New Boat detailing and break in

[kirklandmalibu]

Just had my first NEW Malibu delivered today. (Parted ways with my 2008 earlier this spring). Excited to get it broken in and dialed in. 

Any suggestions on detailing and getting it dialed in before putting on the water for the summer.

Fully aware of 10-15 hour break in period and already have break in service schedule in 30+ days.

Anything I should consider???

[ahopkins22LSV]

Congrats on the new boat but we need pictures!

On our new boats I have just washed the gel coat and then waxed. I know some prefer to polish and then use sealant. 
 

We have always followed the break in period through ten hours, but then it is straight to the dealer. I’ve never gone to 15 hours of break in. Other then that, document anything that comes up during break in incase that needs to be addressed to and get used to the new boat!

[Hemmy]

12 hours ago, kirklandmalibu said:

Just had my first NEW Malibu delivered today. (Parted ways with my 2008 earlier this spring). Excited to get it broken in and dialed in. 

Any suggestions on detailing and getting it dialed in before putting on the water for the summer.

Fully aware of 10-15 hour break in period and already have break in service schedule in 30+ days.

Anything I should consider???

I had my boat ceramic coated on both the exterior and interior.  IMO it has been worth it, especially on the interior.

[carnold12]

@Hemmy how does ceramic coating on the interior even work? I’m getting the exterior plus tower of mine done next week and it never even dawned on me that you could coat a soft material like that. Glad to hear you like it though!

[Hemmy]

21 minutes ago, carnold12 said:

@Hemmy how does ceramic coating on the interior even work? I’m getting the exterior plus tower of mine done next week and it never even dawned on me that you could coat a soft material like that. Glad to hear you like it though!

I did not do it myself.  I had a shop in Michigan that uses Ceramic Pro do mine.  I have white interior and have had all kinds of stuff from my dog and kids to dried blood on the seats.  Nothing has left a stain and cleans off easily.  

[JeffK]

Is that cool touch vinyl? I have heard it can cause issues with the cool touch. 

[Hemmy]

14 minutes ago, JeffK said:

Is that cool touch vinyl? I have heard it can cause issues with the cool touch. 

I do not have cool touch vinyl on my boat, but that is good to know.

[EchelonMike]

Congrats on the new boat!  I pick up my new-to-me 2022 this Saturday.  It only has 20 hours on it, and I found no scratches or blems, but it needs a good "detail".  The marina where I bought it said they will detail before I pick it up, and I will see if it lives up to my standards.  :-)

I bought some Adam's graphine coating and my plan is to ceramic coat the exterior and glass myself after I pick her up.  If it needs a good polish first, I'll do that too.  I have had very good luck with Griot's Garage Complete Polish to start, and then follow up with wax.  This time I will follow up with ceramic.  Will see how that goes.

Good luck with the new boat!

[bwski]

Speaking of Ceramic.  Any suggestions on a ceramic product to use?

[woods103]

I have used Glidecoat before on a buddy's center console that worked pretty well for an somewhat inexpensive option. I have used System X on another buddy's 40 footer that seemed to work really well for a more "professional" product. On my Malibu, we went with a wax free 3M machine polish to prep because I didn't have any oxidation or blemishes then I went with Technicians Choice 584 (Tech 584) in place of wax. That came highly recommended from our Tommy's dealer and then also from the car chemical place here in town. That has Graphene in it and puts a shine on black hull of my boat like I really haven't seen before to be honest. That product is the successor to the original Tech582 which was a ceramic detail spray but does not have Graphene in it. On amazon the Tech 582 has a 4.8 rating with 2,251 ratings, you would have to think it cant be terrible!

 

Basically the 584 that we used is a spray ceramic that they say will last 1-3 months or so depending on care and use obviously. But it will be perfect for us. We trailer everywhere and the boat gets wiped off each time out of the water. Then Saturday and Sunday, I like to detail and shine so I will now use the Tech 584 to wipe down and hand buff with a microfiber quick while they say I will be just be building up the ceramic each time. Seems like just what I am looking for with crazy shinny results and supposed to be great protection, while also decently cost effective($40-$50 a gallon). Sounds like a win win but time will tell lol.

I'm curious if anyone else has experience with these 2 products.

[Detailingcl]

I am also curious to know what other ceramic sealants there are.

[Cole2001]

I used Black fire pro ceramic in the start of the 2022 season. Seemed like the closest product I could find to a professional grade coating, took some time to apply but it flashed nicely and wasn't overly hard. Since then it has held up amazingly well, my boat is outside from March to November, and used in hard water, so it defintlyisn't babied. The only product I have used on it in the last 2 years is Boat bling hot sauce and it still looks great, you can tell it is starting to wear down but still very noticeable that it's coated. 

My previous boat had ceramic pro professionally installed and it was good but I definitely not any better considering the hype and cost of the product. 

[Cole2001]

On 4/22/2024 at 6:03 AM, JeffK said:

Is that cool touch vinyl? I have heard it can cause issues with the cool touch. 

I have been told ceramic is completely fine to use on cool touch vinyl. Still be cautious and ask around first. 

[dshack]

5 hours ago, Cole2001 said:

I used Black fire pro ceramic in the start of the 2022 season. Seemed like the closest product I could find to a professional grade coating, took some time to apply but it flashed nicely and wasn't overly hard. Since then it has held up amazingly well, my boat is outside from March to November, and used in hard water, so it defintlyisn't babied. The only product I have used on it in the last 2 years is Boat bling hot sauce and it still looks great, you can tell it is starting to wear down but still very noticeable that it's coated. 

My previous boat had ceramic pro professionally installed and it was good but I definitely not any better considering the hype and cost of the product. 

The Blackfire product looks interesting. Did you use the standard pro, or the Black Edition? Thanks!

[Cole2001]

27 minutes ago, dshack said:

The Blackfire product looks interesting. Did you use the standard pro, or the Black Edition? Thanks!

I used the black edition

https://carzilla.ca/a/s/products/blackfire-pro-ceramic-paint-coating-black-edition-50ml

[carguy79ta]

On 4/23/2024 at 7:34 AM, EchelonMike said:

Congrats on the new boat!  I pick up my new-to-me 2022 this Saturday.  It only has 20 hours on it, and I found no scratches or blems, but it needs a good "detail".  The marina where I bought it said they will detail before I pick it up, and I will see if it lives up to my standards.  :-)

I bought some Adam's graphine coating and my plan is to ceramic coat the exterior and glass myself after I pick her up.  If it needs a good polish first, I'll do that too.  I have had very good luck with Griot's Garage Complete Polish to start, and then follow up with wax.  This time I will follow up with ceramic.  Will see how that goes.

Good luck with the new boat!

Last spring I bought some adams ceramic ..like yours but before graphene. Buffedout my boat and applied it. Worked good. Also buffed and applied it to my son's f150 we kept for him while he was in Okinawa..20y marine master seargent also my jeep tj. For a consumer grade product it works great. Spray on a microfiber towel and wipe on..wait 2min or so..buff off with mf towel. The small bottle ..say 10oz..is only half empty.

[JeffK]

14 hours ago, Cole2001 said:

I have been told ceramic is completely fine to use on cool touch vinyl. Still be cautious and ask around first. 

I was pretty sure the only thing you can use on it is a mild soap. Babes made a version, but nothing else was approved as far as I knew. 

[JeffK]

This is in the current owners manual

[Hemmy]

1 hour ago, JeffK said:

This is in the current owners manual

That is the exact same thing we put on our RV ABS shower walls and shower pans we manufacture for the RV industry.  I am not saying this is right or wrong, but it is a basic CYA statement.

[JeffK]

3 hours ago, Hemmy said:

That is the exact same thing we put on our RV ABS shower walls and shower pans we manufacture for the RV industry.  I am not saying this is right or wrong, but it is a basic CYA statement.

I totally get that. But if you have an issue that needs warranty or the vinyl loses its cooling benefit, that’s no fun.