Please Help

route66detail

route66detail

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I've got my first boat prospect for this Thursday. Wants hull only. Need to know what I should be asking. Said had barnacles but removed. Left staines from barnacles. Not sure as to what the gel coat condition is. Any input will be helpful. 20 foot.... I will get more info from him in a few minutes. Just want to be able to speak with him half way intelligently. Thanks. Rob
 
While in Florida, I saw detailers advertising around $15/foot for a simple wash and wax.
 
I tackled my first boat a month ago and the worst part was the anxiety I put myself through beforehand. The customer's 24 ft boat hadn't been properly detailed in 10 years and the gelcoat was oxidized. I ended up charging him $550 for a complete detail: gelcoat restoration, Hull wash, deck washed, interior surfaces steamed, metal polished, the whole shebang.

I'm in Georgia and afterwards found out I was about $100 less than average. So my advice is find out your market rate and common services. Make sure you have a rotary buffer available if the gel coat needs any extensive work. I used wool pads with 3M super duty followed by 3M Finesse it 2 on polishing pads. Topped it with Collinite fleetwax and it turned out great!
 
Patriot,

I really appreciate your post. Here's why... Even though it was just a car... Being my FIRST detail made my so anxious as well. I'm sure my first boat will make me feel the same way. Once I get started I'll be fine. Wow... 550!!!! That's great. Amazing. How easy or difficult was it to use the rotary with the wool pad? I'm asking 17 per foot with light oxidation (decently maintained boat).
 
Just like a car, be very careful with wool and a rotary. However, gelcoat is much tougher to hurt than clear. When I do a boat that needs a compound. I run med speed with med pressure. When compound breaks down i run on high with very light pressure then wipe with MF. Follow with finesse and then I actually use #26 as a wax. It makes fiberglass pop. I will follow that up with eagle one nano wax for longer protection.

A great product for non skid is called woodys wax. Wash deck and when still wet use very soft brush with 2-3 squirts of WW. Let air dry then buff off by using high pressure water.

Have any other questions let me know. I have been doing boats for quite a while.
 
This is kinda crazy and not recommended at all but it was my first time using a rotary, ever...and I was by myself. Lol. I had my flex 14-2 for 2 days before I started the job and didn't have time to practice.

It was actually very easy and enjoyable to work with the gel coat using a rotary. I just got lucky I guess and had a natural feel for the machine. If you have experience you should do just fine. Gel coat is more forgiving than clear coat in my (limited) experience.

I also highly*** recommend you ask the customer to remove the boat from the water. If he won't or can't and you have to work on the dock or lift, charge a reasonable fee. I slipped multiple times and lost about $50 in product while trying to move around the dock/lift. It was a pain.

Here's a small gallery of the project, most of my site is under construction but this page is done.
http://www.patriotautopolishing.com/chaparral-gel-coat-restore

Feel free to message me on here if you need any help, clarification, etc.. It's a lot of fun after you get into a rhythm and shake the nervous nellys off ya.
 
Oh yeah, watch 90 degree corners with rotary and wool. If roll a corner you will burn thru gel quickly. Always keep pad flat
 
My god all your info is AMAZING. You guys are truly so helful. I've been in the military, worked with teams in the car business, guys in the shop while building aircraft... but none have made me feel as welcome to join the community as all of you. Seriously. Thanks!

Rob- Route 66 Mobile Detail
 
:-) Make sure to let us know how it turned out! I'm going to guess Army...10% chance Air Force.
 
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