What would you charge??

[Show N Tell]

We just did a boat yesterday and if you ask me it came out awesome! Its a 27 ft fishing boat that the owner uses A LOT. When we came to do it, all he said was make it look new. After 5 hours of work, this is what it looked like...







When it came time for him to pay, I told him $500. He looked at me like I was crazy and said thats a lot more then he expected. If you guys just did a boat like this, how much would you have charged? I figured 18/19 a ft would be reasonable, maybe I was wrong?

[CieraSL]

Re: What would you charge??

When it came time for him to pay, I told him $500. He looked at me like I was crazy and said thats a lot more then he expected. If you guys just did a boat like this, how much would you have charged? I figured 18/19 a ft would be reasonable, maybe I was wrong?

What all did you do to it?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: What would you charge??

You're looking at charging $x/foot but he's probably looking at 5 hours of work to go with a $500 bill and thinking that even his plumber doesn't charge $100/hr! Of course, if you had a helper or two then it was double the time in man hours, so half the hourly rate, in essence.

That said, it sure looks like you did an outstanding job but then again we don't know what the boat looked like before you started. Still, to correct a boat that size for $500 certainly seems reasonable to me, personally.

So... what did you do to it, and how many people worked on it?

[Shawn T.]

Re: What would you charge??

Isn't this why you should discuss pricing before you start the job? There was a thread on here about this not too long ago. Almost everyone said to talk about pricing first so that there is no argument when it comes time for payment. Just my 2 cents.

When I do cars (a very minimal amount) I always discuss the pricing beforehand and explain to the customer what they are paying for and how long ti will take.

Great job on the boat though! I would say that was worth $500!

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: What would you charge??

You're looking at charging $x/foot but he's probably looking at 5 hours of work to go with a $500 bill and thinking that even his plumber doesn't charge $100/hr! Of course, if you had a helper or two then it was double the time in man hours, so half the hourly rate, in essence.

That said, it sure looks like you did an outstanding job but then again we don't know what the boat looked like before you started. Still, to correct a boat that size for $500 certainly seems reasonable to me, personally.

So... what did you do to it, and how many people worked on it?

+1
I charge by the hour (not really into packages). A fair rate would be about $25 to $30 per man hour. So if it was you and a helper and you spent 5 hours polishing up the boat, $300 would be fair.

[SSMUFF]

Re: What would you charge??

I would say two things are your fault here. One is you didn't give or mention a price before starting. Second you are charging a insane amount per hour for detailing work. How many guys did this and how long, then I would say $20-$30 per man hour. One thing to remember is if you stick to your guns and demand $500 you either have a guy who walks off and says F you and you lose future business or you negotiate and find a way to keep his business and do that boat again and again.

[Bill Davidson]

Re: What would you charge??

+1
I charge by the hour (not really into packages). A fair rate would be about $25 to $30 per man hour. So if it was you and a helper and you spent 5 hours polishing up the boat, $300 would be fair.

When you are quoting $25-$30 hr number are you including the cost of supplies and operating costs in that figure, or are you simply refering to labor? That seems like a low number to me if you are a legitimate business. I was told that a shop likes to generate closer to $100 per man hour. I realize that mobile is cheaper to operate, but still... my hairdresser charges around $60 per hour and her supply costs are much less.

I personally think $500 is fair, you did a good job.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: What would you charge??

When you are quoting $25-$30 hr number are you including the cost of supplies and operating costs in that figure, or are you simply refering to labor? That seems like a low number to me if you are a legitimate business. I was told that a shop likes to generate closer to $100 per man hour. I realize that mobile is cheaper to operate, but still... my hairdresser charges around $60 per hour and her supply costs are much less.

Naw, I am not a business. Like many here I do this on the side, and even then mostly as favors to family and friends. My actual rate probably works out to $20 or less per hour. The rate I mentioned would include supplies in addition to labor. $100 per hour is fine, if you have that kind of clientele with deep pockets, but it seems it would be a limited market and you would have to be one of the top detailers in the country to justify that rate, IMO.

I had my car polished by The Total Pros, (a brick and mortar shop in Oceanside, CA) last year. The owner, Mel Craig, and his top employee Paul spent 5-6 hours high speed polishing my car to remove some really bad scouring from the paint. I was charged $350 for some really excellent results. Their work is what first got me into detailing in the first place.

[Andrew C.]

Re: What would you charge??

I'd say around $500 sounds right. That works out to being about $18.50 per foot. It also depends on what you did? If you were compounding and what not, then I would say that sounds about right.

If you deliver top notch work, you deserve top notch pay!

[Tuck91]

Re: What would you charge??

Really depends what you did to it.

If it was oxidized and you had to restore it then I would say a $1,000 would be fair for something that size.


Was there any fiberglass inside that boat that you had to polish?

How about giving us a basic step by step process of what you did?

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: What would you charge??

I would say $10.00-$15.00 a foot. So from that it was a little on the high side. It is tough to tell, because we are not aware of the process you used.

Lesson to be learned. Always discuss price before accepting the job.

[Show N Tell]

Re: What would you charge??

Thanks for everybody who responded! Myself along with 2 other guys worked approx 5 hours on the boat which was very dirty and had oxidation all over. Heres a list of what we did...

Wash (interior/exterior)
Clay Bar/Compound/Polish/Wax (exterior)
Clay Bar and Polished the entire deck + captains center which had hundreds of bugs left behind also removing numerous stains
Leather Clean/Condition all vinyl

[Bill Davidson]

Re: What would you charge??

Thanks for everybody who responded! Myself along with 2 other guys worked approx 5 hours on the boat which was very dirty and had oxidation all over. Heres a list of what we did...

Wash (interior/exterior)
Clay Bar/Compound/Polish/Wax (exterior)
Clay Bar and Polished the entire deck + captains center which had hundreds of bugs left behind also removing numerous stains
Leather Clean/Condition all vinyl

That being the case, I'm sure we can all agree that your price was certainly justified. I'm curious what the customer expected. Did he say?

[Show N Tell]

Re: What would you charge??

No but said "Thats a lot more then I expected"

[THE BIG BUFFER]

Re: What would you charge??

No but said "Thats a lot more then I expected"

If you never want to hear that again discuss pricing BEFORE you even touch the job. That said ask him what he was thinking and where he get his #'s from. Is it just a number off the top of his head? Did he have the boat polished before and is going by that amount? Work with him. Maybe you gota go to $400 on this one to keep a customer. I charge 50 an hour when I polish BUT I do negotiate if I have to. I'd rather make a lil less than lose the job.