How to Bid a Boat Detailing Job Sight-Unseen (and When to Say No)
A customer calls, describes their boat over the phone, and wants a number before you've ever seen the hull. Turning them down loses the lead; quoting blind without any safeguards can turn into a job that runs twice as long as planned for the price you named. There's a middle path that protects your schedule and your margin without losing the booking.
1. Photos and video are the minimum bar, not a phone description alone
A verbal description ("it's a 24-foot center console, not too bad") tells you almost nothing about oxidation level, staining, or interior condition. Before naming any number, ask for timestamped photos or a short video walking the hull, deck, and interior in daylight -- most customers can do this from their phone in under five minutes.
If a customer refuses or can't provide photos, that's itself useful information: a boat in genuinely good condition is usually the easiest one to photograph and show off.
2. Quote a range tied to visible condition, not a flat number
Give a range ("$350-$550 depending on oxidation once we're on-site") rather than a single committed price from photos alone. This protects you from a boat that looks fine in a photo but has heavy chalky oxidation that only shows up under direct sun or close inspection.
Say explicitly, in writing, that the final price is confirmed on arrival before work starts -- not after the job is already underway, which is when a price change feels like a bait-and-switch to the customer.
3. Know which conditions are genuinely too risky to bid blind
Some situations are safer to simply decline a sight-unseen quote on entirely: boats that have sat neglected for multiple seasons, hulls with unknown or suspected blistering/osmosis damage, and any job where the customer says "it just needs a quick wash" about a boat that hasn't been touched in over a year.
For these, it's fine to say: "I'd rather come take a quick look in person before naming a number -- that protects both of us from a surprise." A serious customer will respect that more than a lowball number that turns into a fight later.
A range confirmed on arrival protects the relationship; a flat number from a phone call protects nothing.
4. Build the buffer into your schedule, not just your price
Even with a good range and photos, block extra time on the schedule for a sight-unseen job's first booking -- a 20-30% time buffer on an unfamiliar boat costs you far less than running two hours over into your next customer's slot.
Once you've detailed a specific boat once, you have a real baseline for that unit going forward, and future visits no longer need the same buffer.
Frequently asked questions
Should I ever give a flat price for a boat I haven't seen?
It's safer to give a range tied to visible condition and confirm the final number on arrival, rather than committing to a flat price from a phone description or a single photo.
What if a customer won't send photos before I quote?
That's a signal worth noting -- a boat in genuinely good condition is usually easy to photograph. Consider requiring photos as a standard first step before any sight-unseen range quote.
When should I just decline a sight-unseen quote entirely?
For boats that have sat neglected multiple seasons, suspected blistering/osmosis damage, or vague 'quick wash' descriptions of long-neglected boats -- these are safer to see in person before naming any number.