary. Compound/Buff the hull and then seal(or wax) it. Detail it out(remove the excess compound or wax).
Topside is all up to the customer. I typically break the pricing down by sections: topside, cockpit, cabin and flydecks. Then I ask what they would like done. Topside? Topside and cockpit? Polish the chrome? Windows? Shampooing? Storage areas? Vinyls?Etc...
Most of my customers are " I want EVERYTHING done " or " Just fiberglass". When it comes to the interior cabin. I do suggest you ask them to remove all personal effects, that unto itself could take an hour to remove, never mind a place to put it.Also talk to them about the skid pads. The textured top surfaces to prevent slipping. One should not wax over them or they lose their purpose, so make sure you clean them well. Some owners will want you to wax over them so the surface is protected from the sun. Just need to ask their preference.

[MrRogue]

Here in MN, we charge about 7 bucks a foot for hulls and up to 9 bucks a foot on hulls depending if it has a flybridge or not. Those prices are for just fiberglass, we don't even touch interiors and the cockpit area. There are exceptions for some styles of boats, but thats up to you to decide. For those prices we use a compound/wax one step product, then do all the stainless with a polish and then wash it all down and seal the nonskid with a special product (never wax nonskid). For a coupound and then a wax we charge more, probally near 12 bucks a foot for topsides and 8 or 9 for hulls.

Unlike Detailz customers, most of ours will not spend over our pricing, so your pricing may definitly be different depending on your customer and what they are willing to pay.

[Dans Detailing]

$6-$9 a foot.

[bigron62]

thanks