Starter and pro kit breakdowns with real costs and margin math.
Everything needed to start taking jobs and making money from day one.
| Item | Purpose | Where to Buy | Cost | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric Pressure Washer Sun Joe SPX3000 | Exterior wash, pre-rinse | Amazon / Home Depot | $120 | Essential |
| Dual-Action Orbital Polisher Chemical Guys TORQ 10FX | Polish, compound, wax | Amazon | $90 | Essential |
| Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum Ridgid 5-gallon | Interior vacuuming | Home Depot | $60 | Essential |
| Marine Boat Soap Star Brite or Meguiar's — 1 gal | pH-neutral exterior wash | West Marine / Amazon | $25 | Essential |
| Boat Wax / Polish 3M Marine Ultra Performance | Gelcoat protection & shine | West Marine / Amazon | $35 | Essential |
| 303 Aerospace Protectant | Vinyl, seats, dash — UV protection | West Marine / Amazon | $22 | Essential |
| All-Purpose Cleaner (APC) Chemical Guys Nonsense — 1 gal | Interior, engine bay, bilge | Amazon | $20 | Essential |
| Glass Cleaner Sprayaway | Windshield & windows | Amazon / Walmart | $12 | Essential |
| Microfiber Towels — 24 Pack Chemical Guys MIC_506_24 | Buffing, drying, applying product | Amazon | $30 | Essential |
| Foam Cannon Chemical Guys TORQ | Thick foam pre-wash | Amazon | $40 | Essential |
| 5-Gallon Buckets × 2 + Grit Guards | Two-bucket wash method | Home Depot | $30 | Essential |
| Telescoping Brush / Pole 4–8ft extension | Reach high areas & hull | West Marine / Amazon | $35 | Essential |
| Detailing Brush Set | Vents, crevices, corners | Amazon | $25 | Essential |
| Spray Bottles — 6 Pack | Dilute & apply products | Amazon | $15 | Tool |
| Nitrile Gloves — 100 Pack | Hand protection from chemicals | Amazon / Walmart | $14 | Tool |
| 50ft Outdoor Extension Cord | Power tools at marina | Home Depot | $35 | Tool |
| Teak Cleaner & Brightener Kit Star Brite 2-Part | Teak restoration — high-value upsell | West Marine / Amazon | $45 | Optional |
| DA Polisher Pad Set Cutting, polish, finishing | Works with orbital polisher | Amazon | $35 | Optional |
Book 3 full details at $350–$500 each and your entire kit is paid for. Every job after that is nearly pure labor income.
Scale up to ceramic coatings, paint correction, and premium services.
| Item | Purpose | Where to Buy | Cost | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everything in Starter Kit | Foundation of all services | See above | $687 | Essential |
| Gas Pressure Washer Simpson MSH3125 — 3100 PSI | Heavy-duty cleaning, no outlet needed | Home Depot | $350 | Essential |
| Professional DA Polisher Rupes LHR15 Mark III | Paint correction — the pro standard | DetailingWorld.com | $350 | Essential |
| Ceramic Coating Kit Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light | Charge $800–$1,800 per application | DetailingWorld.com | $180 | Essential |
| Paint Thickness Gauge LS220 digital | Measure gelcoat before correction | Amazon | $60 | Essential |
| Clay Bar Kit Meguiar's Professional | Decontaminate before ceramic coating | Amazon / AutoZone | $45 | Essential |
| Compound + Polish + Finishing Set 3M Marine or Menzerna | 3-stage paint correction | Amazon / 3M Direct | $95 | Essential |
| Wet Sanding Kit 1000–3000 grit | Heavy oxidation removal | Amazon | $40 | Essential |
| Steam Cleaner McCulloch MC1275 | Interior deep clean, teak pores | Amazon | $100 | Tool |
| Ozone Generator | Eliminate mold/fish odors — upsell $75–$150 | Amazon | $80 | Tool |
| Marine Upholstery Cleaner 303 Fabric & Vinyl Kit | Deep clean vinyl, Sunbrella, fabric | West Marine | $55 | Optional |
| Extendable Ladder — 12ft Werner multi-position | Reach topsides on larger boats | Home Depot | $120 | Optional |
| Honda Inverter Generator EU2200i | Work at marinas without shore power | Home Depot / Honda | $999 | Optional |
3 ceramic coating jobs = ~$2,640 net. Your entire pro kit is paid off. Ceramic takes 4–6 hrs on a 30ft boat — that's $150–$220/hr.
What you actually spend per job — know your margins before you price.
| Consumable | Service | Cost/Job | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boat Soap | All washes | $2.00 | ~100 uses per gallon |
| Wax / Polish | Detail, premium | $5.00 | ~40 uses per container |
| All-Purpose Cleaner | Full detail, interior | $1.50 | Dilute 10:1 |
| Glass Cleaner | All services | $0.50 | Very economical |
| Vinyl Protectant | Interior, full detail | $3.00 | 303 Aerospace |
| Microfibers (laundered) | All services | $1.00 | Cost of washing |
| Foam/Applicator Pads | Waxing, polish | $2.00 | Replace every 5–10 uses |
| Fuel & Travel | All jobs | $8.00 | Avg local marina run |
| Gloves, bags, misc | All jobs | $3.00 | Nitrile gloves etc. |
| Total — Full Detail | ~$27 | 94% margin on $500 job | |
Best use of your time: ceramic and premium details. A ceramic job on a 30ft pontoon takes ~5 hrs and nets $880 — that's $176/hr. Always upsell to the next service tier.