What a boat or yacht refit costs

There is no single table for refit prices, because the same job on two vessels of the same length can differ twofold. What decides is the state of the surface, access to it and how much work the preparation takes before the actual job begins. The ranges below describe the Swedish market in the 2026 season and are only meant to give an order of magnitude.

Updated: 10 September 2026

The basis of every quote: the hourly rate

Most finishing work is billed by time rather than by the metre. In the Stockholm area, workshop rates for surface work on a vessel run in 2026 between SEK 820 and SEK 1,100 an hour, and work at the customer's site — in a marina, in winter storage or at a yard — between SEK 1,100 and SEK 1,300 an hour. Materials come on top, as does travel when the work happens away from the workshop.

• Work in the workshopSEK 820–1,100/h
• Work at the customer's siteSEK 1,100–1,300/h
• Travelcharged separately
• Materialsoutside the rate

The ranges are gross figures, VAT included. When comparing offers it is worth checking whether the other side quotes with or without tax — workshop price lists use both, and the difference runs to a quarter of the amount.

Hull polishing and waxing

Most often charged per foot of vessel length, because the topside area grows with it. Where a particular boat falls within the range is decided by how oxidised the gelcoat is: a fresh surface needs one pass and wax, a badly dulled one needs wet sanding, compounding, polishing and only then protection.

• Gelcoat in good conditionfrom about SEK 200 per foot
• Dull, oxidised surfaceabout SEK 300 per foot
• Neglected, gloss largely goneabout SEK 450 per foot
• Superstructure and detailsquoted separately

More on the scope itself: hull polishing and waxing.

Antifouling and work below the waterline

For a typical leisure vessel of 7–9 m (23–30 ft) the whole job — washing, light sanding, masking, materials and applying the coating — falls between SEK 7,500 and SEK 14,500 on the Swedish market. The upper end applies when the old coating is flaking and has to be removed, or when an epoxy primer coat is added.

• Vessel 7–9 m (23–30 ft), coating soundfrom about SEK 7,500
• Same vessel, old coating to be strippedup to about SEK 14,500
• Lift and hardstandinghandled by the marina or yard

The scope is described on the antifouling and season preparation page.

Teak deck

Sanding and reviving teak is counted in hours, because the time depends on the number of planks, the state of the seams and whether the work around fittings has to be done by hand. On a ten-metre (33 ft) vessel the deck and cockpit together are usually twenty to forty-five hours of work. Replacing the planks is an entirely different order of magnitude — there the material can cost more than the labour and it is quoted only after seeing the deck.

• Sanding, vessel about 10 m (33 ft)20–45 h of work
• Recaulking seamscharged by the linear metre
• Replacing planksonly after inspection

The scope is described on the teak deck and joinery page.

Gelcoat, laminate and joinery

A single piece of gelcoat damage — a chip beside the rubbing strake, a scratch from a pontoon, a small crack — is most often one to four hours of work including colour matching. It costs more when there are many defects and when the colour has to be matched to a faded surface, because polishing the whole field is then part of the repair.

• Single gelcoat repair1–4 h plus material
• Colour matching on faded surfacesseparate item
• Joinery and interior fit-outcharged by the hour
• Upholsteryquoted after measuring

The scopes are described on the gelcoat and laminate repair and yacht joinery and interior finishing pages.

What most often pushes the price up

• A surface condition that only shows after washing and sanding back the top layer.
• Difficult access: working under the hull, at height, inside a cramped interior.
• Having to remove and refit deck hardware, rails or equipment.
• Work in low temperatures, which extends the curing time of coatings.
• Travel beyond Nynäshamn and the southern archipelago.

What we do not quote for

We do not work on electrical, plumbing or gas installations, nor do we service engines. Those areas belong to licensed workshops and you will not find them in our quote — even when surface work requires them to be temporarily removed.

Common questions about cost

Are these figures your offer?

No. These are indicative market ranges gathered from the published price lists of workshops in the Stockholm area in 2026. Our own quote follows an inspection of the particular vessel and is given in writing, with labour, materials and additional work listed separately.

Does the Swedish ROT deduction cover work on a boat?

No. The Swedish ROT and RUT deductions apply to work on residential property, not on a vessel. A boat or yacht refit is paid in full, VAT included.

Does the price include materials?

The hourly rate does not include them. Materials are quoted separately and named in the quote, with the coating system or type of timber given, so the offer can be compared with another and checked for covering the same thing.

Why can a quote change during the work?

Because part of the condition only shows once the top layer comes off — under a gelcoat chip there is sometimes delaminated laminate, and under bottom paint there are blisters. When that happens we stop, show you photographs and agree a new scope before going further.

When should work be booked to be ready for the season?

The work is done with the vessel out of the water, so slots are agreed at lift-out, in September and October. Jobs taken in that window are carried out from November to March, before the spring launch.