Ceramic Coating

[j.mo]

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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[SONIC]

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!

[larry_arizona]

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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[SONIC]

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.

That's about what I thought

[sandm]

That's about what I thought

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

[SONIC]

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

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

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

[larry_arizona]

That's about what I thought

I was hoping that you would get that

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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[ktenan12]

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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[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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[Holdmybeer]

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.