Detailing a boat questions

[Shane731]

OK, so a co-worker asked me if I'd be willing to do a cleanup on his boat. It is a 2000 Stingray 230 SX, 23 feet. It will be up on a stand, not in the water. His boat looks similar to this one:

http://www.swordfishingcentral.com/images/store/370350402674.jpg

He pretty much just wants a wash and wax and a quick interior cleanup. No correction, no engine cleaning. He told me he keeps it pretty clean - however I'm taking that statement with a grain of salt. He said he figures about $150 is fair. Does that seem fair to you? I have never detailed/cleaned a boat before, so I am rather unsure how to go about it. Any suggestions? I don't want to go buy any boat products unless I have to - since I'm not doing any correction work I don't really see that being an issue. Can I use an automotive wax such as Duragloss 105, Klasse AIO, or Collinite 845? Can you clay a boat? I am within about 20 miles of a Sea Ray boats dealer (Sea Ray boats is based in Knoxville, FYI) - I would assume they have boat cleaning products if there is any thing you think I might be in dire need of. Any tips, advice, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. TIA!

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

OK, so a co-worker asked me if I'd be willing to do a cleanup on his boat. It is a 2000 Stingray 230 SX, 23 feet. It will be up on a stand, not in the water. His boat looks similar to this one:

http://www.swordfishingcentral.com/images/store/370350402674.jpg

He pretty much just wants a wash and wax and a quick interior cleanup. No correction, no engine cleaning. He told me he keeps it pretty clean - however I'm taking that statement with a grain of salt. He said he figures about $150 is fair. Does that seem fair to you? I have never detailed/cleaned a boat before, so I am rather unsure how to go about it. Any suggestions? I don't want to go buy any boat products unless I have to - since I'm not doing any correction work I don't really see that being an issue. Can I use an automotive wax such as Duragloss 105, Klasse AIO, or Collinite 845? Can you clay a boat? I am within about 20 miles of a Sea Ray boats dealer (Sea Ray boats is based in Knoxville, FYI) - I would assume they have boat cleaning products if there is any thing you think I might be in dire need of. Any tips, advice, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. TIA!


OOO a stingray...love those boats!
I've been curious about the same thing. A friend of mine just got a boat that i want to detail up for him. I know for paint correction that the Marine Compounds are suppose to be a little more harsh since the Gel Coat on a boat is MUCH thicker than the clear on a car.

As far the wash/wax products, a Megs rep. told me you can absolutely use car products on a boat...its just that Marine products have added things that help repell algee & other 'water critters' if you will from clinging to the boats underside.

Personally if your friend is storing his boat at home or in dry dock...i think a standard car wash/polish/wax would be just fine (note this is coming from someone whos just done some reading on the subject, never tried it...hope someone else chimes in).

If he has a wet slip however and the boat stays on the water...Marine products may be in order. Maybe explain the difference to him (if you think its necessary)...and if he's not worried about it then just do the regular things you do.

As for claying...I've never read up on that but if its true that a Gel Coat is about 10x's as thick as a clear...I think Claying should be noooo problem at all.

Now for the price, if your friends boat looks like that one, im guessing its a Cuddy Cabin? If so that means added interior work that a Bow Rider wouldnt have. I dont know what you usualy charge, but i can tell you this, when we were boat hunting I talked to many people who said they just had their boat detailed and it cost them most times...$500 and up...and it was for about a 24' boat. One lady paid $800 to have hers done, and in all honesty it didnt look like it was 'all that' if you know what i mean.

Maybe some of those jobs the people actually did the trailer too...but i doubt it. Maybe check a few sites of detailers in your area and see what the going rate is for a boat. A lot charge by the foot...and its almost ALWAYS more expensive for a boat (especially of your friends size) compaired to a car..just on size alone.

Hope this helps some...I hope someone else who has done boats chimes in too to support or contest my little bit of advice :)

[RTexasF]

The few boats I have done were considerably more work than planned. Deals like this can make or break a friendship so look at the boat with him (every inch inside & out) and positively identify what he wants done...write it down. Do not even discuss money until you have seen what you are up against!!!

The drive unit is likely Mercruiser which will be black with white stains on it. They can be quite difficult to remove. For the drive unit I would add 2' to the length, totaling 25', and charge $10 per foot. That would be strictly for "wash & wax" with light interior cleaning.

You say it will be "up on a stand" but at what height? Will this be with the hull 3' off of the ground or 25' in the air in a Marina dry slip? Either one presents its own set of problems as would just sitting on the trailer. DG #501 would be my choice for the gelcoat and windshield followed by a wipe down with Aquawax.

Friend or not $150 is great for him and a loss for you, it's a lot of work.
I'm just basing the above comments on what I have been through, not an expert and don't claim to be one.

[RTexasF]

Ran out of edit time above...........

As MrWillsi3 mentioned the 230 SX has a crawl space cuddy in the bow and there is a lot of upholstery up there so keep that in mind. It's not very accessible and if you're a big guy it is pure misery just getting in the cuddy much less working in there.

Good luck

[clm65]

I recently used the Klasse twins on my F-150, and the Klasse AIO on my 21' boat. The F-150 is big and took a while, but nowhere near as long as the boat. I don't know what you would charge for a large vehicle, but a 23' boat should be a bit more, IMO.

[C&LDetail]

I would agree with the others $150 is doing him a big favor. I have worked on a few boats and have a couple year old 18ft Glastron that gets a good wash and wax at the beginning of the boating season and regular washes till the fall. It isnt easy work cleaning up a boat and can be really time consuming. Meguiars (http://autogeek.net/boat-wax.html) makes a boat wax that is extremely easy to use just wipe on let dry and wipe off. I like it because the outside of a boat is alot of surface area and you really want a product that goes on and off easy. As for the process I usually wash the inside first then the outside then dry everything off then go back and wax everything. Good luck!!

[Grizzly]

$150 is dirt cheap.

By the way, applying an automotive wax may yellow the gel coat.

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

Hmm I did not know that about the yellowing. Even A Poly sealant and not a wax would?


$150 is dirt cheap.

By the way, applying an automotive wax may yellow the gel coat.

[Tiffanator]

What are you going to be using on the vinyl seats? The reason I ask is because a pamphlet came with my boat and outlined what to use on the vinyl. For mine (G&T marine vinyl) it stated to only use Fantastik to clean and Formula 303 to protect. However, that was 5 years ago and other specialty products have come out. Babes boat care products are highly recommended by boat owners and are what I use now. As for wax I've been told the best to use is the Collinite Paste Fleetwax # 885 (http://www.autogeek.net/collinite-fleetwax-.html).

Detailing a boat is going to take much longer than you think. When I do a deep clean on mine just the vinyl takes around 3-4 hours, carpet another hour due to all of the compartments. With a cuddy cabin on that boat it will cut down on the amount of vinyl, but will add more time for gelcoat and interior work. I paid a guy $160 a month ago to clean up my boat, which he called a detail, but was actually a "wipe and wax", hence why I am on this forum learning to detail the right way.

[clm65]

I would stick with a wax or sealant that advertises safe use on fiberglass. Klasse is one, as well as Collinite. Unfortunately my exerience on this forum is that you don't really get much feedback on boat detailing questions (but it is AutoGeek, not BoatGeek, i guess). I would search a boating forum, such as The Hull Truth, for recommendations on boat waxes. You will find that Collinite, Rejex, and Leverage are recommended, just to name a few.

[Mirror Detailing]

In my experience with boats...$150 is very unfair to you. You have to remember there is ALOT of area to wax on that boat. Hell I have a customer that pays $150 just to WASH his '44 Carver. Which is just that wash the exterior and dry it off.

[Donnym]

I'm in the process of detailing my own boat a section at a time, when I have time. It's a lot of work but I'm enjoying it. I'm in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area and the average rate for detailing boats here is $20 to $25 per foot.

If it's Gel Coat I would suggest a polish instead of a wax. Gel Coat is very hard and porous and as I understand it a wax will sit on the surface of the Gel Coat trapping dirt and moisture in the pores of the Gel Coat where as a good marine polish will fill in the pores and bond to the Gel Coat sealing out contaminants and moisture. I'm using a polish that's not currently part of the AG product line so with all do respect Max and AG I won't mention the brand here but most of the boat detailers I talked to said they like the Megs. marine polishes.

[D0ughB0y]

I wouldn't do it. 150 is not a fair price, it is a very cheap price. I wouldn't do work for someone that doesn't have a realistic idea of what time/effort to do a job costs... especially when we're talking about a 20k toy powerboat.

It is going to take you at least 2 hours to go through the boat to wash it, dry it, and wipe down the interior.

It is also going to take you another 2 hours to go over the boat, apply a wax/sealant, remove/buff it. You're looking at 2-3x the amount of real estate to wax when compared to your average car.

Then you're looking at another hour of final clean up to leave everything perfect. There are lots of little nooks and crannies that need to be either taped off or paid special attention to (cover snaps, bumper trim, windows/trim, cleats, etc) to remove any extra residue.

No way.

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

I gotta agree, it is way too cheap. Ive been looking at my godfathers boat now that he's got it home...its a little bigger..24'...but man its a big beast to tame.

Snap covers...engine inboard and out...HUGE hull on the underside...and you'd be surprised at all the storage a boat can have. EVERYTHIGN will open up into a compartment. Lots of vinyl to do...carpet and fiberglass....I hope your friend has the 'snap out' carpet, that would help make cleaning them easier for you. You'll have your hands full for sure....Id say he needs to come close to doubling that price or not asking you to do so much...unless hes a REALLY good friend, but if this is business...not a volunteer thing on your part...id up the price...even invite him to call around and have HIM find the cheapest price for what he wants done, i bet that will change his tone a little bit.

BTW dont feel too bad, my dads friend wanted his truck (nissan titan) washed/waxed and full interior detail. Now at the time we did it for only like $40 and we told him thats the price...he kept talkin bout 'friends and family discount friends and family discount!'....needless to say we didnt do the truck...no hard feelings but...if you were a doctor do you think he'd be asking for 1/2 price check ups?

[Shane731]

:updated:


Well, as it is, I won't be doing his boat. I talked to him the other day, and mentioned that it would be about a $250 job. He said that while the job may be worth $250, it isn't worth $250 to him. He said he'd rather do a half-ass job himself and have $250 in his pocket. Guess he thought he could get me to do a great job for less than the job was worth. Oh well. It happens, I suppose. :dunno: