Ceramic coating

[dreamlifeoc1]

Anyone apply ceramic coating to their boats? What are the long term results? Cost? How many true applications are needed? 

[crod]

I did at the beginning of the season as a buddy of mine swears by it.  I have a 24 mxz and had exterior only and paid $300.  Can’t tell you if I notice a difference or not to be honest.  Probably wouldn’t do again.

[Safety3rd]

I'm interested too. There is a company here in Austin that does it but it seems expensive and I'd rather not pay someone else to do it if the material isnt super expensive. 

[ajive]

I use the "hydrosilex" brand on my vehicles and it definitely makes for a great shine and water repellent.  However, it doesn't seem to last all that long... maybe a few coats and more regular application would fix that.  I haven't used it on the boat, but have considered it... just not sure how long it will hold up below the water line.  It's worth a shot though, much quicker application than wax.  You can get a couple bottles for $100 which would easily get you 2-4 applications; that seems way better than having a detailer do it for $300 a pop! 

[JeffK]

I talked to a guy that used to do these big custom jobs on go-fast boats and owns a body shop.  He's do these beautiful gelcoat designs and has done fiberglass repairs for years.  He hasn't researched it much, but said with fiberglass being porous and needing to breathe, he's not sure how ceramic coating would affect that.  He's put them on cars, but that paint and metal setup is completely different.  I'm sure some of you guys have researched that, but I didn't see it addressed here.  

[jjackkrash]

I just did my wife's ML 400 and my Audi S5 with Car Pro Cquartz UK 3.0 and a Gliss topcoat and so far I think the results have been fantastic (but I haven't had it on long enough to comment on longevity).   The water behavior and slickness is over the top.  

I am considering this product for my boat (but still researching) and have no idea how effective it is, other than Marine 31 generally has a good reputation regarding its marine-detailing products:

https://www.autogeek.net/marine-31-boat-coating.html

Personally, I would not assume a ceramic coating designed for paint would work for gel, so I would want something that at least purports to be designed for gel.  

The main concern I have is whether I can machine polish after application to take out rope scuff marks without having to recoat the whole boat (along with the overly involved prep that ceramic coatings require).   If so, I'll stick with Collinite.  

 

Edited July 16, 2019 by jjackkrash

[boardjnky4]

Did mine at the beginning of the season. So far boat still looks amazing!

[granddaddy55]

For ceramic For cars subject to flying tree sap like ours,  squirrels that chew cypress balls for tooth sharpening and I believe addiction to the sap, you have to regularly each week wash  car and get those micro spots  off when fresh snd not hard with alcohol on a microfiber

if you don’t snd they harden which only takes a a little more than a week maybe two you have to pick it off with fingernail even after alcohol, you end up having to do the clay bar these  guys use  before polish and ceramic coats

if you do you rub off even cured ceramic  coat, there fore I have mixed feelings for cars subject to sap using ceramic 

it’s definitely protecting car but doesn’t wArd off the sticky stuff any better than wax

for s boat kept covered it probably works great 

and for black car you can’t wash car easily in heat if sun with ceramic and do great with spots without constantly rewetting car while washing or drying

I find the wax gives you more flexibility to wash the car in the sun 

Edited July 16, 2019 by granddaddy55

[carguy79ta]

14 hours ago, boardjnky4 said:

Did mine at the beginning of the season. So far boat still looks amazing!

What product did you use?

[boardjnky4]

21 minutes ago, carguy79ta said:

What product did you use?

Liquid Crystal Armor HD https://www.marinenanoshop.com/store/marine-grade-ceramic-nano-boat-coating-9h

[carguy79ta]

26 minutes ago, boardjnky4 said:

Liquid Crystal Armor HD https://www.marinenanoshop.com/store/marine-grade-ceramic-nano-boat-coating-9h

Is not cheap, did you apply it yourself? Looks pretty straight forward to DIY. Most hulls on our 2yo boats are prolly in great shape, so the restoration wouldnt be too bad...we are all anal about keeping them clean..

Edited July 16, 2019 by carguy79ta

[boardjnky4]

22 minutes ago, carguy79ta said:

Is not cheap, did you apply it yourself? Looks pretty straight forward to DIY. Most hulls on our 2yo boats are prolly in great shape, so the restoration wouldnt be too bad...we are all anal about keeping them clean..

It's fairly straightforward if you're familiar with detailing. I did a one-step buff/polish on my brand new boat, then applied the coating after wiping with isopropyl alcohol.

One bottle can do the entire outside hull of the boat. Probably looking at another whole bottle to do the tower, windshield and interior spaces. Vinyl seats can soak up quite a bit of product as well if you're planning to do that.

[semi]

My limited research says its "snake oil". I choose to wait a few years to see if it holds up for the price. We have places charging $2000-3000 which is absurd and they claim it will last 2-3 years. No thanks. I will use a good sealant and do it twice a year for $20 and about 2 hours of my time. Been doing it this way for years with "black" boats and my boats still look amazing. 

[boardjnky4]

11 minutes ago, semi said:

My limited research says its "snake oil". I choose to wait a few years to see if it holds up for the price. We have places charging $2000-3000 which is absurd and they claim it will last 2-3 years. No thanks. I will use a good sealant and do it twice a year for $20 and about 2 hours of my time. Been doing it this way for years with "black" boats and my boats still look amazing. 

If you DIY it, it's $200 at most.

[gainer83]

I had mine done after one use on my 2019 T23. It definitely helps with the water line. We had to wipe the water line off the first use, but after the ceramic and subsequent wipe downs with the recommended spray that it is non-existent. I paid my detailer $1,650. Part of the cost was polishing and detail of the whole boat. It looked much better than when I picked it up. We still wipe down, but most of the water is off just after pulling out of the ramp. The biggest spot that is an issue is the transom from high traffic of people in and out. Other than that I think it works good. 

[jjackkrash]

On 7/15/2019 at 11:35 AM, JeffK said:

He hasn't researched it much, but said with fiberglass being porous and needing to breathe, he's not sure how ceramic coating would affect that.  

Gelcoat is porous (this is what covers the glass), but I am not sure why it would need to "breathe."  Did he explain this thought at all?  

[jjackkrash]

The weakness of many ceramic (SiO2) coatings is reportedly water spotting; that's why many recommend an oily top dressing.  I used this on my two cars over the Si02 coating, and its slick as snot:

 

https://www.carpro-us.com/protection/carpro-gliss-version-2-30ml-kit-new/?matchtype=&network=g&device=c&keyword=&campaign=1684968160&adgroup=pla-294904022142&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6Le86KG64wIVif5kCh3OSwI-EAQYASABEgK3kPD_BwE

[boardjnky4]

18 minutes ago, jjackkrash said:

Gelcoat is porous (this is what covers the glass), but I am not sure why it would need to "breathe."  Did he explain this thought at all?  

That person has no idea what they’re talking about. It doesn’t need to breathe. It needs to be sealed. The last thing you want is a gelcoat that soaks up water and contamination. That’s how you end up with blisters and oxidation.

[jjackkrash]

2 minutes ago, boardjnky4 said:

That person has no idea what they’re talking about. It doesn’t need to breathe. It needs to be sealed. The last thing you want is a gelcoat that soaks up water and contamination. That’s how you end up with blisters and oxidation.

That was my understanding as well.  That's why I was curious if they offered any reasoning.  One thought is on a go-fast boat the running surface needs to be irregular (like dimples on a golf ball) and waxing the running surface, for example, can be considered a no-no in that world because a slick surface is slower.  In my world, I want the surface sealed, be it wax or ceramic or (if you leave it moored) anti-fouling bottom paint.  

[agarabaghi]

There is only one Ceramic Coating specifically designed for gel coat. The rest do not seem to last, I don't care if they say its 1yr or 7yr, the area that is rubbing the water continuously will endup. 

Ceramic coating on its own though, is not snake oil. I will never wash or wax my cars again. It cost me about $200 including new application products and some prep material i can reuse to do both cars with a 1yr coating and its been amazing. 

[JeffK]

15 hours ago, jjackkrash said:

Gelcoat is porous (this is what covers the glass), but I am not sure why it would need to "breathe."  Did he explain this thought at all?  

He didn’t. As mentioned, he hasn’t done any research on using them. Those were just the questions that came to mind for him and I assumed others here would have run some of those questions down already. He wasn’t sure that it actually needed to breathe. That’s just the first thing he mentioned wanting to understand better. 

[MadMan]

4 hours ago, agarabaghi said:

 I will never wash or wax my cars again.

Sounds like you don't mind driving dirty cars.

[Cipro]

I used Adams Polishes this year on my boat...

My lake is nasty and I can tell its made a huge difference in getting off hard water and just the grossness of Ft Loudon.

 

I will do again next year...

 

[jjackkrash]

I just did a one step mechanical polish on the hull and a two/three step mechanical compound/polish on the gunnel/deck to get rid of some rope scuffs and then a quick coat of Collinite 925 and I just don't see getting much better results out of a ceramic coating.  The ceramic might last longer, but the 925 is glossy, slick as snot, very hydrophobic, and so easy to apply.  

[PNWoke]

My buddy swears by it.  He also works for the company that imports it and provides it to all the official dealers.  So of course he’s biased.  That said he’s not a liar and he regularly puts it on $500k Ferrari’s for clients in so cal.  I just got my boat so unless he can get me a screaming deal, I’ll probably have my detail guy do the regular buff/wax treatment and call it good.  Company is called ceramipro or something like that.  I’m sure it has likely already been knocked off by now though so who knows.