What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

[mrchev]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

i live a cross the water from you, "a" and they charge 80- 100. I got a quote to do a transom in a 18 foot bayliner and it was 1500-2000 plus tax. I am a auto mechanic and at work they charge 89. I known some of the guys do it at home for 50, but mostly sell by the job as apposed to hourly. As soon as i find out if us composite will deliver to canada i will do my transom and surely the stringers, its been a few years since i did a boat restore, and i remember it was ichy. :lol:

 

[Decker83]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

There is a reason your company bills you out @ $95.00 hr.. First they have to pay you and then the SS tax they withhold has to be matched by them.. All of the cost of doing business, rent, electric, advertising, water, waste, insurance, maintenance on tools and equipment and then pay themselfs a salary. After all the cost of doing business they still have to pay INCOME TAX.. The Adrimal and I have to pay about 38% on Income Tax.. That's .38 cents for every dollar we make goes to Uncle Sam.. Then we have to pay 8.25% to spend our money for sales tax..
The reason I say all of this is to NOT sell yourself to cheap.. If you start to low you will not make a profit..
If your going mobile I would asume your going to limit some of the work you can do.. Will you be able to buy your supplies at the same bulk rate price as the shop you work for now? How will your clients find you and at what cost..
Low prices will not do any good if no one knows about you..
I also asume the boat business is very seasonal job.. If you don't charge enough to cover your slow times it could become very difficult..
I would think that $25.00 hr is NOT enough to make a profit now days.. Then trying to go up on your price too fast can be bad for business..
In my business, the state allows the Agents to charge a fee for our services and it can be whatever the Agent wants to charge.. Most of the fees range from $100.00 to $50.00.. I am somewhat of a soft touch.. When someone comes in and I know their on a fixed income, I feel sorry for them and I have a hard time charging them the fee, but Uncle Sam doesn't and all the bills that come in don't change so I have to charge the fees..

All I am saying is DON'T SELL YOURSELF SHORT.. Your not ripping anyone off if you do TOP QUALITY WORK for a good price..
The customer is not just paying for your labor, they are paying for your SKILLS AND TALENT AND LIFE LONG EXPERIENCE..
I have to agree with Wood and Bondo and 64 and charge by the job, figure your hours and charge for your labor..
Just my 2 cents..

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

Thanks guys for your input ..

Yes I can get my materials at a 'jobber' rate.

I just dunno .. I mean the last 3 places that I was Hired at charged 90/hr. I understand the overhead ( nominal with mobile services ) but man .. my current boss comes in at about 11:30 every day and starts slappin the whip around with his employees ( wages are about $10/hr for the kids buffing out boats ). He charges 95/hr and does NOTHING but come in and start the ol' Crack the whip thing. Ok .. thats a problem.

As I stated before .. I was 97% .. one week of 40 hours is 4k for these clowns .. ONE week its 4k or 16k a month !

Now I would do many things for 16k a month ..

Im done with peeps getting ripped off in my mind. Its not just biz .. its about Fair. I can do the same thing getting paid double.

I just did today a last minute repair of a chip on a 88' bayliner ( boat is getting in the water 3PM tomorrow ) . At lunch I was told about this repair. So .. I ground out the repair .. color matched.. filled and faired .. spay gelcoat in about 3 hours ( I ground out and filled/faired in 30 min .. I color matched for 2.5 hours ). I have about 1 hour with wetsanding and buffing .. making MY time about 4 hours. Now I get .. oh lets say $100 bucks for the time on the clock. He makes out at 500 bucks. What am I thinking .. Ya know ? This is a milk crate job LOL .. there is Nothing in the Shop .

I dunno .. just wondering ..

YD.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

I don't know what'd be 'fair & reasonable' for you to charge for all you, SP & others have been bouncing around, but if the guy in charge is a horse's back side, eventually it affects the employee's work, which will result in a drop in either productivity or quality & the whip cracking will get worse.

I have been there ^^^ and couldn't get out fast enough.....

That said, don't short sell your talents & time. Only you can decide what would make it worth your while, and keep you working regularly. Making twice as much, part time, may accomplish your goals too.

Having done side work aplenty in the past, wishing I could officially hang my own shingle, best of luck making a go of it.

 

[KennethfromGA]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

Totally different field but as an independent driver I go through much of the same business stuff you will. Self-employment tax is a bear as is having to make the decision whether to incorporate or not. Legally speaking incorporating is the safe bet since if you get sued only the business assets are at stake which will protect things like your home and family savings etc. but it also means you'll have to pay more in taxes since you'll be paying corporate and personal. Before you hang out a shingle do your homework and find a few professionals to help you make decisions. If your not already using an accountant for your taxes find one and have a good long talk. Personally I'm kinda judgment proof as my home is in my mothers name and aside from two 10 year old vehicles and a nearly 40 year old tri-hull I own little of value hence I haven't incorporated and save some money on my taxes. As for hourly/bidding of jobs I don't know enough to comment but I have seen a lot of people have trouble making the move from side work to full time small business. Talk to anyone you know who's made the jump regardless of what field their in and ask questions.

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

Thanks guys for your input ..

Yes I can get my materials at a 'jobber' rate.

I just dunno .. I mean the last 3 places that I was Hired at charged 90/hr. I understand the overhead ( nominal with mobile services ) but man .. my current boss comes in at about 11:30 every day and starts slappin the whip around with his employees ( wages are about $10/hr for the kids buffing out boats ). He charges 95/hr and does NOTHING but come in and start the ol' Crack the whip thing. Ok .. thats a problem.

As I stated before .. I was 97% .. one week of 40 hours is 4k for these clowns .. ONE week its 4k or 16k a month !

Now I would do many things for 16k a month ..

Im done with peeps getting ripped off in my mind. Its not just biz .. its about Fair. I can do the same thing getting paid double.

I just did today a last minute repair of a chip on a 88' bayliner ( boat is getting in the water 3PM tomorrow ) . At lunch I was told about this repair. So .. I ground out the repair .. color matched.. filled and faired .. spay gelcoat in about 3 hours ( I ground out and filled/faired in 30 min .. I color matched for 2.5 hours ). I have about 1 hour with wetsanding and buffing .. making MY time about 4 hours. Now I get .. oh lets say $100 bucks for the time on the clock. He makes out at 500 bucks. What am I thinking .. Ya know ? This is a milk crate job LOL .. there is Nothing in the Shop .

I dunno .. just wondering ..

YD.

Go ahead and jump out there. I thought the same thing until I started my own company. You fast realize that you have to charge that to stay in biz when you are paying for all the supplies and labor.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

Go ahead and jump out there. I thought the same thing until I started my own company. You fast realize that you have to charge that to stay in biz when you are paying for all the supplies and labor.

I dont pay for any supplies.. they pay for it up front. The labor is half up.

Im just talking about labor cost .. not materials ( thats a given up front cost ).

Im beginning to think that $40-50-60 is a good starting point after talking to the locals .

YD.

 

[sphelps]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

40 / 60 sounds fair depending on the job . But I do think pricing by the job would be the best way to go but lay out in your contract exactly what you will be doing . Anything they want extra will cost . Giving the customer a little more than what was agreed on is a good way to get a word of mouth reputation and would help getting new customers . Heck give it a shot and if it don,t work out you can always go back working for the man . So don,t burn any bridges !

 

[Decker83]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

Im beginning to think that $40-50-60 is a good starting point after talking to the locals .

YD.

Now your Talking..

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

My experience with "By the Hour" is...Some people think you're "Milking the Clock" when it takes longer than THEY think it should take and Others think you must have done a Shoddy job if you get it done to quick. Can't win no matter what. Bidding the "Job" always seemed to work best but to each his own!!!

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

My experience with "By the Hour" is...Some people think you're "Milking the Clock" when it takes longer than THEY think it should take and Others think you must have done a Shoddy job if you get it done to quick. Can't win no matter what. Bidding the "Job" always seemed to work best but to each his own!!!

I think by Law I have to represent my Hourly Rate ..

Yes of course I would bid a job .. there is 'bidding' a job .. but what rate ? .. $95/hr .. ? ...

YD.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

In the 90's I owned a service business. I had a customer complain when I gave him his bill that said quote "well your making money". I told him yes I was. I was not working to be a civil servant and if he believed in working for free, he could start working for me Monday morning and I would give him all the overtime he wanted. He then wrote the check. In any service work you get what you pay for.

No kidding. I have provided a service for 12 years, just starting my 13th. When people complain about a bill, I try to explain in a nice way, go buy the equipment and do the job yourself and get back to me what that bill was. I was more polite, but you get the idea.

I think $50 is very fair if you "need" to go the hourly rate way. I did that for my first year in business and quickly found out I wasn't going to make enough money to stay afloat. The 2nd year I charged per job and had a minimum. The pocket book was much happier and so were the bill collectors. That way too, both parties know exactly what the job is going to cost. No surprises for the customer. They like that.... Doesn't work that way for restoring old cars. Basically, they want a blank check.....

I don't know about Michigan, but word of mouth is everything around here. I tried advertising multiple times and was just wasting my money. When someone called about doing a job I would ask how they heard about me. Well, so-and-so mentioned your name. I got so much work I had to farm it out to a guy I know who is doing the same thing. Giving my competition work! I refuse to have employees. I figure that's another headache I don't need......

Like someone mentioned, go the extra mile. If you find something else that needs a quick fix, fix it and don't charge them. They'll be very grateful and hopefully tell all their friends.......

You wouldn't happen to live in the western UP? I have a job for ya.......

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: What do you think is a Fair price $ for gel/fiberglass repair ?

No kidding. I have provided a service for 12 years, just starting my 13th. When people complain about a bill, I try to explain in a nice way, go buy the equipment and do the job yourself and get back to me what that bill was. I was more polite, but you get the idea.

I think $50 is very fair if you "need" to go the hourly rate way. I did that for my first year in business and quickly found out I wasn't going to make enough money to stay afloat. The 2nd year I charged per job and had a minimum. The pocket book was much happier and so were the bill collectors. That way too, both parties know exactly what the job is going to cost. No surprises for the customer. They like that.... Doesn't work that way for restoring old cars. Basically, they want a blank check.....

I don't know about Michigan, but word of mouth is everything around here. I tried advertising multiple times and was just wasting my money. When someone called about doing a job I would ask how they heard about me. Well, so-and-so mentioned your name. I got so much work I had to farm it out to a guy I know who is doing the same thing. Giving my competition work! I refuse to have employees. I figure that's another headache I don't need......

Like someone mentioned, go the extra mile. If you find something else that needs a quick fix, fix it and don't charge them. They'll be very grateful and hopefully tell all their friends.......

You wouldn't happen to live in the western UP? I have a job for ya.......

Very helpful post .. Thank you ..

No I dont live up there ..

Yea the thing is I can get Gobbs of work when the work is good this year .. and I do Plan on some underbid jobs as a Sub .. but I think that making a Clientel is important at this point in the season..

YD.