The best way to prepare for a boat upholstery consultation is to send good photos before anyone talks numbers: a wide shot of the cockpit and a few close-ups of the worst seams is usually enough for us to price the job without you driving anywhere. Add the make, model and year, a sentence on what you want done, and a sense of how you use the boat, and the first answer you get back will be close to the final one.
That is the whole idea. A consultation goes well when the shop is pricing your actual boat, not a guess about it. Everything below is about closing that gap.
Start with the photos
Photos are the fastest route to a real number, and they are how we start almost every job. You do not need a professional camera. A phone in daylight is fine.
What to shoot:
- One wide shot of the cockpit, taken from the stern or from up on the gunwale, so every seat, bolster and pad is in the frame together. This tells us the scope at a glance.
- Close-ups of the worst seams. Get close enough that we can see the thread. Open stitching, split seams and pulled piping tell us a lot about how long the current work has left.
- Any stains, cracking or discoloration, especially pink or dark spots. These help us judge what is happening under the surface.
- The helm seat and leaning post from the front and the side, if you have them. These take the most wear and often decide the scope.
- Anything you want changed. If the bolsters are too soft or a cushion never sat right, photograph it and say so.
A few tips that save a round of questions. Shoot in shade or overcast light, since direct midday sun washes out colour and hides texture. Take the covers off first. And if you can, press a thumb into a seat cushion and photograph the dent, or note whether it springs back. It is a rough test, but it tells us something about the foam.
Know the basics about the boat
Have these ready, in writing if possible:
- Make, model and year. On a Nor-Tech 340 or 390 Sport we quote off our standing packages. Everything else is priced per hull, so the exact model matters.
- Whether the interior is original or has been redone before. A previous recover can hide problems, and it changes what we expect to find.
- Where the boat is kept. Wet slip, lift, dry stack or trailer. It changes how the interior has aged and how pick-up works.
- Any history you know of. Water in the cushions, a cover that was left on wet, a seam that was patched last season.
You do not need to diagnose anything. Just tell us what you know and we will take it from there.
Decide what you want, roughly
You do not need a finished design before a consultation. But the quote is far more useful if you can answer three questions:
- Same look or a change? Some owners want the factory interior back exactly as it left the builder. Others want new colours, a different stitch pattern, embroidery or a contrast piping. Both are fine, but they are different jobs.
- Seats only, or more? Canvas, EVA decking, marine carpet and coaming pads can all be done at the same time. Bundling them changes the plan, so it helps to know early.
- How is the boat used? Tournament fishing, family cruising, long offshore runs and sandbar days all ask different things of a seat. We cover this in more detail in Designing seating around how you use the boat.
If you have an example photo of an interior you like, send it. A picture of the look you want is worth a page of description.
What we will ask you
Whether you send photos through the form or book a call, these are the questions we usually come back with:
- How many people ride on the boat on a normal day, and where do they sit?
- Is anything uncomfortable now, or is this purely about wear?
- Do you want to keep the factory colours, or change them?
- Is there a date you need the boat back by, such as a tournament or a trip?
- Would you like canvas or flooring looked at while the boat is with us?
None of these are trick questions. They are how we make sure the price covers what you actually want, so there is nothing to add later.
What you should ask us
A consultation goes both ways, and it is reasonable to ask any shop the same things before you commit:
- How do you arrive at the timeline, and what happens if it moves? We give an honest timeline, not an optimistic one, and we call if it changes.
- What happens if you open a seat and find damage underneath? Our answer: we stop, photograph it, and give you the options and the cost in writing. You decide whether we carry on.
- What materials and thread are you using? We work in Spradling, Morbern and Sunbrella Horizon marine vinyl, and SolarFix PTFE thread is standard on every package. More on why in Marine thread: why PTFE outlasts polyester.
- What does the warranty cover? Ask for the exact wording, not a summary. Ours is in our Terms, and we explain it in What a real upholstery warranty covers.
- How does payment work? Ours is set out in our Terms, clause 3: "A non-refundable deposit of fifty percent (50%) of the total project estimate is required prior to project scheduling, pattern-making, or material procurement." The balance follows the same clause: "The remaining balance of fifty percent (50%) plus any accrued Change Orders is due immediately upon completion of fabrication or installation, and absolutely prior to the physical release of the vessel or components to the Client."
The price we quote is the price you pay. Nothing changes without your say so.
Photos first, or a call
There are two ways to start, and you can pick whichever suits you.
Photos first is the quickest. Most quotes come back within one business day, usually the same afternoon. If we need to see the boat in person before we can price it honestly, we will tell you rather than guess.
A fifteen minute call suits owners who would rather talk it through. We ask about the boat and what you want done, and give you a straight answer on cost and timing. You can book a call here.
Either way, the photos help. Even if you book a call, sending the wide shot and the seam close-ups beforehand means the call is about decisions instead of descriptions.
A short checklist
Before you contact us, have these ready:
- One wide shot of the cockpit
- Close-ups of the worst seams, stains or cracks
- Make, model and year
- Where the boat is kept
- Same look, or a change
- Seats only, or canvas and flooring too
- Any date you are working towards
That is everything we need to get started. Send us the photos and we will price the job from them: request a quote here.
Send us photos of the boat and we will price it from those.
Request a quote