Compound and waxed by a professional

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Got a head start on mine below the rubrails Thanksgiving weekend before she got shrinkwrapped. I’ll touch it up when she gets uncovered next month and do above the rubrails when it’s back in the water:
 
Back in the early 90's I used Michigan Boat for detailing and shrink wrap because my nephew worked for Ken, I heard these days though unless he shrink wraps your boat he won't wheel it. Is that true? They always did great work.


I only started using them in 2016 when I bought the 400. I call Joe direct. I don't call Michigan Boat Works number. It sounds like their kinda partners in the way that Joe does all the wheeling and Ken does the shrink and bottom paint etc. They don't do my shrink, Beacon Cove does. I'll post another pic, mine is on the right and my dock neighbor on the left. Joe did both boats. It's from last year later in the season after a lot of washes and sun beaten days. I think Joe did my neighbors 1 year earlier also not the same season. His is a 93' and mine is a 99'. See what you think.
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Looks amazing. Like a brand new boat! Maybe even better than new. Out of curiosity what does a job like this typically run in the states? I got a quote up here for my 340 for $4200 which seems slightly ..I don’t know INSANE. Guess what I’m doing the first two weekends in April.
 
Looks amazing. Like a brand new boat! Maybe even better than new. Out of curiosity what does a job like this typically run in the states? I got a quote up here for my 340 for $4200 which seems slightly ..I don’t know INSANE. Guess what I’m doing the first two weekends in April.
I don't have the final bill yet but he quoted $1,400... That was above and below rub rail and no cockpit interior.
$4,200 is crazy not sure how you would justify that
 
Looks amazing. Like a brand new boat! Maybe even better than new. Out of curiosity what does a job like this typically run in the states? I got a quote up here for my 340 for $4200 which seems slightly ..I don’t know INSANE. Guess what I’m doing the first two weekends in April.
Mine was $1100.00. With mine he came out and looked at the condition before he would say price for sure. $4200 that's crazy to me.....
 
Agreed ...and my boat is in pretty good shape. It's not going to take much elbow grease to make it sparkle this spring. $4200 for their "spring launch package" where they polish and treat the vinyl windows and cockpit too ...but still. That's ridiculous. I think I'll get a second and maybe a third quote elsewhere ...or just do it myself.
 
I don't have the final bill yet but he quoted $1,400... That was above and below rub rail and no cockpit interior.
$4,200 is crazy not sure how you would justify that
Looks like he did a good job for you, I wish I was within his range. I had a guy do the blue on my boat last year. He had to have 750 cash, after the fact I find out all he did was a once over with Buff Magic. Looks like I have to do my own between now and May....and I really don't want to.
 
4200 seems really high to me, 1400 seems on the low side but it’s really determined by the condition of the boat and what the detailer is going to do so it’s hard to judge.
How many steps are they using? Are they using an all in one cleaner wax or polishing and then waxing?
Lots of boatyards and guys who call themselves detailers around here use a one step product like Garry’s with a rotary and call it a day. It’s quick, easy, and does the job in certain situations. Some boats or their owners require something more than that.
I do my own boats and it’s a lot of work for sure.
Anyone worth their salt will want to see the boat before giving an estimate to see what steps are necessary and then quote a price that is largely based on time.
A good detailer knows that you always use the least aggressive methods first and then get more aggressive only if needed because the more aggressive you get the more material you are removing from the surface.
I’ve always done my own. Most detailers are quickie guys and are not going to do the same job I do, and the very few that will do a great job aren’t going to do it any better.
Detailing has been a hobby of mine for decades, so that’s another factor.
I keep up with above the rubrails during the season with the boat in the water and never really track that time.
With the boat out of the water Thanksgiving weekend I spent one full day and about half of the next day working on my 410 below the rubrails along the sides only. I maintain the transom and platform while it’s in the water.
My brother helped both days so it took about 24 man hours all together.
If I did it on my own it would probably have taken me closer to 30 man hours.
Adding a good helper cuts the time in much more than half because the process never stops. I can keep the machine going almost constantly while he takes care of everything else.
The surface was cleaned, then I polished it with a wool polishing pad on my Makita 9227 rotary. During the polishing process I noticed some spots that needed a little extra help. Those spots were marked, and then we came back and compounded them with a more aggressive wool pad and compound, and then those spots were re-polished. Once the surface was at the level I wanted, which on a 15 year old hull is a balance between perfection and risking taking too much off, two coats of Collinite were applied by hand. I always like to apply whatever last step product I’m using by hand. That’s a personal choice.
If I were looking at my boat and giving an estimate to polish the entire exterior with maybe a little extra attention to a few areas and apply two coats of a last step product for protection I would probably figure on about 40 man hours if it were two guys (20 each guy). Probably closer to 50 hours if I were going to do it by myself.
How much would it cost me for 40 man hours of work by a detailer who knows what they’re doing? I guess you need to know the labor rate for the area.
I’m turning 64 this year and every time I do my boat my body reminds me that there will come a time when I won’t be able to do it anymore, but in the meantime I still enjoy a nice weather day with some good tunes playing on the radio while I spend some time bringing up a shine.
 
4200 seems really high to me, 1400 seems on the low side but it’s really determined by the condition of the boat and what the detailer is going to do so it’s hard to judge.
How many steps are they using? Are they using an all in one cleaner wax or polishing and then waxing?
Lots of boatyards and guys who call themselves detailers around here use a one step product like Garry’s with a rotary and call it a day. It’s quick, easy, and does the job in certain situations. Some boats or their owners require something more than that.
I do my own boats and it’s a lot of work for sure.
Anyone worth their salt will want to see the boat before giving an estimate to see what steps are necessary and then quote a price that is largely based on time.
A good detailer knows that you always use the least aggressive methods first and then get more aggressive only if needed because the more aggressive you get the more material you are removing from the surface.
I’ve always done my own. Most detailers are quickie guys and are not going to do the same job I do, and the very few that will do a great job aren’t going to do it any better.
Detailing has been a hobby of mine for decades, so that’s another factor.
I keep up with above the rubrails during the season with the boat in the water and never really track that time.
With the boat out of the water Thanksgiving weekend I spent one full day and about half of the next day working on my 410 below the rubrails along the sides only. I maintain the transom and platform while it’s in the water.
My brother helped both days so it took about 24 man hours all together.
If I did it on my own it would probably have taken me closer to 30 man hours.
Adding a good helper cuts the time in much more than half because the process never stops. I can keep the machine going almost constantly while he takes care of everything else.
The surface was cleaned, then I polished it with a wool polishing pad on my Makita 9227 rotary. During the polishing process I noticed some spots that needed a little extra help. Those spots were marked, and then we came back and compounded them with a more aggressive wool pad and compound, and then those spots were re-polished. Once the surface was at the level I wanted, which on a 15 year old hull is a balance between perfection and risking taking too much off, two coats of Collinite were applied by hand. I always like to apply whatever last step product I’m using by hand. That’s a personal choice.
If I were looking at my boat and giving an estimate to polish the entire exterior with maybe a little extra attention to a few areas and apply two coats of a last step product for protection I would probably figure on about 40 man hours if it were two guys (20 each guy). Probably closer to 50 hours if I were going to do it by myself.
How much would it cost me for 40 man hours of work by a detailer who knows what they’re doing? I guess you need to know the labor rate for the area.
I’m turning 64 this year and every time I do my boat my body reminds me that there will come a time when I won’t be able to do it anymore, but in the meantime I still enjoy a nice weather day with some good tunes playing on the radio while I spend some time bringing up a shine.

You definitely know what your doing and do a great job. I wish I had that kind of touch and patience.
 
i just got a quote for a 3 stage cleaning-buffing-waxing for my boat....quote was $20 per ft. below the rub rail or $25 per ft. for the entire hull....I don't know what products he uses but he told me the compound cost $250 a gallon....

so for my 340DA cost would be $680 below the rub rail or $850 for entire hull....I am pulling the boat this spring for bottom paint and will have the entire hull detailed while it is on the hard.....the same shop does the bottom paint and the hull detailing....they will also make some minor repairs to the fiberglass on my swim platform......this company has been in business in this area for 30 years....

cliff
 
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You definitely know what your doing and do a great job. I wish I had that kind of touch and patience.
Give it a try sometime. You might like it.
It’s really kind of easy to practice on a boat because the gel coat is pretty resilient. You shouldn’t go near a car with a rotary if you don’t know what you’re doing because you can easily burn the paint, but that isn’t an issue with the boat.
My machine is a little pricey, you probably don’t need to spend that much money if you just need something for very rare use. I’ve read here that a lot of boaters use a cheap machine from Harbor Freight and are satisfied with it for the few times a year they use it.
 
$4200 sounds high for just a wax/compound. Now if they have to wet sand the hull, then $4200 sounds right. For a 40-44 ft boat $1400 sounds like a good deal hull and topside...
 
Looks really good... I get what you say about doing it yourself ...it just doesn't look as good compared to someone in that business
At least until you practice, have the right tools and the right product! Looks great and your shoulder feel better when writing a check rather than 20 hours of polishing!
 
At least until you practice, have the right tools and the right product! Looks great and your shoulder feel better when writing a check rather than 20 hours of polishing!

I have always done the compounding and polishing myself ..for years and years... I actually felt a bit guilty paying someone to do it. The last two years I was retired so I had lots of time to do the work on the boat. Some how I fell off the retired wagon and bought a business... Now I hope I have time to use the boat... Be careful what you wish for!!
 

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