Labor cost of installing new skins?

[dba4life]

Hi

I have the replacement vinyl skins for my 94 Sport from the previous owner. I think I want to put them on at this point.

Anyone willing to share what just the labor cost was for putting new skins on their DD Nautique? If you are not willing to post but willing to share via PM I would very much appreciate it. Also if anyone has a labor rate/hr they paid it could be useful as well.

Also for anyone that has decided not to do this themself, how long did it actually take an experienced person or shop to do the job?

Thanks

[SurfRC]

RE: Labor cost of installing new skins?

I payed a pro, (labor only) to remove and replace four seat, and an engine hatch skin $420. I do not know labor hours or rate. This was for a SAN (v-drive).

[DanielC]

RE: Labor cost of installing new skins?

It is basically simple. Pry out hundreds of staples, and position the new skin, and staple it back on.
It is very time consuming, you have to get the skins positioned exactly right, and there is a fair amount of trimming involved. You probably should get a pneumatic stapler to do the job, and you have to set the pressure so you get the staples in good, but not so deep you just go through the new skin.
$420 for SAN skin replacement job was a good price!

[DavidF]

RE: Labor cost of installing new skins?

I have heard that $1000 is a good rule of thumb for an entire boat, but have just done this task myself, I wouldn't do it again for anything less than $2k. What a pain!

[east tx skier]

RE: Labor cost of installing new skins?

If you want to save a little money on the install, remove the old skins yourself. This will require a flat head screwdriver, a pair of needle nose pliers, and beer. It's tedious and time consuming, which is why it saves you money to do it yourself.

[bmh2208]

RE: Labor cost of installing new skins?

I second the DIY route. The main thing is to get a good staple gun. At least on mine, you are stapling into fiberglass, and that stuff it HARD. It needs to be a professional grade heavy duty pneumatic one. Make sure you get the stainless steel staples. There might be one other type you can use, but the name escapes me.

[Chexi]

RE: Labor cost of installing new skins?

On my 99 Air, I had a quote for $2k from a local guy who one of the MC dealers uses. I contacted Christines, and if I remember correctly they said they charge either $600 or $800 for the labor on my boat. That was enough to convince me to do it myself (because I could not take it to Christines and because I do not like being ripped off by locals). That said, after doing mine, to do someone else's boat, I would charge more than $2k. It is a lot of work, and unless you have done it before, you will make mistakes. At least I did. What's more, my wrist still hurts from pulling staples, and I haven't pulled any in over a week. The only good thing about doing it myself is that I learned a lot and can do over the pieces I am not totally satisfied with.

Pneumatic gun is a must.

[DavidF]

Re: RE: Labor cost of installing new skins?

I second the DIY route. The main thing is to get a good staple gun. At least on mine, you are stapling into fiberglass, and that stuff it HARD. It needs to be a professional grade heavy duty pneumatic one. Make sure you get the stainless steel staples. There might be one other type you can use, but the name escapes me.

That would be Monel staples which are softer (it seems) than SS. I used both as I could only get 1/4" staples in Monel. You need both 3/8" and 1/4" staples. Most of the stapling is into 1/2" thick plastic (i.e. Star Board), but occasionly, you do staple directly into fiberglass (typicallya bout 1/4" thick) where you need to use the 1/4" staples. Some will bend over and need to be pulled and re-shot.

[dba4life]

RE: Re: RE: Labor cost of installing new skins?

Thanks for the input all. Much appreciated.