how much per foot for waxing?

Black Valkyrie

Black Valkyrie

Active Member
Jul 19, 2014
688
Canada
Boat Info
1993 Sundancer 270 DA
Engines
Twin 4.3
what's the going rate to get the topside cut polished and waxed? Seems to be no rhyme or reason to rates here - should be $X / per foot?
 
My experience in SW Florida is $20 per foot unless significant buffing/wet sanding is necessary...then it's negotiated from there.


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My boat's being repaired right now after hitting a log, the marina is compounding & waxing from the rubrail to waterline for $40.00 an hour with an 8 hour estimate. I might have them do everything above also temps this week are 87-92* to hot for me to do it.
 
Vancouver area I pay $35-$40 cad per ft for hull and top sides. Devil is in the "detail" as they say. What materials are they using, how many wax coats etc.
 
Bob & Sue said:
My boat's being repaired right now after hitting a log, the marina is compounding & waxing from the rubrail to waterline for $40.00 an hour with an 8 hour estimate. I might have them do everything above also temps this week are 87-92* to hot for me to do it.
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I did hourly ONCE! $1400 at my home marina was enough to break me of that


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I'm too cheap to pay someone to do manual labor on my boat that I can do myself. I just did my boat from the rub rail up and it cost me about $25 for the cleaner/wax. I'd do about 2-3 hours a day, starting in the early morning before it got hot, and quit when I got tired. It took me about 5 or 6 days to finish it. It looks great, but that's just my humble opinion.


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Cheapskate GFC
 
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Gofirstclass said:
I'm too cheap to pay someone to do manual labor on my boat that I can do myself. I just did my boat from the rub rail up and it cost me about $25 for the cleaner/wax. I'd do about 2-3 hours a day, starting in the early morning before it got hot, and quit when I got tired. It took me about 5 or 6 days to finish it. It looks great, but that's just my humble opinion.


View attachment 45930View attachment 45931


Cheapskate GFC
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On the contrary, my time is too valuable to waste 8 hours waxing my boat-ESPECIALLY when I hate doing it. However, I do my own fluid and filter changes since it only takes me a couple hours and saves me $1000 plus, I don't mind doing that. Different strokes...


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Hmmmm.... I think I paid $42/ft... Wash wax and compound..
Top and bottom while boat was out of the water at the begining of the season


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almostenuff said:
I did hourly ONCE! $1400 at my home marina was enough to break me of that
Click to expand...

Bob & Sue said:
My boat's being repaired right now after hitting a log, the marina is compounding & waxing from the rubrail to waterline for $40.00 an hour with an 8 hour estimate. I might have them do everything above also temps this week are 87-92* to hot for me to do it.
Click to expand...

My quote is $40.00 per hour with a max of 8 hours = $320.00 that is for compounding, wax and UV polish. I'd never let anyone start a job like this with an open ended quote. I've already signed the work order for it if it hits $320.00 I'm fine with that.

When it's in the water I can't reach hardly anything below the rub rail because of the deep v bow on the sides it's real pain.
 
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There are top sides and then there are top sides. Teak rails, decals, metal logos, plastic hull parts, complex shapes to name just a few variables all determine how much time it takes to do a quality job. The easiest boats have no decals or stripes to burn with a buffer, easily painter taped off nonskid areas, hulls that are free of vents that can be scuffed with compound and have smooth open surfaces. Fewer things on boats to mess with means less time. Time is money.
 
I just paid $30/ft. for the rub rail up, including the hardtop (light compound, Finesse It2, wax and machine buff. Worth every penny.
 
almostenuff, I guess being retired has some perks to it, one of which is being able to take a week to wax a boat. I don't look at it as work--it's a labor of love that I'm not willing to share with others. My baby loves me and treats me well so I take good care of her.

You will become a true boater when you look at chores such as waxing as taking care of something that you enjoy, not as work. But then that's just my humble opinion of those types of activities.

almostenuff said:
On the contrary, my time is too valuable to waste 8 hours waxing my boat-ESPECIALLY when I hate doing it. However, I do my own fluid and filter changes since it only takes me a couple hours and saves me $1000 plus, I don't mind doing that. Different strokes...

.
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Click to expand...
 
almostenuff said:
My experience in SW Florida is $20 per foot unless significant buffing/wet sanding is necessary...then it's negotiated from there.


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Click to expand...

Is that per foot per side or per linear foot of the boat or per square foot? What does the $20 include. I've tried to find out and truly do not know. I usually just kick them out do it myself or call my SIL psyciatrist friend who details for a hobby. I pay whatever he decides is fair. He says even psychiatrists need therapy....Go figure!!!!!

There are a lot of hacks out there and they ruin it for the truly reputable detailers. Get it in writing and get two or three estimates. That usually separates the wheat from the chaff.

I've seen folks get shafted in both directions. Waxing over what should have been wet sanded and sanding what needed a good compound.
 
Gofirstclass said:
almostenuff, I guess being retired has some perks to it, one of which is being able to take a week to wax a boat. I don't look at it as work--it's a labor of love that I'm not willing to share with others. My baby loves me and treats me well so I take good care of her.

You will become a true boater when you look at chores such as waxing as taking care of something that you enjoy, not as work. But then that's just my humble opinion of those types of activities.
Click to expand...

I retired after 30 years in the military. I doubt I'll get to a point that I enjoy it. But, I'm glad to hear you find it enjoyable. Cheers!


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dpmulvey said:
Is that per foot per side or per linear foot of the boat or per square foot? What does the $20 include. I've tried to find out and truly do not know. I usually just kick them out do it myself or call my SIL psyciatrist friend who details for a hobby. I pay whatever he decides is fair. He says even psychiatrists need therapy....Go figure!!!!!

There are a lot of hacks out there and they ruin it for the truly reputable detailers. Get it in writing and get two or three estimates. That usually separates the wheat from the chaff.

I've seen folks get shafted in both directions. Waxing over what should have been wet sanded and sanding what needed a good compound.
Click to expand...

That's $20 per linear foot from bottom paint to top of hard top. That is not inside the cockpit, nor is the non-slip waxed.


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Gofirstclass said:
almostenuff, I guess being retired has some perks to it, one of which is being able to take a week to wax a boat. I don't look at it as work--it's a labor of love that I'm not willing to share with others. My baby loves me and treats me well so I take good care of her.

You will become a true boater when you look at chores such as waxing as taking care of something that you enjoy, not as work. But then that's just my humble opinion of those types of activities.
Click to expand...
Wow.....so I'll never be a true boater if I don't LOVE spending what likely would equate to 25+ hours of labor considering lack of experience and size/strength, a weekend or more off the water while I do it, and a day or more of physical recovery? Guess I'd better just sell this silly thing now instead of spending $12 - $24 a foot for someone else to do it. :huh:


dpmulvey: the $12 - $24 is a ball park range is from a small local detailer who counts length + beam. Basic clean/wax/buff is low end, doing sanding/compounding/etc. takes the scale up. Some of the bigger outfits give much bigger prices right out of the gates but offer more in their packages, and also quote by the job rather than linear measurements to account accurately for cruisers vs. bridge boats, canvas vs. hard top, etc. Get a written description/written quote if at all possible so there are surprises about what they do and don't do, and check references....go see boats they've done. "I've tried to find out but truly do not know" sounds like nobody's given you a solid quote yet.
 
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