I'm heading out to do some simple lettering on the sides of the boat. Name and registration numbers. They are only about 3" tall and are black HP background/outline with SignGold centers.
Reviewing the Official 2006 price guide for over 20' boats that would run $1019 (w/logo)which seems insane, and the 2 color (no gold) is $427. In the Signcraft book (blue section) if you go with intermediate it's ~$254 + gold ~110.
I don't mind charging accordingly but there seems to be quite a difference. What would you do? Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
Brian, if you are referring to the Signwriters Pricing Guides, I always found them to be extremely high to the point of being almost useless.
The SignCraft pricing book is more in line with reality...at least in these parts.
Posted by John Arnott (Member # 215) on :
$350 is way more in line. Most of my cost is getting to the boat. This takes much longer than cutting the vinyl. Your cost should be no more than $75 in materials.
Posted by Jillbeans (Member # 1912) on :
Brian, see if you can find that laminated per letter size price sheet that usually is included in a SignGold kit, then add in extra for the other vinyl. Maybe they have one on their site. Love.....Jill
Posted by Brian Diver (Member # 1552) on :
Thanks folks, I'm gonna go with 350 and John you are right about just getting to the boat. It's about an hour away on a good day. Jill, the kit came with both the laminated card and the video which I watched about 3 times to let it soak in
Ok, I'm off and will take pictures.
Posted by J.G. Kurtzman (Member # 1736) on :
Brian; I have always charged four times material coast, plus your hourly shop rate to create, travel, and install.
****placing my little soapbox firmly on the floor***
I will now take issue with what I consider far and away the STUPIDEST thing I have ever seen in this business... ...lettering prices based on the length of a boat.
Let's show them why, Johnny....
Ed is the proud owner of a marvelous houseboat over 80 feet long. He had long envisioned it's name proudly displayed in gold on the back. With a $400 investment, his vision became reality and he was the proudest man on dock B.
Ned, his neighbor on the dock, sees the nice SignGold job and orders it for his 40 foot sailboat a week later.
Freddy, who has a 20 foot Sea Ray on dock B goes for the gold a month later.
Each job took exactly the same amount of time, materials and travel.
Who got screwed?
The sign maker did. He was basing his prices on how long the boats were and by the time he gotten to Freddy's boat, he was lettering it for less than the cost of the materials. What should have been $1200 wound up going out for $700 because of this pricing method.
Now, as fate would have it, here comes Freddy's twin brother, Teddy, with his 15 foot bass boat. Having learned his lesson the hard way, our trusty sign maker quotes him $400. When Teddy hears that his lettering is going to cost him 4 times as much as his brother's did, he just plain walks away to tell everyone at the marina how inconsistent your prices are.
There's some things that a "Pricing Guide" works for, but it is no more a universal fix all than One Shot paints are. It only works if you know how to use it and it fits the situation. For everything else, there's common sense.
Off the soapbox... Rapid
[ November 14, 2007, 09:18 PM: Message edited by: Ray Rheaume ]
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