Detailing Boats

[Details3]

I have a question concerning detailing boats. I just got a contract to detail boats (very big boats - size of my house). I did one today and it took all day and I am still not done. My competion uses aurora products because they have a product called Aurora Boat Shine that lasts for 8 months. How does your product stand up to theirs? I have been asked to use Aurora products only for that reason. They just worked a deal today with the Scarab dealer to work on and clean Scarabs. I used Meguiars products today and blew them away with the glass shine I put on the boat. My concern is how long will the shine last? Thanks for any information you can send my way.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Detailing Boats

Originally posted by Details3
I have a question concerning detailing boats. I just got a contract to detail boats (very big boats - size of my house). I did one today and it took all day and I am still not done. My competion uses aurora products because they have a product called Aurora Boat Shine that lasts for 8 months. How does your product stand up to theirs? I have been asked to use Aurora products only for that reason. They just worked a deal today with the Scarab dealer to work on and clean Scarabs. I used Meguiars products today and blew them away with the glass shine I put on the boat. My concern is how long will the shine last? Thanks for any information you can send my way.

Hi Details3,

Let me see what I can find out about Aurora products and get back to you, I have never heard of them before your post here, let alone seen them on the west coats.

Hang in there, I'll send out some e-mails.

Mike

[Details3]

Thanks Mike. I have found out that the Aurora boat shine is a Synthetic Boat Polish. Correct me if I am wrong, but since it is a synthetic that would be the same as a polymer. Because if it is then to keep my contract, I could use the boat polish and top it off with Meguiars products.

[mirrorfinishman]

Let's take a look at this from a slightly different angle.

Try to think about what the average boat will look like one month after it has been completely cleaned, polished and waxed. How will it look two to three months from now? Now think about the daily contamination from salt water, rain, morning dew and constant dirt that's beginning to build-up, even after frequent washings. Regardless of how long various products last, most boats will need to be polished and waxed every few months just to keep an overall good looking appearance.

Also, from a business point of view, wouldn't it be better to offer a complete boat detailing at the beginning of the season along with periodic maintenance detailings every couple of months? Wouldn't there be more profit in doing something like that compared to offering a one time eight month sealant detailing?

In summary, it's not always a good idea to base your business decisions on what the competition is either doing or using. In most cases, it is usually better to just 'take action' rather than to 'react' because that's the way the competition does something.

Just my thoughts...

[Details3]

boat detailing

Hello mirrorfinishman,

I totally agree on the maintence and have suggested that, but on a side note the manager wanted me to look at the Aurora products to see how they rate. All my customers purchase a discounted wash and wax on a bi-monthly basis. This way their vehicle/boat always looks great.

Now so far on my findings the Aurora product is nothing more than a polish. I do a three step process on the boats with componding the boat first, then polishing, and then waxing. That is why when I do a boat the finish looks like a mirror. So far I have nothing but complements. I just like to know what the the other guy is doing so I can stay ahead of the game. Thanks for the tips and suggestions.

[Details3]

Aurora products

Hey Mike,

Have you found out anything on the Aurora products boat shine that is supposed to last 8 months? In your last message you mentioned that you were going to check on it. On a side note, I am now stocking Megs one-step boat compound, Megs marine grade wax, color restorer, and polish. So far I have blown the competion away. I recently did a 30 foot boat and the owner was very happy. Today I was told that I may be doing a 33 foot yacht.

One other question is what pad should I be using to compound out a really bad boat. It has faded from bright red to pink and I need to bring it back to red. I have a porter cable 7424 and a dewalt 849. Since the boat has faded so bad I was planning on using the dewalt, but unsure on the type of pad and compound.

Thanks for the assistance.

Details3