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-   -   2nd Boat Detail (http://www.marine31online.com/forum/showthread.php?t=281)

route66mobiledetail 09-06-2015 09:03 PM

2nd Boat Detail
 
Hey, Rob here. First off... Happy Labor Day!!! Yeah I worked yesterday... was our third deal so far... our second boat gig. Rather disappointed myself actually. Here's what happened.

So the customer books us. Owns a 2015 Monterey MSX M5. We made the mistake of googling his residence and found his home is off the water, valued at $950,000. Big deal right? Well no. For some reason it spooked us (my wife and I) as if they were going to eat us alive simply based on their social status. Lol... Im not kidding though. We're new in the business, learning things every day and somehow that tid bit of info just didn't help.

We pressed on. Showed up 15 minutes early, spoke to the wife (through front door video cam / speaker) and got to work. Eventually their social status, big expensive house meant nothing. Got over that, but it was funny to laugh about afterwards. They were really nice. Guy owns a successful chain of sandwich shops.

The problem was:

1. Water spots. I know, I know. I know NOW......
The job was only a wash job. We did pretty well but when we were about done, the water spots were EVERYWHERE! We went home and did research feverishly and found that we could have dispatched the issue with vinegar. Yes I'm upset at myself and its been a long day thinking of how we missed that detail while doing all the research about our new business. Ugh! But we did learn. The boat had water spots when we started. Just a heads up.

2. We knew we were going to have metal to polish. Things like cleats, water caps, gas cap, rails, etc... etc... I picked up Collinite 850 metal wax by recommendation of a chain marine store. It seemed to work well with everything... besides these 3 pieces of decorative trim on the outside of the boats rear. I'll be honest with you, I went over one piece and it looked like the dull side of a piece of aluminum foil when I got done. Yeah... wasn't good. I stopped of course. Did I use the wrong product? Applied wrong? Used microfiber cloth. Please help.

3. Pricing... I'm learning the dual console boats seem to have much more vinyl. More seats. Seems to be a bit more difficult than a center console boat. Am I wrong? I'm thinking it may make some sense to charge more for a dual console for this reason. I'm finding that lots of time is spent on seat cushions/vinyl. Thoughts?

4. What is the best way to get rid of that pinkish orange film on the boat bottom when I am NOT doing any polishing etc.. only washing. I used a specific "boat soap" and scrubbed with a boars hair brush and a wash mit. Mostly came off but I'm not satisfied with "mostly".


As always, thank you so much for any nugget of info you can share with us.

Rob- Route 66 Mobile Detail

Mike Phillips 09-08-2015 01:42 PM

Re: 2nd Boat Detail
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by route66mobiledetail (Post 1235)

1. Water spots. I know, I know. I know NOW......
The job was only a wash job. We did pretty well but when we were about done, the water spots were EVERYWHERE!

We went home and did research feverishly and found that we could have dispatched the issue with vinegar.

Hi Rob,

SOMETIMES vinegar works but not every time. See this article,

Using Vinegar to remove water spots





Quote:

Originally Posted by route66mobiledetail (Post 1235)

2. We knew we were going to have metal to polish. Things like cleats, water caps, gas cap, rails, etc... etc... I picked up Collinite 850 metal wax by recommendation of a chain marine store. It seemed to work well with everything... besides these 3 pieces of decorative trim on the outside of the boats rear. I'll be honest with you, I went over one piece and it looked like the dull side of a piece of aluminum foil when I got done. Yeah... wasn't good. I stopped of course. Did I use the wrong product? Applied wrong? Used microfiber cloth.

Please help.

Maybe it was anodized? (you can't polish anodized aluminum)



Quote:

Originally Posted by route66mobiledetail (Post 1235)

3. Pricing... I'm learning the dual console boats seem to have much more vinyl. More seats. Seems to be a bit more difficult than a center console boat. Am I wrong? I'm thinking it may make some sense to charge more for a dual console for this reason. I'm finding that lots of time is spent on seat cushions/vinyl. Thoughts?

Learn to give estimates, not quotes. State you need to see the boat to make a final estimate for the reasons you experienced.


Quote:

Originally Posted by route66mobiledetail (Post 1235)

4. What is the best way to get rid of that pinkish orange film on the boat bottom when I am NOT doing any polishing etc.. only washing. I used a specific "boat soap" and scrubbed with a boars hair brush and a wash MIT. Mostly came off but I'm not satisfied with "mostly".

The problem with the staining is it tends to be a discoloring that's both on and in the gel-coat thus some level of polishing is required. Even a simple one-step cleaner/wax applied using a Flex 3401 can fix the issue.

This is where you would need to educate the customer.

Anything you spray on and rinse off is going to likely be on the harsh side of chemicals.


:)

route66mobiledetail 09-27-2015 09:16 PM

Re: 2nd Boat Detail
 
Thanks for your help Mike! Julie and I keep every bit of info you share with us in our mental "toolbox". As far as estimates? I love that. That should surely keep us from screwing ourselves by feeling locked into a "quote".. thus potentially making us jaded about the business by working too hard for the $.

Rob


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