Fiberglass work, is it a fair price?

A Month or so ago I got a nasty little dock rash just above the rub rail... Not really big, 2 chunks out of the gel coat about the size of silver dollars (not a big deal but it needs to be fixed). I had a fiberglass guy come by and take a look. He proposed fixing these chips, along with a bunch of spider cracks around my tower mounts and a few other chips in the gel that have been there for years. He is also going to color sand the entire boat, clear coat the red, and buff out all the white. He gave me a price of $1350 which seems reasonable but I haven't gotten another quote yet so I thought I would ask you guys what you thought. Pic of the boat is in my profile. He also said he would warranty the clear coat for 5 years. My boat oxidizes pretty bad. I normally have to get the buffer out at least 2 times a years and I'm sick of it. Anybody had any experience with these clear coats? What you think about the price?

Thanks, Aaron

First you need to confirm whether he is going to paint your boat or use gel coat. You have used the term "clear Coat" which means he will painting. You boat has gel coat...you want final layer of the repair done in gelcoat.

I would be concerned as to why he wants to wet sand the whole which takes me back to paint vs gel coat. Is he sanding the boat that he can come back with paint? Again you boat is gel coat - you want the repair done in gel coat.

Being that your boat is red, this is one of the tougher colors to match. It may be easier for him the sand the entire boat down or at least the whole side with repairs to get a better match.

There is not a need to sand the whole down unless you have significant oxidation. A qaulity repair shop can feather in the sanding so that you would notice any repair.

If he is having to do multiple colors of gel, it will cost more. I would not waste my time with the spider cracks, an older boat will always have an develop more spider cracks. 1350 for repairs and a true color sand, compound, polish and wax sounds about right. make sure he is doing the whole hull and deck of the boat.

I would start by getting the repairs fixed and see how you like it. Take it to another shop to get an estimate.

If

He is going to fix everything with gel coat then come back and color sand to rough it up so the clear coat will adhere. The clear coat is just that, it is supposed to protect the gel coat and help ward off future oxidation. Plus I would guess that sanding will make it easier to get the reds to match up. I know that I can bring the shine back with my buffer (I have done this several times) but inevitably the oxidation always comes back after a few months... This probably has something to do with the fact that where it sits it gets a lot of FL sun. As for the spider cracks, it's not too much more for him to fix them (maybe an extra $200) so I figure what the hell.
I wouldn't pay $1350 for just a buff and polish when I know that I can do it and make it look great in about 10-12 hours. The clear coat is supposed to make it shinny for 5 plus years.

Got it - the concept of shooting clear over gel sounds like a coastal play. Do some research on what type of clear the guy will be using. I was reading that you can spend upwards of $150 to $250 per gallon for good stuff that won't crack or peel down the road.

If he is going to make your boat look news for $1350....it sounds like a fair price for all the labor and material involved. Do you have the ability to get another quote or two.

I got one 2 years ago for just the prep and clear and he was at $1500 , this was before there was any hull damage. This new guy was saying that the clear is really expensive, like $100+ a quart. If anybody knows anything about the clear coating please feel free to chime in.

Go and google...."clear coat over gel coat" you will get some good info on the offshore boat sites