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cost of re-wiring entire boat??

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hard at it
Back view of what was left!
About the fourth differant hull but same results!
aint she purty?
Brothers Pit, 6 months old
father and son
C

cuncrt

Well-known member
i have a SBC boat, with about 5 different switches all on one panel (nav lights, head lights, working light, fuel pump, bilge and an auxillary power) i wanted to get the entire thing re-wired, including new battery wires, and the 1-2-all switch and hooking up 4 gaugues (tach, water temp, battery and oil temp).

i dropped the boat off at a professional marine shop, the guy does all of the work on my flats skiff and does a great job, and usually was always very fair IMO. i have prob spent over $10k in the past 5 years on trolling motors, outboards, power pole GPS accesories etc.
I trusted the fella, so I dropped the boat off and told him what I wanted w/out asking the price (yes, totally my mistake :oops: ). he charges $87 an hour

so how many hours you reckon it would take to re-wire this entire boat from a professional, well commercialized marine shop? He did run wires for headlights on the grass rake as well.

He charged me 11 hours at $87.00 which totals $957.00 w/out tax…So is $1,000.00 + a fair price to completely re-wire the boat pictured below? :thumbleft: Or should I start looking for a new mechanic?

a1-2.jpg
 
DOES YOUR AS HURT :lol: THAT SHOULD GIVE U CLUE
ITS NOT U SHOULD LOOK FOR A NEW MECHANIC ITS YOU SHOULD ASK HOW MUCH WILL THE JOB COST B4 U HAVE IT DONE NOT HIS FAULT AT ALL.......
 
Damn thats steep I do it for around 250 depending on what all needs to be done wow maybe I need to price it a lil higher
 
#1. get price first. ( of course you already know this one. )
#2. never pay some one by the hour to do something new or different from
the norm.
#3. Repeat #1.
 
JAMES said:
DOES YOUR AS HURT :lol: THAT SHOULD GIVE U CLUE
ITS NOT U SHOULD LOOK FOR A NEW MECHANIC ITS YOU SHOULD ASK HOW MUCH WILL THE JOB COST B4 U HAVE IT DONE NOT HIS FAULT AT ALL.......
Click to expand...

doesnt hurt just yet, havent paid him or picked the boat up yet...stoppin by during my lunch break tomorrow, then i will bend over
 
Wells lets see. What did he charge for all the wire and battery cable.Did he use marine tinned wire.(Oh yea its gone up over 200% this year) I charge 80.00 per hour and I am ABYC certified. For what I do here on the coast That was a real fair price. If he replaced all the wire and cable there is a couple hundred dollars for that and heat shrink connectors. And if he rewired the whole boat 11 hours is real good.
 
You did it to yourself on this one. You gotta pay his rate.

I would never rip anyone off for something simple like rewiring. $200 +/- for materials and maybe $200 for my time. Its not all just soldering and pulling wires. You gotta do it right.

he is learning to do airboats at YOUR expense.
 
Probably should be on a different post but... Over the past few weeks I have seen a lot of comments from fellow SA'er's that do this kind of work - everything from rebuilds to re-wires. Just yesterday DIXIE and more time to do mag's ect. A suggestion, I know if you had it I would use it - A list of folks that do different types of work, their screen names and location..

I know a lot of postings for services go in the classifieds which is great but it might be cool for nimrod's like me that would take advantage of others time and skill in return for a job well done by a SA member. I am getting mine re-wired by a good friend at the moment.

I dont use classifieds since when I do call, folks that answer the phone (If they do) seem to not know what I am talking about, all the while the ad says "NO EMAILS" - Wish to folks would remove their boat from classifieds if it's sold. Just sayin.. Don't get all bent when I call you and ask about the boat for sale.. :violent1:

Wondering then if service related ad's would generate all kinds of issues with work disputes or whatever if SA endorsed them, ahh nevermind I am going to sleep.. :scratch:
 
alligatorplace

Some folks are retired from professional life & work and really don't want to advertise a business. Some will take on jobs just cause of the interest. Never solicit work or even say I'll do it. Yup, I have helped folks for free and that's just on me, glad to do it. I have tried to teach some how to do things and then they turn around and do it wrong and charge others for their work. That grates on me and a lot of others too. So don't get too ancy to find someone to do it for free. Some folks stay removed cause its nothing but trouble for us. Others have showed folks how to build engines then had someone they showed steal their info and open their own business in direct competition. Others have tried to give folks a break and then they get bad mouthed for their trouble. You would be amazed how many no longer post how to do things or take in freebie jobs just to help someone out.

I got burned fixing guns for people LONG before I retired and needless to say I pretty much gave up helping folks with broke guns or wanting mods. Folks just have a compulsion to talk about it when ya do something for them, and talk causes trouble, either directly or indirectly.

Now days SOME folks sit back and watch the forum and don't offer much, and ya really can't blame them. Some will offer little tips here and there then hush up. I guess its pretty much up to you to put it together as to who and what to listen to. It pays to learn to do it yourself for sure and for certin, but its a hard row to hoe getting there now days. I am very sympathetic to that too.

Anyway just making a point why you don't see what your asking about.

Classifieds expire and are marked sold at that time. In between if it sells its just a persons ethics as to if they mark it sold or not.

S.A., to my knowledge, does NOT endorse any business.
 
AT best $250--- Using only MARINE Heat Shrinked connectors and MARINE wire. and water resistant switches.
Ive done complete emergency vehicles for less than that, and did 3 in a day. - and those 3 didnt even add up to 1K.

Think Ya Got Hosed ????? JMHO

In his defense - insurance, product, time, warranty, expertise, taxes = YEP ! equals about 1 Grand
?? Was this a Cadillac or BMW mechanic by chance - they charge about 85-115 per hour.... :lol:

What Ya Gonna Do???? :old_glory: :rebel:
 
You took it to a buisness, not a back yard. You probably got alot better quality then what you would have got in the backyard. I have to agree with Nomad.
 
If you got the typical back yard job....you got hosed!

If you got a professional job with soldered connections and fused circuits, seems about right to me, and I have done a few.....both ways :D :D
 
might be a little steep,but nothing like a professionally wired boat,that doesn't leave your arse stranded due to a poorly run wire job.

Btw, in 6yrs,I've never blown a fuse,had any issues due to wiring,and I paid 750.00 to get mine done. But,I didn't have any YOBEE friends either who were willing to jump in!
 
IMHO, you might have been able to shop around for a lower hourly rate but you went with someone you trusted. If the workmanship and materials are marine quality you paid a little too much but you know where to go if you have issues in the future. A backyard job that leaves you stranded in the marsh at 2:00 am will leave you thinking "I should have spent the $1000.00 bucks". Pay the man, and next time get a price before you let him get started.
 
this system is complett set up fully wired up with a 10-12ft heavy duty wire harnish with all your wires to wire in your bat,light,pump,trimtab,(ect) ect..thats a new pro wired panel box... c.m or a.c ... 8)
http://www.classicairboats.com/INSTRUMENT-PANEL--ELECTRONIC-ACCESSORIES-Instrument-Panel-Center-Console-19936.Item.html
 
OK guys lets be fair if he replacd batt cables gauges and all alittle different then just wiring a do them all the time I have four complete boats to do now and it takes some time and material to do one right heck heat shrink for num 2 wire yesterday was 13 dollars a foot wire is about 60 for 500ft you guys go buy 6 different colors and tell me if that hurts lets just know the WHOLE story before we pass judgement
 
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