Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

[scutly]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

That's a heck of a deal for labor! How'd you find him?

craigslist. old salt in his fiftys.

 

[jkust]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

Nobody mentioned the huge regional differences in labor rated. Someone mentioned it above that Minneapolis is $120/hour. Lots of thing in Minnesota are more expensive than the majority of states and we get hosed on our labor. I see these $75 shop rates and it hasn't been that cheap here in decades. My point is this conversation needs to have a regional disclamer to it. You should see the prices of some of our showroom boats compared to southern states. Thousands more for the same boat.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

Is he maybe inflating his hours or markup on parts?

If he is not marking up parts .. well then he Should start making it a practice lol. Its standard man. You supply the part..no warranty..he supplies the part and it craps on him in a week then He is responsible ( just like a car ).

So yea..that $100 tach can run up to $130 just in parts.

Then he has to wire and test..

You would be amazed at how fast your Hr bill will add up.

Looking at it again.. 500 bucks might not be so bad ( this is a good forum to learn how to DIY and save a few hundred on simple Sumerizing or pluggin in a few wires ) .. You did most of the winterizing yourself anyway .

YD.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

The $120/hour I posted is from a local (to me) authorized Merc. & Volvo dealer. Possible that independent shops in the area charging less. But this sure seems to vary by location. Typical to have shops mark up parts as well as labor. They mark up parts sold over the counter- parts installed in the shop would be the same, I'd think.

 

[444]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

The $120/hour I posted is from a local (to me) authorized Merc. & Volvo dealer. Possible that independent shops in the area charging less. But this sure seems to vary by location. Typical to have shops mark up parts as well as labor. They mark up parts sold over the counter- parts installed in the shop would be the same, I'd think.

Just for reference, even the private shops who fix cars still charge markups on parts they get from napa, etc.

 

[Joshua Nichols]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

Seems a bit high to me, but I squeak when I walk...

That's a real easy impeller to change out, but if it gives you peace of mind to let someone else do it then let them...

 

[pec2402]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

I will post my itemized list once I get the bill (probably late next week). Funny you mention that this impeller is an easy change, because the mechanic said the exact opposite.

Ultimately, I should have taken the time and done the impeller and tach on my own to save the 200 - 250 in labor...but I really wanted a professional to check out the boat since I just purchased late last summer. Then having the convenience of getting everything else (tach & impeller) finished by the mechanic sounded great...until I got the price quote!

Break Off Another Thousand - I'm finding this acronym to be true already, but I must admit I love owning a boat!

 

[Joshua Nichols]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

I will post my itemized list once I get the bill (probably late next week). Funny you mention that this impeller is an easy change, because the mechanic said the exact opposite

This is a Volvo Penta??? Mounted on the crank?? No lower unit drop?? That's gravy...

Gotta love your boat... Why else take abuse??? Love mine

 

[2300max]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

I feel your pain!!! I just paid $ 1200.00 for winterization,trim tilt kit,driveshaft seal and o-ring. When we pulled the drive we found gear lube in the bellows....I guess the bill wasn't to bad but I'll be doing most of the work in the future. I just got the boat and wanted a pro to check out the motor and drive. I'm a DIY kinda guy and fortuneatly the shop guys let me watch and ask questions while they worked on the boat which was really nice because most of the time they blow you off and think your a pain if you ask to many questions.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

Just for reference, even the private shops who fix cars still charge markups on parts they get from napa, etc.

Oh yeah, and they get a trade discount from the stores as well. Really doesn't matter- they need X dollars to keep the shop running, so it's simply a matter of how they decide to spread the pain.

What's been irking me lately is the arbitrary "shop supplies" charge so many shops are sticking on the back end, and it's often simply a flat percentage of the bill. And in one case the fine print said that the shop supplies charge doesn't necessairly reflect actual costs of any supplies, and that it may contain additional shop profit. Really?

 

[beagleboy]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

Oh yeah, and they get a trade discount from the stores as well. Really doesn't matter- they need X dollars to keep the shop running, so it's simply a matter of how they decide to spread the pain.

What's been irking me lately is the arbitrary "shop supplies" charge so many shops are sticking on the back end, and it's often simply a flat percentage of the bill. And in one case the fine print said that the shop supplies charge doesn't necessairly reflect actual costs of any supplies, and that it may contain additional shop profit. Really?

I'm in the construction equipment repair business. Shop rates can vary between various shops. Also a minimum may also be charged i.e. 1/2 hr labour. Also the time it takes to look up parts, write the work order etc is part of labour time. Shop supplies are charged to the customer. Think about it, someone has to pay for the wiper towels, spray bomb of degreaser, tube of grease or even other consumables such a drill bit, easy out etc. When was the last time you went to a car dealer and paid over $100/hr. The small marina still pays the same for heat, electriciity etc. and also pays the same for his ratchets and wrenchs. So really $85/hr is cheap.

 

[wbc1957]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

craigslist. old salt in his fiftys.

+1 Craigslist has plenty of older talent, and when one has an OMC, like me, it may be the only place for such talent.

 

[pec2402]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

Got the boat and the bill:

1 hr labor to inspect the boat/summerize - $72.00
- $15 for outdrive oil, needed 1/2 quart

Tach head - $149.99
.8 hr for install - $58

Impeller kit - $28.99
2 hr for install - $144

Total with taxes - $500

I didn't estimate the tach head to be as expensive, but when you order from a catalog compared to eBay, I guess that is the cost. I'm happy with the boat, he said everything looks great. My only concern was 2 hrs labor for what I have heard is an easy impeller install...then again, if it was easy, I should have done it myself.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

I have heard

Famous last words.....

Break a bolt off and that 2 hours of labor starts looking good.

 

[jmarty10]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

Thats pretty good. Next year when you winterize though have shop do all the drive service and inspect at the time including the oil and gear lube change if they do it. Summerizing should then be charging the battery, hooking drive up to muffs, check temp, check voltage, check oil pressure, shift in and out of gear. You will be able to save the $75 in the spring if all maintenance is done in the fall. With that said, my impellar costed me $250 last fall.

 

[QC]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

My only concern was 2 hrs labor for what I have heard is an easy impeller install...then again, if it was easy, I should have done it myself.

It depends on what has to be removed to get at it. If completely exposed, easy. If buried, not so easy.

I think your bill is extremely fair. Never completely understood why anybody thought differently, but I've been in the repair biz before. Everything is his time, quoting, answering your calls, saying hi when you pick it up, saying bye when you leave. Saying hi when you first called, etc. etc. etc. Just think if your particular job only paid you when you were actually doing the exact thing you are paid to do. Why should technicians and shops do anything for you other than bill you for their time? They sell parts and labor. Gotta make money on both. There is overhead cost included for the guy in the front that talks to you, they have to recover that somehow or they have to close. A single independent guy has to do that himself, and his rate is lower, so a double hit to him. Just the way it is. I think you did fine, if the work checks out I'd get extra cards from him and frame a few.

 

[emilsr]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

I'd say if it's someone you trust, trust him to give you a fair price as well. Sounds like a fair price for the work that was done to me.

As for "summerizing" the boat, in some cases it's more than just a few shots of grease here and there, firing it up and looking for leaks. For example, because our boat is stored on a lift they unhook and cap off the raw water line coming in from the drive. That way if the lift goes down (or the boat has to be towed) the water stays on the outside of the boat and not in the cooling system. This means it has to be uncapped, hooked back up and tested for leaks before the boat is run in the spring.

Lots of guys like to DIY on their boats and that's great. More power to them. In my case I don't really want to spend the time, and have finally realized (after almost 30 years of wrenching on my own boats) that I'm just not that good at it.....so I'd rather find a mechanic that I trust and let him maintain my boat in a professional manner.....not the amateur way I would do it. Oil changes and simple things I'll do, but for anything more I rely upon (and am willing to pay for) their expertise. Honestly, I think this has actually saved me some money in the long run.

 

[bnicov]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

If you have Faria guages, they have a lifetime warranty. Contact them and for 40-60 bucks (covers shipping), they will either rebuild or send you a new guage. FYI for everyone out there.

 

[emoney]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

Sounds like you guys just completed a "fair" transaction. He didn't "over-charge" and you didn't "over-pay".
Of course it's always cheaper to do things by ourselves, but this particular person is a professional, which clearly defines as someone that gets paid for performing a job/duty. I bet if you or I went to change the impeller, it would be more than a "2 hour job". More than likely, (since neither of us have done it), it would turn into a 6-8 hour job, complete with beers breaks, cussing, head (and other parts) scratching, belly aching, and even good conversation. In the end, as long as we didn't break anything, we would stand back, marvel at what we had just done, and both secretly wondered "if we did it right", worry the whole time we took it out on the water. You did fine.

As for the "shop supplies", margins on parts markups have diminished thanks to Ebay, CL, etc. so there has to be additional monies come from somewhere. The cost of operating a professional marine mechanic shop I'm sure would be considered astronomical to us, when you factored in Insurance, Taxes, Business Licenses, Professional Memberships/Certifications, Employees/Bookkeeping, etc. etc. etc. I never worry about the middle of the bill, just the bottom.

 

[pec2402]

Re: Boat Repair Costs - Fair?

I agree with all of these responses. I feel that it was fair, especially after seeing the final bill. He was very helpful on the phone and in person...I will go back.

As for the response about Faria gauges, I had no idea they had a lifetime warranty (and yes, they are Faria gauges). Any recs on what I should do now? Call the mechanic and ask for the old gauge to keep in case I have a similar problem? Seems like that wouldn't be necessary as I have a new Faria gauge now that I could send back...wish I would have known a few weeks ago!

Thanks for all the responses. Much appreciated to a new boat owner.