Pictures: 2021 Boat Detailing Class - SOLD OUT!

[Mike Phillips]

Pictures: 2021 Boat Detailing Class - SOLD OUT!



I'm happy to say the 2021 Boat Detailing Class SOLD OUT!

We had 27 people take this class traveling to Florida from all over the United States plus Haiti!



The first boat has arrived!


This is a Conch27 - 27' Center Console Sports Fishing Boat.

When it comes to gelcoat correction - you're going to learn how to work smarter - not harder.

Although the parking lot out front was full, the owner's brother Bill easily slid her into place for the 2-day class.

The second boat has arrived!

:buffing:

 

[Mike Phillips]

More...


Here's a few shots of the garage the night before the first day of class.

For a boat owner to detail their own boat, it's fairly involved. But setting up a classroom for 27 people AND having enough tools, pads and products so everyone has everything thing they need - it's a HUGE undertaking. But our goal for ALL our detailing classes is making sure the people attending have a first class experience.

 

[Mike Phillips]

More...

One thing I try for all my classes and that is to be consistent. Part of being consistent is starting the classes on time.


I don't normally wear a watch or jewelry when teaching classes, so I'm borrowing my good friend Keith Duplessie's wrist and wrist watch to document we're starting on time as advertised.

We started at 7:30am - Keith is on Oregon Time - thus the watch reads 3 hours behind East Coast Time.

Here's my primary Power Point Slide for the first day of class.

We could sit in chairs, look at a power point presentation for hours and it's ALL GREAT. But I bring in huge boats in horrible condition as I have found that the kind of people that gravitate towards boat detailing and also boat ownership - they learn best by doing, not sitting in chairs.

Instead of using a power point, which would have a picture of a tool, pad, product or an area of the boat to discuss - instead I put the tools and products in your hands and get you on your feet working/training on an actual boat - not a picture of a boat.

Seems to work. I never hear any complaints from the people that take the class - in fact, just the opposite. Most people appreciate that the classes start on time and are hands-on from start to finish.


:buffing:

 

[Mike Phillips]

Continued...



Saturday - First Day - Exterior Gelcoat Correction and Ceramic Coating

After a brief class session to layout the process for tackling the 2 boats over the 2-day class, everyone is OUT of the chairs and on their feet learning via hands-on training.

This class is on a Saturday and Sunday, no one around but Andre and myself to take pictures. Here's a few off my phone.



Machine Sanding

We start out machine sanding with Mirka Abralon #1000 grit and then re-sand with #2000, #3000 and #4000.

Rotary Step

After sanding the class learns how to properly use a rotary polisher with RUPES wool pads to cut out their sanding marks. Sorry no pictures.


Polishing Step - Remove holograms

Next the class machine polishes to remove the holograms. The Conch27 has been re-gelcoated, that is repainted using gelcoat and the aftermarket gelcoat is SOFT. So they are using RUPES WHITE foam polishing pads with the Captain's Compound to finish out.

For the ProLine - this boat has the factory gelcoat and it's HARD. The class is polishing with the Captain's Compound and Buff and Shine COARSE blue foam cutting pads.

Ceramic Coating

After polishing the class uses Marine 31 Prep Spray, (a panel wipe), to remove the oils from the polishing step and prepare the boat for the Marine 31 Vessel Coat.

Looks BETTER than new!

Same products and process for the Conch27...

The best this boat has ever looked, especially after the re-gelcoat.

:buffing:

 

[Mike Phillips]

Continued....


As I'm typing, it's 9:45am on Monday morning, the day after the 2-day class. I'm beat. Andre is beat. Everyone in the class is beat. Boat detailing will beat you up. It's very physical.


The garage is a disaster!

Here I've pushed all the tables into a pile in the center and as I get time I go through and start sorting everything out, cleaning everything and then putting everything away.

I'll add more pictures to this thread to photo-document this class but not today. After I hit the submit button for this post I have to get out to the garage and start cleaning up. We're also shooting a video today so I have to coffee-up to get my energy level up and also get my voice back.

I'll be offline on Tuesday and Wednesday, I'm fortunate that management gives me a couple days off after an intense class like this one and it's also my wedding anniversary tomorrow, so time to celebrate plus recharge my batteries.




If you're reading this - no doubt you attended this class and received an e-mail from sharing the link to this thread.


This is the thread to post your comments about your experience taking this class. Before you can post to a thread you have to first join this forum. If you have not joined yet, (I sent you the link multiple times in the e-mails I sent you), here's the link to join.


Click here to join the AutogeekOnline forum




I thank everyone that attended this class for all your hard work and dedication to working safely and also professionally to create the incredible results achieved on both the inside and outside of the two training boats.

I would also like to thank my special guest, Keith Duplessie for his assistance in teaching the class, keeping everyone busy and also safe.

I would REALLY like to than Andre Hile - he is such a hard working and always so incredibly helpful to me as well as everyone in the class.

And I would also like to thank all the rest of the staff and management here at Autogeek for their support behind the scenes to make these classes the huge success that they are - thank you everyone.



That's it for today, I'm off to start getting the garage back into shape for a video today and then getting it setup for the upcoming 3-day Car Detailing Bootcamp Class in May.




:buffing:

 

[undrpressure23]

The Marine 31 two day boat detailing class, was hands down worth its weight in gold.

Having minimal experience in the boating world, and stepping out of my comfort zone, this class gave you that comfort zone at arms reach. I say arms reach meaning Mike/Keith/Andre were merely 10% of the class, and myself (student) was the 90% of the work to reach that comfort zone.

Thank you Mike Phillips, Keith Duplessie, Andre Hile, and staff at Autogeek for putting together this Class for the detailing community!

:dblthumb2: :buffing:

-Matt Cecil

 

[Mike Hoekstra]

For me personally, I have never owned a boat or plan to. That said, I am expanding my detailing business to include boats.

The money paid for the class is worth it. I left with a solid foundation of knowledge to grow upon. I was also able to network and talk to a number of others attending the class who detail boats daily to get a great amount of additional insight.

It was well worth the trip.


:dblthumb2:

 

[Mike Hoekstra]

Both of my work shoes look like this after the class covered with wet sand slurry and compound.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Mike Phillips]

:bump:


Well it's been over 3 months since the annual hands-on boat detailing class and I'm just now getting back to sharing some of the pictures from this class. Before getting to any of the other action shots, here's the Class of 2021 Certificate pictures.


First will be a picture of one of the 2 boats this class detailed with the entire boat in the picture plus the person and their certificate. Following the shot that has the entire boat is a cropped down version showing just the human beings in the shot. I know some of you like to download your picture to print out thus the reason for both pictures.

 

[Mike Phillips]

More...

And last but not least, a group shot...

 

[Mike Phillips]

More....


Sunday - Second Day - Interior Boat Detailing & Restoration


On the second day, the class is TIRED! No matter - I start all my classes ON TIME!

After a brief re-cap of the day before it's time to get INTO the boats.

This is another reason I bring in HUGE dilapidated boats. With huge center consoles like you see in all the pictures from our boat detailing classes, there's plenty of work to do and plenty of space to do it.

The FLEX CORDLESS tools are always a HUGE hit at our boat detailing classes.

Every square inch of the boat gets cleaned and polished...

It's enough work and work-time to do the outside of the boat below the rub rail the first day. On the second day it's everything inside, the engines and everything above the rub rail.

When it's not too complicated we'll remove the windscreens and machine correct and polish them on tables. When it's complicated, we leave them in place.

Here's a corded FLEX PE14 with an extension and a Buff & Shine 4" wool pad for getting under and around the hand rail.

Both boats have outboard motors and the motors as well as the props are corrected and coated...

Damn near fill up the entire garage!

Huge boats means LOTS of hands-on training.

Here's another example of how an extension comes in hand for hard to reach areas...

 

[Mike Phillips]

More...


Here's Keith Duplessie using a cordless FLEX PE14 to machine scrub marine vinyl using Marine 31 Mildew Remover

Machine polishing the outboard engines with a variety of tools including the ORIGINAL FLEX BEAST!

And the new FLEX PiXiE or PXE-80

When it comes to cleaning molded-in non-skid... the cordless FLEX PE14 rotary polishers with brushes are the ONLY way to fly!

The motor is looking awesome!

We can no longer wash boats outside so I had to get creative when it came time to rinse the insides of the boats down.

Anytime we can remove vinyl seats and cushions we do as it's easier and more thorough to wash, scrub and clean outside of the boat.

These are the FLEX CBEASTS being used to machine scrub vinyl... anything is better than working by hand...

:buffing:

 

[Mike Phillips]

More....


Here are the results...

This boat is going home... just a lot cleaner and a heck of a lot shinier!

The CONCH27 has a acres of non-skid to clean and it all came out looking perfect!

IDA - International Detailing Association

At the end of the second day, Keith Duplessie holds a presentation for the IDA and Marine Certification plus recaps the class and holds a Q & A session.

And by the end of this second day I know I speak for everyone including Andre, Keith and myself plus the entire class - the boats are clean and shiny and we're BEAT!

Boat detailing is hard work, even in an air-conditioned garage.

 

[Markymapo1]

Awesome thread. After 2 days the class participants are beat. I hear you on this as it takes me almost3 full days ( using all Flex cordless) to clean up my Cobalt 242 ( and my shoulders are shot). This year coated with Gtech Marine ceramic top, let’s see how it holds up ( fresh water for only 4 months and out it comes, pretty short season)

 

[Mike Phillips]

Awesome thread.

Yeah, I prefer to share more pictures but there wasn't many pictures taken, so not much to share. :dunno:

After 2 days the class participants are beat. I hear you on this as it takes me almost3 full days ( using all Flex cordless) to clean up my Cobalt 242 ( and my shoulders are shot).

Boat detailing is a good workout for sure. :xyxthumbs:

This year coated with Gtech Marine ceramic top, let’s see how it holds up ( fresh water for only 4 months and out it comes, pretty short season)

GTechniq makes great products. I'm sure they will hold up just fine.