Auto Detailing to Boat Detailing – Getting Set Up in the Boat Cleaning Business Considered

For those who already run a mobile auto detailing business, mobile car wash, or perhaps some sort of mobile cleaning service, it makes sense to start out with whatever you already have and are used to using. For instance, if you have your business set up in a van, pick-up truck, or on a trailer, then you can use that.

One must realize however that buying extra high pressure hose can get expensive, and it’s not always possible to park near the dock and run the hoses out. Thus it makes more sense to have a pressure washer on wheels and use the hoses on the dock. Remember you need to be tidy, so having lots of hoses might hurt your business, due to lost customers, more than it helps you in the long-run.

Another issue with using long hoses is that you lose pressure the further out you get the less pressure you have. Worse, the hose can fall into the water and when one section goes it pulls the rest down with it. To prevent black streaks along the dock from your hose, you might wish to use a blue non-marking, non-skid hose. Goodyear makes such a steel braided pressure washing hose, although it costs almost double per foot.

One recommendation to get around all this, especially if the dock has a water supply plumbed, is to put your system on a cart, that is to say the pressure washer, inlet hose reel, and high pressure real. If you do this I still recommend the blue high-pressure hose to keep stains and marks off of the boat’s deck or gel coated surfaces.

Incidentally, not all, but most automotive detailing products also work quite well on boats. Thus, the transition from auto detailing to marine vessels is not too tough a leap. Best of all, not a lot of advanced training is needed either. Most of the car detailers I’ve spoken to over the last 10-years that have made the transition have reported success in this new market segment.

None to my knowledge had completely given up the detailing of high-end cars, which makes perfect sense. Boat owners, own cars too, so why would you give up the detailing of automobiles if you customers demand that service too; do you see that point? If you’d like to continue this conversation, or have any comments or questions, please shoot me an email some time.