Ceramic Coating

Hi all,
I have a new 21 mojo on order and was wondering if any current owners ceramic coat their boats to cut down on dirt build up. If so are there any recommendations for products that you apply yourself or is best left to professionals. I will be lake boating in ga.
I saw some members potentially recommend the hula silica coating and was wondering if there were any others.
All the info out there seems to be from manufacturers but was interested in any unbiased opinions based on experience. Worth it or not?
Thanks
M

I ceramic coated my last boat and will absolutely be doing it on my new boat.

I have a pro hook up, but I prepped and installed it myself.

All ceramics are not the same.

Research research research.

True ceramic coating is a process that you systematically apply the coating to small areas using a leveling block and microfiber cloth, let it flash and buff with a clean microfiber and it cures for a few days.

IGL marine, Gyeon QR2 marine, Feynlab Hydro are a few of the marine gelcoat specific coatings.

Don’t get this confused with a wax or detailer with some ceramic in it, although these newer products I have no doubt work great as quick detailer.

The key to any ceramic is getting the gelcoat polished to perfection, ceramic coating will only look as good the gelcoat polishing. Ceramic won’t cover up or fix swirl or scratch marks.


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Can confirm its all about the product, friend of mine has his whole truck "ceramic coated" for $400 lasted maybe 4 months.. I paid just over $1000 but had the whole truck professional paint corrected and ceramic coated down to the wheels and step boards. Mine I believe is Gyeon or possibly that is the product on the windows however it is a year and a half old and still doing great with just hand washing.

Any ideas how much a good professional ceramic coating on a new boat should cost?

[emoji1432] Larry's on point. Surface prep is crucial.

A silica spray is not a true ceramic coating but not everyone can shell out a chunk of change every season.

I was quoted like $1,400 for prep, and coating on boat, tower & REV cans.

I'll be DIY in the meantime.

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Originally Posted by Josh828

Can confirm its all about the product, friend of mine has his whole truck "ceramic coated" for $400 lasted maybe 4 months.. I paid just over $1000 but had the whole truck professional paint corrected and ceramic coated down to the wheels and step boards. Mine I believe is Gyeon or possibly that is the product on the windows however it is a year and a half old and still doing great with just hand washing.

Any ideas how much a good professional ceramic coating on a new boat should cost?

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Around here for a 23 foot boat it’s $2500 ish.

IGL marine is appx $600 for 200 ml which is enough for two 23 foot boats (2 coats waterline and above and 2 coats on interior gelcoat, speakers etc. just need to find an IGL pro to buy it for you. There is a leveling agent that you can buy that makes it even easier to apply.

I would not waste the time and effort ceramic coating below waterline, but some do.

I also ceramic coated my trailer and it’s awesome. But I use an automotive specific ceramic like a carpro UK. $50 kit


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What about for us cheap wads....

Although not a true ceramic coating...Would Seal n' Shine or Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray Coating be safe to use on the gelcoat?

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Originally Posted by Guppydriver

What about for us cheap wads....

Although not a true ceramic coating...Would Seal n' Shine or Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray Coating be safe to use on the gelcoat?

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Thinking the hula ceramic spray may be a nice option.


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Thanks for the great info. Any gotchas / thoughts on the prep approach. I see some of the manufacturers advocating using clay bars to prep the gel coat before application... I will have a metallic color and wasn’t sure if this would be required/advisable especially on a brand new boat.

My 2021 is still in the showroom, even new, it’s nowhere near ready to ceramic coat.

Will be doing a full gelcoat correction using gyeon marine polish step2 with a Rupes DA, a carpro eraser wipe down and either IGL marine or Feynlab Hydro ceramic coating.

You will not hurt,damage or degrade new gelcoat with a polish.

Claybar is more for pulling brake and rail dust out of automotive paint and will not remove scratches or swirls marks out of gelcoat.


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Originally Posted by larry_arizona

My 2021 is still in the showroom, even new, it’s nowhere near ready to ceramic coat.

Will be doing a full gelcoat correction using gyeon marine polish step2 with a Rupes DA, a carpro eraser wipe down and either IGL marine or Feynlab Hydro ceramic coating.

You will not hurt,damage or degrade new gelcoat with a polish.

Claybar is more for pulling brake and rail dust out of automotive paint and will not remove scratches or swirls marks out of gelcoat.


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[emoji106] got it... really appreciate the input Larry. PS saw the pic of your new SA. That is one awesome looking boat. Congrats I hope it treats you well...


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by larry_arizona

My 2021 is still in the showroom, even new, it’s nowhere near ready to ceramic coat.

Will be doing a full gelcoat correction using gyeon marine polish step2 with a Rupes DA, a carpro eraser wipe down and either IGL marine or Feynlab Hydro ceramic coating.

You will not hurt,damage or degrade new gelcoat with a polish.

Claybar is more for pulling brake and rail dust out of automotive paint and will not remove scratches or swirls marks out of gelcoat.


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They are proud of the gyeon marine products lol.
I’ve always used the auto geek in house marine brand, marine 31. But it isn’t my favorite. Maybe I’ll try the gyeon.
I need to whip out the ol flex 3401 and get mine summer ready. I didn’t do a correction when I got it because I just wanted to use up the rest of summer while it was there

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So for the uneducated among us (me in this case)
Can someone explain what the point of the ceramic coating is?

What does it do that makes it worth several grand a season?

My boat isn't coated and I wash it after most outings and it looks great, so I don't really see the draw other than for those that also clay bar their car every weekend and look at their reflection for entertainment. It seems to me like just another thing people do for the sake of spending money.
Granted I also don't wash my cars very often or care what other people think about my stuff so that may be the root of my skepticism/pessimism.

Like I said I'm happy to change my mind if someone can explain it!

Let me try to explain it from my ceramic coating experiences.

Let me start by saying I am a religious detailer on my own vehicles and toys, I keep black paint looking like a mirror for example and it’s a labor of love.

I was a paint correction and carnauba wax kind of guy for years and scoffed at ceramic coatings when they came out.

Then my buddy who left a lucrative government job to become a pro detailer challenged me to try a nano ceramic on my black car. Night and day difference in maintaining a perfect black finish. Mostly due to how easy it was to remove dust, dirt etc. most of the dirt rinses of with a stream of water only, this along with careful washing practices eliminates as swirl marks. I could wash the car with minimal touching of a wash mitt or drying towels.

My method to dry was crazy, after washing and rinsing paint, take hose end sprayer off hose and just let the water flow from the hose flooding the car, the water sheets off and leaves the car 95% dry. Then chase dryed it with a electric leaf blower and maybe a mist of detailer and a microfiber.

So it makes cleaning simple and reduces contact with towels and wiping and washing are what induces scratches and swirls.

Most coatings last 2-4 years depending on exposure levels to UV etc.

Fast forward to ceramic coating a boat.

Most gelcoat is more porous than paint, gelcoat is also much harder than paint.

Ceramics specific for marine are relatively new
and require multiple coats to fill in the pores.

Gelcoat also will not polish as mirror like as paint.

So my pro buddy has me polish my boat, use a prograde marine ceramic ($600 but enough for 2 23foot boats inside and out) and I loved it.

1) outstanding gloss although still not as shiny as paint
2) made cleaning a breeze, but still requires proper methods. It’s not a miracle coating that prevents water spotting or the need to clean your boat.
3)absolutely protects bumper ball scuffs
4) UV protection for gelcoat is maximum. Zero UV chalking.

I also use a automotive ceramic on the trailer and wheels.

I can tell you I sold the boat after two years with ceramic coating and it still looked like the day I applied it and better than showroom new.

Now the reality......

1) pro installation is insane money, but the polish labor alone I had 12 hours into my boat. It’s amazing how many scratches these boats come with new, either from releasing from the molds or simply the assembly process and handling.

2)marine coatings are not cheap, but $300 for a 23 foot boat is par for the course. Two layers inside and out took me 6 continuous hours to apply and I say continuous as you only have. short window to apply a second coat. Next time I will try and break up the boat into half or thirds to give myself a break.

3)Personally if I could not install this myself, I probably would not do it. For $300 and my time (I enjoy taking care of my toys) it’s absolutely worth it to me. $2500-$3000 for a pro.....not my style.

4) the IGL marine ceramic is not available to consumers, so you would need a pro to buy it for you. There is a small learning curve to applying it correctly and if you do it wrong it’s a pita to fix it.

5) IGL marine claimed to be a 5 year coating life, it still was working 100% after 2 years.

I can do a write up as I polish my 2021 if anyone is interested. I want to highlight the Mars and scratches as a new boat and try to show how much improvement can be made.

Last disclaimer: I am clearly not normal. Ceramic coating is not for everyone.


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Originally Posted by larry_arizona

Let me start by saying I am a religious detailer on my own vehicles and toys, I keep black paint looking like a mirror for example and it’s a labor of love.

Last disclaimer: I am clearly not normal. Ceramic coating is not for everyone.

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That's about what I thought :)

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Originally Posted by SONIC

That's about what I thought :)

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larry gave me quite a bit of insight into this(thx larry :)) and my takeaway at this point are probably similar to yours-
if I had a car that was collectible, classic or otherwise and especially if it was black, red or blue, I'd be all over doing this.
everything else.... my blue/black boat will look just as good as larry's to 98% of the world at 20ft so we opted to pass. sure his will look night and day compared to ours at 5ft but frankly we don't care and in the end resale will likely be the same coated or not.

great thing about 'merica are choices :)

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Originally Posted by sandm

larry gave me quite a bit of insight into this(thx larry :)) and my takeaway at this point are probably similar to yours-
if I had a car that was collectible, classic or otherwise and especially if it was black, red or blue, I'd be all over doing this.
everything else.... my blue/black boat will look just as good as larry's to 98% of the world at 20ft so we opted to pass. sure his will look night and day compared to ours at 5ft but frankly we don't care and in the end resale will likely be the same coated or not.

great thing about 'merica are choices :)

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Yep I like my white boat with brown interior because it looks pretty clean no matter what :D

Different strokes for different folks is what makes the world a fun place to live in.

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Originally Posted by SONIC

That's about what I thought :)

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I was hoping that you would get that[emoji106]

Although I ceramic coated my white F150, I would not ceramic coat an all white boat.

Not enough noticeable benefit for a white boat.


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I had our boat ceramic coated last week before we went on vacation. My neighbor owns a detailing and custom automotive business so he took pretty good care of me. With 3 seasons of use on the boat there were some scuffs and nicks starting to show up that were bugging me. They paint corrected the whole thing making it basically spotless now with one or two exceptions that were too deep to fix. The boat looks incredible now and is noticeably easier to keep clean. It was a $1500 investment but I’m hoping it will keep the boat protected enough for another year or two so that I’ll see the return when it’s time to upgrade.
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For the cheap folks....I bought some "Hot Sauce" made by Boat Bling. You can look up YouTube videos of it. Walmart has it for about 14 bucks. It's a spray on buff off product that takes water spots away very very easily and leaves a really nice shine. I use it about every other time out. Works great on the windshield too for water spots. Beads up water really well afterwards too.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...c7a926e46e.jpg

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Originally Posted by HFarr

For the cheap folks....I bought some "Hot Sauce" made by Boat Bling. You can look up YouTube videos of it. Walmart has it for about 14 bucks. It's a spray on buff off product that takes water spots away very very easily and leaves a really nice shine. I use it about every other time out. Works great on the windshield too for water spots. Beads up water really well afterwards too.

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I just started using Hot Sauce recently after running out of the ceramic based quick detailer my buddy gave me from his shop. The detailer leaves a better finish but Hot Sauce is better at removing lake stains and water spots.

Like you my boat is the same color combo and having that black sparkle just makes me feel good. The detail job I had done at the beginning of the season was well worth it and has made clean up a breeze.

The dealer convinced me to have the boat "Diamond Kote"'d prior to delivery, which is a ceramic coating. It came with a number of cleaning products exterior, interior and glass.

Water spots were an issue on the dark boat, and the products provided did not effectively deal with them

I started to use Hot Sauce as well, and it works great!

It is a quick and easy way to keep the boat looking bright and shiny!

I also bought Vinyl Sauce which works really well on the interior.

You can effectively make any quick detailer like hot sauce by adding appx 25% white vinegar.

Just need to add some acidity to remove the mineral deposits left from hard water.


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Originally Posted by Riddler

The dealer convinced me to have the boat "Diamond Kote"'d prior to delivery, which is a ceramic coating. It came with a number of cleaning products exterior, interior and glass.

Water spots were an issue on the dark boat, and the products provided did not effectively deal with them

I started to use Hot Sauce as well, and it works great!

It is a quick and easy way to keep the boat looking bright and shiny!

I also bought Vinyl Sauce which works really well on the interior.

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I haven't tried the vinyl sauce yet. I was scared it might discolor the seats after reading all the literature that came with the boat. Good to know it works ok!


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