A little advice please. Picture included

[jack frost]

Hello,
I bought this boat as a project. Knowing it had a soft floor and planned to do it myself last fall. Time got away and now my wife and i are taking the boat to a fiberglass shop to get an estimate. I guess my question is what would be a ball park of what i should pay to have this floor replaced and what would be a good price also if it needs both stringers and the floor. Also what would be good questions to ask and or have in writing before letting them start the work.
I was gonna ask for a materials list, what type, thickness of wood he was gonna use, what the turn around time would be. Also please note. I am not having the floor gel coated or painted. I will be doing that myself. The boat is 18 1/2 ft

 

[jack frost]

 

[tpenfield]

$3-4k for a rebuild. I would think if a shop pulls up the floor, they are going to want to do everything else.

 

[jack frost]

He wanted 12k to do the stringers and floor. Seems a bit much and waaaay more than id ever pay. If anyonr knows someone in the md/ southern pa area that is reasonble please let me know.

 

[jbcurt00]

Based on asking the shop all the questions you posted initially when you went for the estimate, I suspect the shop expects you to be 1 of those customers and either priced it high to make sure they didnt get the job or wants extra to cover the expense of having you look over his shoulder and ask lots of questions.

Wanting a firm done by date, also probably added a little to the estimate as well.

Another possibility is that he's busy enough currently that he doesnt need to do this job. But if you're willing to over pay, he'd make room in the schedule.

It happens. Not knowing much about the boat, what all needs to be done (possibly he expected to find more work then you think needs to be done), I dont know what a reasonable amount would be.

What kind of center console is this?

Most that ask this question post that they get estimates of 1/2 to 2/3rds that amount, 6-9K.

Rough guess-timate of 2K in material, 2K in labor and 2K in profit and another 1-2K in gotcha's that arent immediately apparent, makes his estimate high but outrageous, IDK, maybe maybe not..

 

[jack frost]

I never asked forna date the job would be done because we never agreed on a price. The price he gave was for stringers and a floor. Im not sure how many more suprises there could be as he checked the transom and gave it a clean bill of health. We suspect the need for stringers as well so he figured that in. Like you i suspect that he did over quote to either get the job or not full with it at all. However if he didnt want to this he should have told me that before havibg me drive 2 hours each way. I spoke with his wife over the phone twice and we emailed each other several times. They were fully aware of the work i wanted done before i got there.
The boat is a downeastern. Further more isnt it perfectly standard to agree to those basic questions and have in writing a guaruntee of work before signing a contract? Not asking those questions is just askibg to screwed IMO.

 

[Woodonglass]

IMHO you had every right to ask those questions and expect to get everything in writing. If they weren't willing to give it to you in writing then you didn't want to deal with them anyway. Typical shop rates for this type work is anywhere from $70 to $100 bucks an hour + material costs. For stringers and a deck for your boat I'd guesstimate 40-60 man hours and $1,500 for materials. Based on this I'd say he's a bit over priced. Keep looking and asking but... Just because they answer the question correctly doesn't mean they'll do the work correctly. You should also ask for references and then be diligent in checking them out.

 

[jbcurt00]

I didnt mean you shouldnt ask those questions.

Working w home owners while I worked in different fields in the construction industry, I've had supervisors and business owners choose to over quote because they didnt really want the job, thought the home owner would be watching over their shoulder every day or that were busy enough not to need the work, but if they'd over pay, we'd make room in the schedule to squeeze em in.

Ever remodel a kitchen for someone and have them sit in a chair in the adjacent room all day on watch , every day? Doesnt change how I do or line out my work, but it does get old.

Being an informed customer is always important.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

The estimate is a little high but not a rip off either. A boat like this will take something between 100 and 150 hours worth of work from a pro. Demolition, grinding, cutting wood and making templates, glassing, and, and , and ...

If he is charging you $70-$100 dollars an hour, this will bring the estimates very close to what he is asking for if you add the material. Needless to say, they are in business to make money.

IMHO, a project boat given to pros kinda of taking all the savings out of the initiative. But even with that, you still can come ahead compared to buying a used/working boat. Get another few estimates from other marinas. Don't make your decision primarily based on the cheapest bid. Ask for reputation, customer references if possible. And, for sure, ask as many questions as you can about the material and quality of work and get in writing.

 

[jack frost]

Thanks all really appreciate the advice and comments. I believe at this point im going to take on the project myself as orginally planned and sacrafice some fishing time. To be honest, i called 4 or 5 places that i could find. He was only one i considered reputable. After talking to 2-3 people for 30 seconds over the phone, i had determined that i wouldn't allow them to build a dog house for my wifes dog and i hate that damn dog.

 

[gm280]

jack frost, if you plan on tackling this yourself, you do know that it is going to be a lot of dirty, messy, itchy, smelly work. And it takes a while to get things like they should be to rebuild it back correctly again. There IS a learning curve and once you get the hang of it, things go a little smoother. IF you decide to do this yourself, start now by taking tons of pictures and measurements before you do anything else. Those things will come in handy down the road. And ask the questions for us to offer ideas and suggestions. You found the best place to post this project. JMHO!

 

[jack frost]

Gm280,,

Yes, i do understand whats involved. Ive been reading here and watching videos, reding more, watching more videos.....etc since last july. I have aome experince with fiberglass through practice and then removing the center console and seat post this winter. I have a lot of experince in wood working and mechanical background. I guess maybe i should post some pics of how the seat post and center console have gone when i get around to it.
Any way as an update my dad and i are going to take up the floor, make a pattern for it and assess the stringers and work involved. A new boat is a finacial possibility for me so depending on a few factors, mainly cost and time ill see where this goes.
Also i have taken measurments of how everything goea back together and before the floor gets cut on ill be takibg measurments of width, depth and length of the boat from multiple refrence points. Its a crying dam shame that manufactures and boat builders didnt start using all composite materials much sooner. This boat and hull are very nice its going to be a shame to scrap it if i decide not to take on the project. To be honest i wish i could really find someone to do the stringer work for me. Its not the difficulty of the job its the tine involved for me thats got me iffy.

 

[xmxaxrxtxyx]

Just think this way:
When your done you can be proud of the great job "YOU" did & not someone else!!

 

[jack frost]

Yes you are right but im more upset over the fishing time i will probably miss

 

[snowman246]

If it were me, and it was me a few months ago, take on the project yourself. I was lucky enough to have a small 2 man boat to fish off of the last few months of the season when I started my project.

I will tell you (from personal experience in the last 5-6 months) you will really appreciate and learn so much from doing it yourself. My boat was a full blown ski/recreation boat that I have redesigned as a fish/ski combo. I had done outboard transoms before and small floor repair but never anything like I have done to my Glastron since Sept 2015.

I gained a wealth of info and advise from WoodonGlass, WillyClay and others. Without them I would still be scratching my head to a certain degree. Take a look at my build and get an idea of what I have done and the time frame I used. It has been 4-5 hours a week at night and then days off only. My wife and kids have helped me in the build and the design.

While I'm at lunch or sitting in the living room I continuously think about what I want to work on next to be more efficient with my time.

My best tip is take photos. LOTS AND LOTS OF PHOTOS!!!!!! I took photos of wiring, bolts, screws etc. Everything got documented to make the reassembly go easier. I have taken probably 300 photos since day one.

Good luck to ya and I'll give my advice as well as others will.