Reupholstery Rate and decision

[hethj7]

FWIW, at the time I did my VLX I didn't have an established relationship with Malibu and used a local Mastercraft dealer to buy MC vinyl from (at the time of my redo, MC interiors were leap years ahead of Bu anyways).  They then used an auto upholstery shop for the install.   We changed up the colors and design using that method and overall the results were great.   

Gabe comes highly recommended by many - but if he's booked out, don't be shy about finding local car restoration shops that may have greater availability and exploring that option.   

[UWSkier]

1 hour ago, timelinex said:

Any suggestions?

This guy is in Arizona and did his SSVLX in 2020 for $5500.  I might have DM'd him to ask who did it.  Let me scour.  He hasn't been around here much after his resto project.

[UWSkier]

Update: texted the owner of that boat and sadly, the guy who did that work passed away a few months ago.  Real bummer.  That guy was a true craftsman.  One of the best interior re-dos I've seen at a crazy nice price point.

[timelinex]

I contacted Gabe and he gave a quote of $5,000 just for skins (another $800 for dash skins). He said installed would be $8,000-$9,000.  That is consistent with that quote that I mentioned in my first post. So it sounds like costs may have gone up?

So now I don't know if I should go with the original guys, as it would turn out the same. It seems like many have implied there are different qualities of skins, but how could I know if the quality being offered by the upholster is the same as Gabe's?

If I decide to get Gabe's skins, does anyone have any recommendation of finding someone in Phoenix that will apply them? I'm sure there will be some automotive upholstery shop that would take on the job, but should I be skeptical? Would they be able to do just as good of a job, or do boats pose unique challenges that the upholstery shop should have experience in dealing with?

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by timelinex

[ChadFulton]

3 hours ago, timelinex said:

I contacted Gabe and he gave a quote of $5,000 just for skins (another $800 for dash skins). He said installed would be $8,000-$9,000.  That is consistent with that quote that I mentioned in my first post. So it sounds like costs may have gone up?

FWII, I got a $5,000 + shipping quote for full skins from Gabe in Feb

[TeamTaylor373]

What area are you in? I just went through this with my 06 vlx and found a local guy that did a killer job for much less than what others were quoting (including Gabe). 
 

if you’re in Ca, especially in the Central Valley area I would be happy to send you pics and this guys info.

[timelinex]

On 5/6/2023 at 2:14 PM, TeamTaylor373 said:

What area are you in? I just went through this with my 06 vlx and found a local guy that did a killer job for much less than what others were quoting (including Gabe). 
 

if you’re in Ca, especially in the Central Valley area I would be happy to send you pics and this guys info.

I'm in Phoenix, AZ. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find anywhere that is lower than $8,500+

I would be willing to drive anywhere in AZ, but not further than that. 

[TeamTaylor373]

On 5/8/2023 at 10:36 AM, timelinex said:

I'm in Phoenix, AZ. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find anywhere that is lower than $8,500+

I would be willing to drive anywhere in AZ, but not further than that. 

Ah gotcha. I had a lot of quotes that were 7-10k, but I ended up getting it done for 5,200 and I couldn’t be happier. Best of luck to ya!

[timelinex]

OK so I may have found a reasonably priced place locally. They confirmed they use marine grade vinyl for boats. Is there anything else I should confirm or ask about? Are our Malibu's the same as all other boats, or are there any other fabrics or things in between the cushion and vinyl?

[oldjeep]

I'd just want to see a sample of their work - not pictures.  Marine vinyl comes in lots of grades like anything else.  The vinyl in my 2005 bayliner was better quality than what Malibu used in my VTX 

 

[COOP]

21 minutes ago, timelinex said:

OK so I may have found a reasonably priced place locally. They confirmed they use marine grade vinyl for boats. Is there anything else I should confirm or ask about? Are our Malibu's the same as all other boats, or are there any other fabrics or things in between the cushion and vinyl?

Keep in mind you get what you pay for in many cases.

We have a lower priced guy here, but the quality suffers.

[timelinex]

I figure that there will be some amount of "you get what you pay for"....but to a certain extent, I'm willing to take that. We are talking about a 2007 boat that lives outside, not a Lamborghini afterall!

[Gavin17]

We swung for the fence and spent about 8500 for a fully new interior on our 2004 including the dash panels installed.   The dash panels were at least 1k of that because they use a lot of vinyl and take a lot of labor to remove.  My best estimate is that our 8500 was about half vinyl half labor.  I considered a few budget options like only replacing the seat bases but we decided to buy once cry once.  Should be good for another 18 years...  Eventually I'm going to tackle the carpet myself.  

[timelinex]

Got the boat back and it looks GREAT.  He did say it was a lot more work than expected and he would quote a lot more next time. He said this boat has a lot more intricate details than the boats he usually does.

 

 

 

Now I need to figure something out with the carpet. Nothing "wrong" with it, but there is now a stark quality/age difference that is now apparent.

[Zloe]

the guys considering doing the carpet, let me know what you end up doing, mine needs replaced as well, from 2002. 

[klntime]

On 7/25/2023 at 11:06 AM, timelinex said:

Got the boat back and it looks GREAT.  He did say it was a lot more work than expected and he would quote a lot more next time. He said this boat has a lot more intricate details than the boats he usually does.

 

 

 

Now I need to figure something out with the carpet. Nothing "wrong" with it, but there is now a stark quality/age difference that is now apparent.

not sure what year your boat is or what the floor looks like under the carpet.... Have you considered something like gator step?  I'd think that would really update the look, if doable.

 

[timelinex]

3 hours ago, klntime said:

not sure what year your boat is or what the floor looks like under the carpet.... Have you considered something like gator step?  I'd think that would really update the look, if doable.

 

I REALLY like that flooring and we would prefer that over everything else..... But I'm pretty sure it's an expensive job to get done and it's just not worth it for us. We will probably be upgrading the boat to a newer model in the next year or two, so while I want to make it nice for me and give the next guy a nice boat...I don't want to sink in too much either.