mptrimshop

I have been doing boat interiors for about 6 years now and i never really know what to charge. I learned how to do car interior out a Wyo-Tech on 2001 and found upon returning ho,e that i knew alot more people with boats that needed work than cars. The problem i have always had was i never really knew what i could get for the work......I resantley quited a guy with an Active thunder 25 $400 to redo his bolster seats...he jump and the price fast...is that to low? I Never really feel like i'm getting ripped off ...but i tend to think my prices are a bit low. If you guys have any pics of your interiors and wouldn't mind telling me what you paid i would appreciate it.... and if anyone from the souther Chicago area is looking to get something done i would be more than happy to help....I'm not here trolling looking for work just thought i would offer....

thank you for your time
Mike

mptrimshop

nobody has had there interiors redone?

Rookie

iTrader: (4)

I paid $350 for my bolsters, $300 for my back bench and kick panel and $60 for my sunpad solid white with red piping around the perimeter.

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

Best thing to do is just be fair with yourself as well as the customer. Establish a budget with the customer and maximize what you can do within it while not giving your time away. Keep in mind this is not your hobby, figure out how many working hours it will take you for a given project and what your overhead will be then go from there. If you can efficiently complete a task once you'll make money, if you have to do things over to achieve results that costs you money not the customer. Also be honest with the customer about what to expect, if a budget of only a few hundred dollars exists then one cannot expect a Lip-Ship style job and you are not obligated to deliver one. Ultimatly there has to be a balance between the budget and the end result that will benifit the both of you and that should be established before you get even started.

I paid $2000 for this interior and was very happy with the results (cost and quality). I had originally set aside $3500 but the local shop i used quoted me "around" $1500, I had seen his work before and was confident. I told him i had budgeted more then that and requested that he take more time and refine it a bit if he could. He was able to get rid of some of the pleating and eliminate the piping that borders all the panels. It was not the nicest in the world but it was, never the less, very nice. But more importanlty it was exactly what we agreed on (cost and quality wise). I was very happy with the results and will use them again.

The sunpads were 100% new made from scratch (with no stitching by my request)
The rear bench had structural work and the bottom pad was a custom piece
Front bolsters were pretty complex and i asked that the least amount of pleats be used wherever possible.
He used a really nice flat lock stitch to eliminate all the piping also by request, looked great.
Some of my requests probably made the job easier allowing the shop to make a better profit and in my thinking allowed focus on a better overall job.
(that pucker on the bottom skirt on the port bolster was my fault on assembly )

offshoredrillin

Everything dave said is true, you can also call and price shop your competitors. if someone wants a topgun done, call around and see what others are charging and adjust your costs to reflect your skill level and such. Above all Be honest with the customer as far as costs and time to complete job. if you have embroidery to do that costs more, my Tiger interior was 7k+ and that included a sunpad and lots of embroidery, worth every penny.

mptrimshop

Dave it looks like who ever did your boat did a real nice job. How come ya don't fix that bolster? Thx for the pics and price post ... i really appreciate your guys help.....Keep em comin

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

Actually i did fix it that pic was shortly after i put it in, it had to do with the skirt piece and how it mounted under the seat (my bad not the upholstery guys) . I sold the boat soon after and the new owner is still enjoying it today, its holding up well. I need to get the interior in my Scarab done one of these days and i will use these guys again.

Is that flat style of stitch easier to do then using the big piping on all the edges? I know i liked it better then when it had that stuff on it, made it look old/dated.

mptrimshop

The piping(welt cord) will help hid a few more imperfections better than the Single reinforced stitch. The piping will cost a bit more and requires more time and labor to put in. I would not conciser it harder to do than the single reinforced. Alot of boats are getting away from the welt cord and i personally like the look of the single reinforced better and feel it is a stronger seem. On most jobs i do i try and get 50.00 and hour but if it going to be alot of hours and a real big job i try to work with the boat owner to stay within there budget. As a whole i would rather lose on some jobs and have a good name

mptrimshop

Rookie it sound like you got one hell of deal on that interior...i don't know how big your sun-deck is but i don't think i could get vinyle at my cost for $60 for that let alone build and install it.

TexomaPowerboater

I think you need to come up with a variable cost per hour. You should have 3 inputs for pricing. 1) for materials, 1) for overhead, and 1) for labor. For overhead you should total your annual cost of overhead (rent, storage, admin, tools, and depreciation of equipment, etc) then divide by total annual jobs or hourly work. That will give you an overhead allocation variable. For labor take your desired salary net of taxes and divide by how many hours you expect to work in a givin year. If its too much relative to competition then you need to benchmark the competition and learn their competitive advantages.