Bottom paint application cost!!

[hellosailor]

I prefer to use a Windsor & Newton 00 sable hair brush, personally. Of course you may wear several of those out before the whole hull has been painted, but nothing else does the same clean precise job, IMO.

I must have missed something in the prep instructions, I've never used an acid wash for prep though.

They've got you by the short hairs, most folks don't figure yard fees out including all the potential fine print, or have a limited choice of yards, so the yards can hardball you. You know, who wants to launch, go elsewhere, haul, arrange a ride home, leave the boat...all that to have it done somewhere more reasonable. And in many places the yards are (rightfully) terrorized by environmental agencies, and they won't even LET the owners DIY, regardless of whether you tarp the ground.

There are limited options.

[grantmc]

Originally Posted by bgallinger

I just had a price quote by a marina in Florida to.. 1. Acid wash the bottom (1 hr) 2. Sand and feather out paint (3 hours), and 3. Prep prop and shaft (1hr). Hourly rate quoted at $92/hr. Here's the kicker...labor to apply 1 coat (1 gallon) of bottom paint quoted at $720.16. That's USD!! I can run a coat of bottom paint on my boat in about an hour or so with a roller. Am I missing something??

If you don't like the quote why not do the normal thing and say 'no thanks' and go somewhere else or pick up the roller?

Why bleat about it here? No one cares.

I am so sick of this type of negativity being posted. It is not what the forum is about.

[jmschmidt]

Just one more point. If you think it's bad now just wait. In the very near future in the US only EPA and State certified yards, run only EPA and State certified management and employing only EPA and State certified workers, protected by expensive positive-pressure suits, working in EPA and State certified enclosures, will be allowed to work on your boat. Check the recently passed regs for Puget Sound. I was thinking about putting a boat in charter there but with that and the short season, forget it. The day of "DIY" is coming to an end, not only in shipyard work but home building and all other construction and demolition work.

[alansmith]

Honestly, that is the biz! Politely, I am asking you if you have ever owned a business?

If you have then you will know about all the BS costs that go with it.
1. Federal taxes for employees social security.
2. Workman'a comp
3. Health insurance is killing everyone
4. State taxes
5. Liability insurance will be fairly high for a business
That involves highly toxic chemicals and ladders
6. Taxes for property
7. Licensing to different gov't agencies that 'watchdog' you
8. Utilities
9. Maintenance of heavy equipment.
10. Payroll costs and accounting.
11. On and on.

So, for that boat yard to stay in business and provide their clients this service that is what it takes to stay in business. In San Francisco area there are dozens of places to do
Boat work. But I know of only one or two places you can do your own work.

The financial carnage ain't pretty. But I think the quote is not that unreasonable. Paint and labor is probably not even a third of their real costs. You also paying the kids in the
Chandlery. The yard boss who oversees and organizes his troops and boat's needs. The guys who work in the yard might be working on 4 other boats that day, plus a zillion other things like staying alive in a highly toxic environment.

If you ever have the privilege of working on your boat for several months in a yard you'll
Have a better understanding how many hidden costs you haven't thought of that go into
Your bottom job.

[jmschmidt]

Good job, you came up with a lot more than I did. This is why one of my boats is in charter outside the US. Actually Hawaii (where my other boat is still allows DIY, but for how long?

[Cadence]

If that $720, or so, included the paint, that does not sound bad. If you could do it in an hour they may hire you.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by bgallinger

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I had already paid to have the boat hauled out, pressure washed and blocked. I supplied the 1 gallon of paint needed (Seahawk Biocop). The boatyard added 3 hours of labor to sand and feather the existing bottom paint plus some other work I don't need. The quote of $720 to apply one gallon of bottom paint just doesn't add up

So just to clarify for everyone, the $720 is exclusively for the paint application...it's not for the paint, or the sanding, or the wash or anything else. It's simply the labor to tape the waterline and apply the paint. And one gallon is going to get you basically one coat.

I failed to mention earlier that they do have to move jack stands, although that honestly takes 10 minutes.

The quote seems high but then again I've always painted my own bottom and maybe I'm just fast. I suspect that their per foot cost is a flat rate that includes two coats, which is fairly standard procedure (you're paying all the associated costs for haul/wash/block/storage, why not make the work last with an extra coat of paint).

Short story: if they will let you apply your own paint, you'll save a lot of dough. And it's not rocket science either.

[Cadence]

Times have changed. Owning a boat is expensive and getting more so. Just the cost of taxes and etc. etc,. on the property might make turning a yard into condos more lucrative.
Thus those that don't have to charge more or can. It's business. Something needs to pay the overhead.

[Pete7]

I guess the answer is to get the coveralls out, grab a paint brush and get stuck in.

Pete

[Flyingriki]

Originally Posted by sailah

$720 seems "reasonable", my brother paid more than that in RI to have his new regulator 28 painted.

What your brother paid doesn't make this reasonable. A worker is paid maybe $15/hour, maybe $20. Add 25% burden and he cost them $25. Takes 4 hours to tape, paint and clean up = $100. Paint, clothing, and misc. materials $300. So $400 plus 25% overhead and profit = $500. $720 isn't reasonable.
I did my 36 with 6 weeks on the hard, lots of beer and burritos on the tag, haul, wash, launch and rental of sander for $2800.
Currently looking for yard for my 42. Found a nice one quoting $1650 for haul, wash, bloc and launch plus 4 weeks out. Figure paint and misc. at $500, rental equip. at $150 and I'm at $2300. Figure 10% more for unknowns and I'm at about $2500. Oh, plus burritos and beer.......
Yards want $7000+....

[lateral]

So, you unsure of whether it is reasonable or not? Otherwise you wouldn't have asked. Its been explained the difference between doing it commercially and DIY. General idea is to make a profit and fair enough.
So, they are not holding a gun to your head, diy.
Or do you just want to share your indignation that you should be entitled to
exploit cheap workers and can't in your area?

[lateral]

Back to the program.
I got a quote for PTFE film wrap supply only from UK. Eyewatering 850quid/12m2+ship
This self adhesive is available from Alibaba at a fraction. Curious on application cost vs material.
Both 200microns. Anybody investigated DIY. Have a bro inlaw with graphic film applying ability. You tube makes it look easy.

[lateral]

And,
Apologies, one and all for the previous outburst.
Absolutely unnecessary, FR and myself are not that far removed in
requiring a decent price.
Please delete all my references to politics, nationality etc.

[senormechanico]

o

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

Just one more point. If you think it's bad now just wait. In the very near future in the US only EPA and State certified yards, run only EPA and State certified management and employing only EPA and State certified workers, protected by expensive positive-pressure suits, working in EPA and State certified enclosures, will be allowed to work on your boat. Check the recently passed regs for Puget Sound. I was thinking about putting a boat in charter there but with that and the short season, forget it. The day of "DIY" is coming to an end, not only in shipyard work but home building and all other construction and demolition work.

Don't get me started about the tree huggers and politicians trolling for easy votes around here, but please let us know if you some kind of inside track to all this or are you just venting....


Respectfully asking....


BTW, just got my bottom sanded, painted in 3 days in Port Townsend.
Provided the paint, and watched it happen. $1,600 all up and back in the water.
Bottumsup did good work.

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by bgallinger

I just had a price quote by a marina in Florida to.. 1. Acid wash the bottom (1 hr) 2. Sand and feather out paint (3 hours), and 3. Prep prop and shaft (1hr). Hourly rate quoted at $92/hr. Here's the kicker...labor to apply 1 coat (1 gallon) of bottom paint quoted at $720.16. That's USD!! I can run a coat of bottom paint on my boat in about an hour or so with a roller.
Am I missing something??

OMG, with that title, I was prepared to witness someone being totally ripped off.

Instead, would you like so me cheese with that......?

$720.16 labour for a coat of bottom paint on a Hunter 34 is awesome!

Let's see what you are missing:

1. The marina has overhead, and would likely expect you to cover your portion of that.

2. The marina would like to make some money, so that they can stay in business to serve less whiny customers.

3. The marina workers, like to be paid a decent hourly rate, even while standing around when its pouring rain and they can't paint.

4. The marina workers, like their hourly rate, plus all the other stuff the employer has to pay on their behalf.

5. Nobody, but nobody, from the time they start, can collect the tools, carry them to site , lay the ground tarps, stir the paint, mask the boat, apply a coat of anti-fouling with any kind of finesse that somebody would be willing to pay for on a 34 foot boat, unmask the boat, fold the tarps, clean the tools, and put them away, dispose of the scrap, in an hour. More like 6.

If you can do it, I have a job for you.

I'll line up the customer's, and pay you $100 per boat painted.

(No money while standing around waiting for rain to stop or wind to die down).

In one hour, that will be $100 / hr.

Good deal (for me), when you realize that it actually takes you 6 hours per 34 foot boat painted, on perfect sunny, no wind days, longer in les than ideal conditions.

There is an ideal solution for people like you. DIY.

Sorry, I just spent the day away from my family, painting someone else's boat, while my boat sits with bottom unpainted, to read this total BS.

PS, they do have the best looking anti-fouling paint job in the yard of a working man's yacht club, and yes, I charged a reasonable amount, on account of I can't do it for the good of my health, simply because...it isn't.