Ok fellas here's the deal.  I've got a new shop doing both the fiberglass and the upholstery, the quality is really good, much, much better than who I was using previously.  As usual though, when you get into a higher quality product, you have to pay a little more. That's where I need your opinions, suggestions, thoughts, your feedback is going to help me decide if this venture is worth my time or not.  Please be honest here, I know we'd all like to vote the $1100 price but that's just not feasible (I pay more for the stuff than that!) In additon to the quality, the service is top notch, I've been promised a 1 week turnaround on full orders.  I also have the connections for bimini tops, boat covers (towable and non-towable) full tilt interiors (you design it, they'll build it, from the carpet up) But I need a gauge to know what the market will bear so I'll know where I stand on this, I won't be losing anymore money on these deals, if the popular vote is in the red for me, so goes "The Seat Guy" Thanks in advance. The covers are available in either marine grade naugahyde or tweed, your choice.

Skip

GC-

What do you think is a fair retail price? I'm trying to hammer my shop on the prices I pay, if I have a ballpark of what the market is like I can go to them with more ammo to back me up. The boat covers are made of Sunbrella material, and they're NICE.

I hear you on the poor part, on top of that, I'm a cheap bastard to boot! I don't plan to get rich doing this, just like to make enough money to pay for my interior and any expenses related to selling them.

Blue- I've been to and called about a bazillion marine upholstery shops and got estimates, the low end of the spectrum is $1600, and I wouldn't let them stictch my socks. Do you have some reputable shops up your way that you can hook me up with?

I paid $100 for the fiberglass seat
        $275 for the uphostery

Thats just for one seat . The fabric is so tight and a pain in the ass to get on . But when it's on , everything looks tight and right . You can and will definatly see the diffrence in quality when you pay for it .

-beerjet-

So you're saying that $375 per bucket is a good deal? Or an average deal? Would that mean the rear bench is worth $600 uphpolstered?

Crewchief-
I know what you're saying about the plain look of it all, but in my eyes the people that are interested in these seats are wanting a slimmed down interior, no frills, just good looks. Am I wrong?

Like I said, I'm really just trying to gauge the market. I'm going 'glass no matter what. This is for future customers

If I was less interested in keeping my boat looking original, I would have checked into fiberglass more.

For someone on the fence between fiberglass or wood, if they can get fiberglass for a fair price they will give it serious consideration.  i think 1200-1400 is a fair price.

So you're saying that $375 per bucket is a good deal? Or an average deal? Would that mean the rear bench is worth $600 uphpolstered?

I personally didnt know any better before . I just did it and thats what it cost me . After seeing some big $$$$$ v-drives with the glass bucket covers all saggy n shit , I think it's a steal . I think when a final product comes out spectacular and you paid a little more . you got somthing the other didnt .

CrewChiefs interior looks awsome and he got an wasome deal . Maybe those guys have less overhead than others do , Who knows .

-beerjet-

I will snap some pics Monday of the fiberglass buckets at the shop. They have some nice multicolored vinyl and they are $600 a pair with the buyers choice of colors . As for a rear bench $600 bare would be a tough sell for me. Hell carbon fiber front buckets are only $225 a piece. For $600 our shop or any local shop could build a custom frame that needs to be covered.  I will start asking alot of the racers I know with fiberglass seats what they paid for them. I will also go talk to Sang a local upholstery guy about cost for the covers.

There are a ton of upholstery shops that will make a rear bench for $600. Hell I will buy some plywood and make a frame for someone for $600. It could be the area I live in but prices are pretty fair around here. Maybe I can network something for you and save you some $$$$.

the main reason i thought of going with all fiberglass with my last two boats including the ones skip just made for me is the life of the seats, fiberglass lasts longer, and second they are a hell of alot lighter than wooden seats. they might not be for every boat out there but if you are running a lake or river racer, i think they are the perfect seat, everyone i know is always trying to keep the weight down when building their boats. just my 2 cents. taylormanss. honestly i know everything is going up,but i checked with a couple shops out here who build jetboats and none of them make a rear fiberglass bench and they wanted 15-1600 for a complete interior. but i wouldn't pay more than 13-1400 honestly.that is on my next boat. you know who else i have seen interested in these fiberglass seats people who build hot rods, like t-buckets.

... this is the look I like.

X2!   

Carbon Fiber are $275 each, I just checked. The 18's are $85 and the 20's are $110. IMO I don't think I would get my upholstory off the internet and would rather get someone local to do it for me. I don't want straps, snaps, sags, riple's, etc... they should fit tight and be a slip on slip off kind of deal. I've seen enough of them just like that to know it can be done (not including the rear bench seats). I was considering for quite some time to get into the boat fiberglass seat business and I deemed it too expensive/not enough profit to do the project in the way that I wanted to do it which was to have someone else build the fiberglass seats and I market them. Exposure exposure exposure is the only way it'll work. A friend of mine paid WAY too much money for a pair of buckets on eBay because he couldn't find anywhere to get them for cheaper than what they were on eBay for. My plan was to put them on every boat website (SoCal, PerfBoats, etc..), craigslist in most major cities, eBay, and then once that was all set up go to the marine shops like JBP, CP, etc... There isn't enough demand for these seats to just advertise them in a few places and expect to sell them in a quantity that will make it all worth it or even pay for your own interior. Marc and a friend of his built an entire interior's wood frame and paid $850 to have it foamed and upholstered, it looked killer, it had pleats/tuck-n-roll, two colors, and it was a full interior not just seats. Probably cost them ? $1,000 total. I wouldn't pay more than $450 for just the fiberglass and I wouldn't get my upholstory off of the internet. IMO