How much does a Mobile Boat Detailing cost to buy?

A typical Mobile Boat Detailing sells for 1.8x to 4.2x seller's discretionary earnings. With estimated SDE of $101K, expect to pay roughly $181K to $423K before adjustments for assets, debt, growth, and local market quality.

How much does it cost to start a Mobile Boat Detailing?

Startup costs range from $8K to $85K depending on location, equipment, and scale.

Service

Mobile Boat Detailing

Wax, compound, and polish for marina owners who hate oxidation

Bottom line

Strong cash-flow candidate with manageable operations.

Mobile boat detailing businesses travel to marinas, boatyards, docks, and storage lots to wash, buff, compound, wax, ceramic-coat, and detail boats before launch season or resale. The surprise is ticket size: pricing by the foot makes a single 30-foot premium detail worth far more than a car wash appointment.

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Acquisition score

Margin · multiple · SBA data

72Excellent

Avg revenue

$240K/yr

$70K–$850K range

Profit margin

42%

~$101K SDE

Multiple

1.8–4.2×

of SDE

Est. buy price

$181K–$423K

startup: $8K–$85K

How It Works

Operators book owners through marinas, boat brokers, storage facilities, and Google search, then detail vessels onsite using polishers, marine compounds, waxes, water tanks, and ladders. Revenue comes from per-foot wash/wax packages, oxidation correction, ceramic coatings, interior mildew removal, seasonal launch prep, and resale detailing.

BizBite verdict

Watch / verify

Mobile Boat Detailing has enough high-level data for a first look, but BizBite has not assigned a category-specific operating model yet. Treat the score as preliminary.

72Excellent

low data confidence · 40/100medium financing fit

Why it may work

+Attractive 42% estimated margin profile

Be careful

!Source link status has not been verified yet
!No last-checked date yet
!No SBA category enrichment yet
!No category operating model yet
!Low data confidence

Deal Calculator

Priced off $101K SDE — can this deal service its own debt?

2.47×

DSCR · Lender-comfortable

Purchase multiple — 2.8× SDE ($280K)

Category range: 1.8×–4.2× SDE

Down payment — 10% ($28K)

SBA minimum equity injection is 10% for change-of-ownership

Interest rate — 10.50%

Typical SBA 7(a) range: 9.5–12% (prime-based)

Loan term — 10 years

Standard SBA 7(a): 10 years for business acquisition

Purchase price

$280K

2.8× of $101K SDE

Cash to close

$36K

$28K down + ~3% closing

Debt service

$3K/mo

$41K/yr on $252K loan

Cash-on-cash

165%

cash back in ~8 mo

Debt service coverage · what the lender sees

2.47×+$5K/mo after debt

Most SBA lenders want ≥1.25× coverage; 1.5×+ is a strong file.

SDE = revenue × margin estimate for this niche; it includes owner compensation, so budget your salary out of cash flow. Excludes working-capital injection, capex reserves, and taxes. Actual SBA terms vary by lender and borrower.

Pros

+Higher ticket sizes than car detailing
+Mobile model keeps fixed overhead low
+Marina partnerships can create concentrated deal flow
+Upsells like ceramic coatings and oxidation correction are margin-rich

Cons

-Seasonal in cold-weather boating markets
-Physical work and weather delays are real
-Skill matters because gelcoat damage creates expensive callbacks

Best For

Detailers, marina-adjacent operators, boatyard service buyers, and seasonal cash-flow entrepreneurs

Operating Costs

Costs include polishers, pads, marine chemicals, waxes, water tanks, trailer or van, insurance, marina access fees, fuel, and labor. Margins improve with premium correction packages and recurring seasonal maintenance plans.