How to Start A Boat Maintenance and Cleaning Service

Basics:
You will be helping boat owners truly enjoy their boats. Your service will not only keep their boats looking great but also working great. Most boat owners do not want to deal with the maintaining and cleaning of their boats since that does not remind them of the fun they have on the water. You can take advantage of this and either set up a fixed location or get a boat yourself and travel to different marinas to perform your services.
To Get Started:
To get started you will need to have some working experience in the filed, either as an assistant to a boat mechanic or if you were already a mechanic yourself. You will be best served if you had a certification also even though it is not required to enter the business. Advertise your service to local marinas, the phone book, online community boards, boat dealerships, and businesses that are along the body of water you serve. You should obtain all the necessary tools an materials also. You should be able to charge $40 to $70 per hour and always inspect the work to be done before giving an estimate. Always have good business and liability insurance up to date since any mistake will probably ruin the boat. Common mistakes are using the wrong chemicals when cleaning (a chemical for aluminum used on fiberglass), and not being familiar with the boat type being worked on.
Tips:
You will not be able to run this business from home unless your home is the marina. You can expand your services to painting, rigging, and bottom cleaning to add variety to your services and increase your income. You will not need assistants unless the business grows. This business is not an opportunity to people with disabilities unless the variety of tasks can be performed. For Internet links related to this business do a search for the American Boating Association, and boat maintenance.