Trojan Boat Forum

good luck buddy, Ive been looking for a long time,
its a hard item to come by,
what was your price estimate on the enclosure,
my guy gave me a price of 3500-4000
I have a 71 F 31

I can't believe labor & material is that much higher just a few hundred miles north. Mine was $2600 for an F-36...enclosure and new SS frame and fittings!!

Mine was 4000 and thats with out a top as I had a hard top

you know I have to say, every time I come on this forum and discuss the prices that fabric guys charge, I feel as if I am getting yelled at, and the owners of the boats, stick up for the fabric guys. I dont know about the rest of you guys but I think these guys are way out of control. I to am a working man and I have to tell you that there is no way I can get away with with the charge per hour to do this kind of work,I have installed high end convertible tops on exotic vehicles , and believe me, its not even close to being on the same planet of what the marine guys charge and not to insult anybody ,but its not rocket science. I do admit that it is a skill , but so are alot of other workers out there and they dont get paid even half as much as a canvas shop. I just cant imagine why an enclosure should cost 4-5 thousand , when I did the math on the materials and it barely gets to 1600, and thats being generous. Being an import car mechanic my whole lfe, and working on high end machines,s including Ferrari , BMW etc, there is no way I could ever get away with that kind of labor rate, without the entire free world jumping all over me. So with that said, I just want to say, I think they charge WAY to much. As I said, I totally understand that it is a talent, and they should make a living, but come on!!!! I dont think that every boat owner on this forum is a wealthy man, maybe those are the guys that stick up for them everytime ,I mention it, but there are some of us here that actually are NOT wealthy, but still enjoy boating,
just my two cents

I agree,, but seems their all a brotherhood,,, I wish my business was that way,,,,,,
I dont want anybody to work for free, but I think as I said, its a little to much

thanks and good luck, where are you boating?

Keep in mind that quality of the materials and workmanship is also important for the longevity of the installation. Of course there will always be those who will spend less $$ over and over while still feeling happier that they have avoided that higher initial price.
I often see situations where the total of those $'s is more than the initial higher price over any longer time period... but there will always be those who only consider the per year $ spend rather than the total job spend.

Of course it still comes down to what each of us is happy with, and that is often not the same for any two people. That is what makes the world go round...

My best friend has a canvas shop. Last year I gave him a hand on my week off. He was doing a bimini with a full enclouser on a 36 trojan. His price was 4100.00. He keeps a time sheet on every job.Last night I went to his shop and pulled the time sheet for the job. His total time was 69.5 hours !Do the math deduct materials,and his overhead. He works for his money.
ps. he used existing frame.

I didn't mean to start a controversy either. Maybe the reason A&J Canvas here can do it so reasonably is because of the volume of work they do. They make all the canvas for Hatteras and Grady White boats that are built locally. They have a layout guy (who is pretty sharp and probably is paid well) come and make templates of the boat. These are taken back to the shop where the pieces are sewn (probably by folks who don't get paid a whole lot) and then the template guy comes back and installs it. It is a top quality job with the best zippers and snaps. The only disadvantage is the wait. From the time you first call and get on their list to your new enclosure being installed can be 6 months.