Cost for Detailing a Cat

[truckman]

Greetings,
I am a new owner of a 50 foot Cat and it is in need of some exterior polishing up. The bottom paint is ready to go, but up from there the hulls could use some buffing and the topsides are really dulled out and need it badly. The boat is 15 years old and I will be doing some minor mechanical refitting as it has been well maintained in that regard. I was wondering what a good bid would be to have someone on the east coast do the work for me before I retire and move aboard this fall. I have a local to the boat boatyard bid and it is unbelievably high. Total 3 step process of compound, polish, and wax from the waterline up is $8,000. Please tell me this is as ridiculously high as I think it is. I know its almost all labor and a big boat, but I think I will look for someone else to do the job or wait until I retire and do it myself. The boat is in Beaufort area now and will be stored in Brunswick, Georgia so if anyone can suggest a good detail company I would be in your debt.

[Palarran]

I paid 1500 euro last year for a 2/3 job in Greece. I say this because they really didn't do a great job but it looked better. I think in the States it would cost about $3000.

[Sailingcouple13]

I pay 1300.00 water line up, on a 45' cat in Tampa FL area. We have it done about every 9 monhs. I would think on a neglected boat expext to pay almost double the first time. But no where near 8,000.00. There are 3 guys and it is done in about 1.5 days.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[truckman]

Thanks guys, That's what I thought. I'll have 12 days to rig the boat before we head out with my 23 Year old son as labor so I think I'll put him on it. Maybe start somewhere under the bridgedeck until he gets good at it. I've got a couple of calls out to detail shops in the area for bids, but this yards kind of crazy. They gave me a paint estimate of $125,000 so I knew their detail estimate would be crazy as well. Not sure who pays these rates.

[jaybird1111]

My neighbor has a Chaparral power boat, searay looking thing, about 25 feet or so, and he was telling me that he pays over a grand to have it detailed. I'd expect at least twice, if not three times that for a 50' cat, depending on where you have it done

After hearing that, I decided to heed the advice of an old salt I know: "You don't want your boat to look too good."

[ramblinrod]

As with everything it depends.


In this case, it depends on the condition of the boat and your expectations.


To change poor condition to like new could be in the area of 4 sq. ft. / hr.


Like new, requiring just wax, is then in the neighbourhood of 30 sq ft / hr.


Divide the number of total sq ft., by the sq feet / hr, times the hourly rate, and you have your cost.


$8000 for gelcoat in bad shape for that boat is not totally out of line.

[Alterboy 65]

For a 42 ft Manta We paid $2400 - including boatyard markup - waterline up , including under neath in Marathon FL.
Matt at Marathon Boatyard is a perfectionist and very reasonable and the only guy I would have do our boat.
Our Cat was faded and I couldnt get a nice shine on it no matter what I did....He brought it back to looking like new with the three step process.

TOm SV Cecilia Marie