Tyler, Marine Fabricator does have time standards for marine applications. But your hourly rate is set by you and the area. And it does not equate materials, just labor hours. Good baseline to start with.

Fred hit it in my opinion. Quality of workmanship is key. Next comes market value in your area, which varies depending on competition. All of these things are ultimately determined by your overhead, build time it takes you etc. we have always had a baseline to start with. Example would be a bench seat, plain, no thrills, and no major foam repairs, frame etc. $550 + materials. It would go up from there with leather, embroidery, diamonds, pleats etc. I figure if I throw out a baseline to help me adjust from there, and they are having a difficult time with that, they are not ready to go further and waste more of our time. In my area, we drive 90% of the quotes to a request a quote page on the website . My administrator builds a profile when these come in on OneNote, he has them ready for me to quote in one note and I quote every Tuesday and Thursday. This helps keep track of jobs and conversations and it gives me some time to respond with realistic numbers. It also helps me to “weed” out all the low ballers. I don’t want to work for what someone else charges. And if all they are doing is calling around looking for the lowest price, they are not our customer, they are a liability.

Yes sir, I found that this is why I love marine work. Most boat owners have businesses or are major movers and shakers in other businesses and corporations. So when you work on their toys that they have disposable cash for, there are any number of other industries that these folks work in and are in need of specialized fabrication. I’m not knocking the restoration shops, some have the ability to retain high quality skilled labor, for others it’s rare and difficult to maintain. So we have several employees all at different skill levels and as a result have positioned ourselves to meet the needs of an array of needed service. I know for some it does not stimulate the creative side of this craft, but GOOD money can be made in repairs. Most can be done with left over materials from other projects and the skill level is not that high, in fact it becomes a great way for others to hone their skills. These are just some of my ramblings…. Take it for what it’s worth. We need to be making money for what we do. Still striving and learning along the way.

Located in the heart of Kansas. Flatland state…. Do probably 65% of marine work in Midwest…. They come from Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas, Mo. have had mastercraft forums in other states refer locals to us. It’s amazing word of mouth business and how it grows exponentially with the more work you do…. I have to hold back when advertising firms call trying to make a sell, they just don’t get it…. All my advertising is free and I just can’t keep up.

A year ago we purchased a 15,000 sq ft building and I was somewhat apprehensive about the move. Had four guys then and wondered how I would keep the shop full. Since then, I’ve hired 3 and the lace stays full. A job leaves and two try to come in. Predominantly because we have gotten into everything from work on our Mall, to hospitals, to furniture. 50% is probably Marine that nobody wants to do. God has been really good to us. We are able to do in house embroidery now as well. And have a goal of getting hydro dipping and Cerakoteing going by the end of year. In this Economy you HAVE to diversify, at least that is how I see it, if you really want to grow. Some shops are content with two employees and 5-7 projects a year. Good luck with growing and expanding on that mentality. I’m not content with just maintaining…

Just post a sign in the shop reception, $15.00 shipping charge added to all projects in addition to quoted price. If the job does not need to order materials,
Don’t add it. If it’s a bigger job that has $125.00 in freight, that should have been added to the quote.

Kevin, have you found the answer? My experience has been mostly due to one of two things. Either one side of the material is being pulled by the operator or the piping itself. I have switched to the hollow, clear piping that I get from Keyston bro. Have had little issue with this on our marine projects. If your using that and still getting the wavy welt, it will be because there is a pull on one of the two pieces your sewing together.

We since moved our shop into a 15,000 square foot building. Moving a shop is absolute chaos. Never could have imagined how backed up it set us. It forced us to make some changes. We close on Tuesday and Thursday to all walk-in traffic and turn phones off. Voicemail says our hours and days closed and mentions the email and that it is the best means to get ahold of us. I’ve found that serious inquiries leave a message or email the address . I even made the address simple. 1350projectservice@…. This really helps and found that sales are not falling off. You’ve got to shut it down out of respect for existing customers and projects. If I’m spending time taking in new work, I’m not getting existing work out the door.

Jesse, you are spot on. Although where I am, we have MANY lake front properties from retired sandpits turned into gated communities. With that, our marine work on pontoons is excellent. We do 7-10 easy on complete refurb. The selling point for many of these owners is they know they’re boat, mechanics etc. many only use it handful of times a year, but like to have it still and they know a new boat is starting $20k+. For them to have us refurb with 5 year warranty we can’t keep up. Never mind these boats stay on water out in elements all year long. So we constantly have work! They don’t like their boat looking like a dump. Neighbors can look out their window. And that’s great business. $300k+ plus a year I’m just marine. In our area this year boat sales is up 30%. Hog ring or no hog ring it’s upholstery and we’re thankful for the work!

Cody, That post got me questioning the whole boat thing. I've not looked in depth here on the forum, but it would be a good question to have. Why are boat/marine upholstery considered by many upholstery shops? Even the Hog Ring itself, predominately highlights the automotive side of upholstery over other forms. Not having a problem with that at all, just curious why that is so much more appreciated and highlighted over other industries and in particularly boating. All thoughts welcome. Maybe this needs to be a new post with new title.???

Wow, that is a blessing. Especially in light of how things have been unfolding for you all there in Baton Rouge and surrounding area. We did not stop with our retail customers, but we did impliment a "by appointment" only policy, turned our phones off and explained our situation in voicemailbox and man, we've even gotten many compliments for the way we've handled it. They actually like our voicemail. So our from gate is looked and we come in and just go to work! Must say, its tempting to stay with that policy. I and my sales guy actually get something done! The key has been to check voicemail twice a day and return call that day. Glad to hear your doing good! I am looking for the day when we can get into that market of leather kits. Havent even scratched the surface of that revenue stream.

I feel extremely privileged in our are, we are here in the heart of the mid-west. I was uncertain at the beginning of this thing how things would go. Had work already coming in. Entering into our "busy" season and boom, 22+ million filing for unemployment. So, we got ourselves in a jam here now in april, where as the calls came in, we just bid and scheduled, "get em' on the books Crispin", I'd say to my sales guy. He's scheduling, I'm scheduling and now we are extremely behind on what we can do. I have 5 full time guys including myself, and our sixth guy is on sick leave. Looking to hire another. What concerns me is the aftershock. I know many are feeling it in the immediate, but I have been proceeding with caution on our spending, cause I believe "All" will feel it in future. You cannot print the kind of money into the economy that we are printing and not get inflation, especially with as many as or out of work, not counting all that will NOT come back to work due to getting better pay on unemployment! Personal thoughts on that, I'll refrain. Suffice it to say, most of what we work with, Glues, dies, vinyl, foams, etc. all are a patroleum based product! And when barrals of oil are selling for -$30 they will recoop thier money and the price is going to INFLATE. Just my thoughts. If we are as an industry going to stay afloat, we need suppliers and vendors/Manufacturers that will take what we do into consideration. Would like to know the thoughts on this from others in the industry...

https://www.amazon.com/Kretzer-73225-Tailors-Carpet-Shears/dp/B00J38DMWS

I'm a day late and a dollar short, but recently I was introduced to the Kretzer, Finny carpet shears. For the price, I had to try them. I use Kai in my shop as well, and you just cant beat them on sharpness and precision. I have found Great used pairs for $35-40 on amazon. A new pair will set you back $70. But when I saw these Finny's, I had to try them. They work so good for the price, I purchased all the help in the shop a pair. Nothing like looking for a pair of scissors and spend 5-10 minutes looking for a pair. Add that up and the frustration, and having multiple scissors on hand at any given moment that do the job is invaluable. I have 4 full time trimmers, including myself and we don't have time to look for tools. These Finny's are the way to go for the price point and effectiveness.

Andrew, yes it is. The shop space will be about 5200 sq. Ft. The rest will be about 600 of office and lobby, with restroom. My only real concern is the shop area. Want the guys to have good light to work in and not to mention the need for energy savings.

So with led tubes you wouldn't go any less than 5500 k?
I was hoping to get a few more takes on what others have done for they're shops. I know that I will also paint the interior of ship area. I will also place some 4ft. drops over work areas and cut/sew area. Looking for any feedback on lumens and color... or brand even.

I'm in the heartland of the good ol' US of A, Kansas. And believe it or not, marine is our biggest money maker as well. Specifically, repairs on tarps and bimini's and such. We build customer covers, snap covers, travel covers, bimini's, etc. and always keep major scrap. These custom projects are great profit margins, especially when you consider the waste from these projects being used to repair a $65 tear or hole. That may take 25-30 min. And some thread.

Cody, just a plug in some really good, inexpensive thread for your project, it's coats polymatic, and Al at D&D threads sells 1lb. Spolls for around $24.00. I've built our business through the marine industry and have used this for 8+ years, providing a 5yr. Warranty on our work, vinyl, thread, etc. And have not had to honor it yet.