Two bottom-paint quotes for the same yacht can cover different work. One yard may bundle hauling, washing, and disposal, while another lists those services separately. Check what each total buys before deciding which quote costs less.
Send both yards the same written scope and ask each to identify any assumptions or exclusions. That gives you a starting point for comparing the price of the same job.
The Baseline Scope of Work
When planning the haul-out, provide estimators with an identical technical profile rather than asking them to build a project scope from scratch. Submit a standardized specification sheet containing the following core fields:
- Yacht Dimensions: Give both yards the same overall length, beam, and draft, along with the weight information they request. Ask which length each yard uses for billing.
- Coating History & Current Condition: Share the existing paint product, when it was applied, and any known condition issues. If the history is unclear, ask what the yard needs to inspect before it can confirm the scope.
- Defined Surface Preparation: Ask each yard to describe the preparation included and say what findings could trigger a separate quote.
- Specified Product and Coverage: Confirm the proposed paint, number of coats, areas covered, and any extra coverage priced separately.
- Separately Priced Running Gear and Appendages: Ask which hardware falls outside the hull-paint quote and request separate prices for any running gear work you want included.
Standardizing Estimate Fields and Inclusions
Service facilities separate fixed overhead, direct labor, and consumable materials using different billing philosophies. To uncover missing line items, require both estimators to confirm whether the following elements are bundled into their service rates or billed as standalone items:
- Haul and Relaunch: Machine operation, round-trip travel-lift time, rigging, spotting, and stand placement.
- Hull Wash: Included wash time and any extra charge if the wash exceeds that allowance.
- Blocking and Lay Days: The number of calendar dry-dock days included in the prep/application cycle versus when daily lay-day storage billing commences.
- Labor Allocation: Preparation and application labor, with each scope stated in writing.
- Consumable Materials: Paint and shop supplies, including which materials are already in the quoted total.
- Cathodic Protection & Running Gear: Labor to inspect and replace hull, shaft, and thruster sacrificial zincs (along with the hardware cost), plus specialized running-gear foul-release systems.
- Facility Surcharges & Taxes: Dedicated environmental containment fees, hazardous waste disposal charges, shop material percentages, and municipal sales taxes.
Two published schedules show how inclusions can differ. SEA Marine’s Basic Bottom Paint Package includes technician inspection, round-trip haul, limited wash and lay days, environmental fees and labor for two coats, with paint and zincs excluded and rates subject to hull inspection. Conversely, SEA Marine’s August 2026 yard rates separately lists general environmental and shop-supply charges, which prompts a written inclusion question before committing. By comparison, Port of Port Townsend’s 2026 yard schedule lists hoist, wash, repair storage and an environmental fee separately.
Worked Comparison: Reconciling Yard Estimates
In this hypothetical example, Yard A and Yard B have both confirmed the exact same physical preparation, dry-dock duration, environmental compliance, and coat count on the hull. Yard A presents a lower initial bid by excluding coating supply, while Yard B presents a turnkey rate.
Use standard status indicators when compiling quotes:
[INCL]– Confirmed bundled within the quoted line item.[SEP]– Separately confirmed and added to the project total.[UNC]– Unclear; requires written clarification from the estimator.[INSP]– Condition-dependent; requires haul-out inspection before final pricing.
| Scope Component / Billing Field | Yard A (Unbundled Proposal) | Yard B (Turnkey Proposal) | Reconciliation Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round-Trip Haul, Wash, Blocking & Lay Days | [INCL] |
[INCL] |
Identical dry-dock schedule confirmed by both yards. |
| Surface Prep & 2-Coat Application Labor | [INCL] |
[INCL] |
Identical hull prep and rolling labor confirmed. |
| Environmental, Shop & Waste Surcharges | [INCL] |
[INCL] |
Both yards confirmed fees are within base quote. |
| Specified Anti-Fouling Paint Supply | [SEP] $550 |
[INCL] |
Yard A excluded paint; confirmed paint cost added. |
| Sacrificial Hull & Thruster Zinc Replacement | [INSP] |
[INSP] |
Outside the baseline until the yards confirm scope and price. |
| Optional Running Gear Work | Outside scope | Outside scope | Compare separately if you request it. |
| Quoted Base Service Total | $2,400 | $2,800 | Raw estimates before normalizing materials. |
| Adjusted Apples-to-Apples Total | $2,950 | $2,800 | Yard B is $150 less for the identical firm scope. |
Once Yard A separately confirmed $550 for the required paint, their base quote of $2,400 rose to $2,950. Yard B quoted $2,800 with the same paint already included, making B $150 less overall. Normalizing the paint line item reverses the initial appearance of Yard A being the more economical facility.
Managing Unresolved Repairs and Scope Changes
Once the yacht is out of the water, hull inspections can reveal issues outside the baseline quote: moisture blistering, failing barrier coats, worn cutless bearings, or damaged shaft seals. Unresolved repairs must never remain open-ended labor items.
Isolating Uncertain Items from the Firm Total
Keep the bottom-paint quote strictly tied to the approved scope. If the yard identifies localized osmotic blisters or running-gear wear, isolate those items into a provisional estimate. Ask the yard to identify any extra lay days in its revised estimate and track that cost separately.
Establishing the Change-Approval Protocol
Before booking, agree in writing on how the yard will report an inspection finding, quote the extra work, and get your approval. Ask the yard to show any change in the relaunch date alongside the price.
Allocating Haul-Out Costs Across the Budget
Enter the reconciled bottom-paint total in your yacht maintenance budget and keep any unpriced repairs on a separate line. Haul-out operations offer an opportunity to coordinate through-hull maintenance, stabilizer fin seal inspections, bow thruster servicing, and hull compounding while the yacht is out of the water.
If the same haul serves several jobs, record that charge once in your overall yacht ownership budget. Use the written quote to see which wash, blocking, or lay-day charges are shared.