Ceramic coating

[Bige]

Any thoughts or reccomendations on a brand of ceramic coating for my R-25? thanks

 

[S. Todd]

I used Glidecoat (Onan Technologies Inc. DBA Glidecoat) (www.glidecoat.com). The instructions on their website were detailed for the do-it-yourself project. Surface prep takes some effort, but application of the Ceramic is easy. The surface is still prone to water spots, but less than wax and it seems to hold up well. I also used their Prop Optimizer which required considerable time to prep the surface before application, but it seems to keep the prop nice and clean.

 

[Ted Rathjen]

I used Glidecoat (Onan Technologies Inc. DBA Glidecoat) (www.glidecoat.com). The instructions on their website were detailed for the do-it-yourself project. Surface prep takes some effort, but application of the Ceramic is easy. The surface is still prone to water spots, but less than wax and it seems to hold up well. I also used their Prop Optimizer which required considerable time to prep the surface before application, but it seems to keep the prop nice and clean.View attachment 24744

 

[Ted Rathjen]

Our 2013 blue hull R27 was severely oxidized from previous owner. The prep was very time consuming. Multiple passes with 3m compound, Glidecoat nano compound and polish. I applied 2 coats of Glidecoat Ceramic. After the first season when the boat was on the hard I noticed all the water spots on the finish. The deep color looked good but removing the water spots needed to be lightly compounded, which defeats the benefits of Ceramic. This coming week I’ll re-apply 2 additional coats of ceramic. Being on a mooring and not having daily access to fresh water I’m exploring using a battery operated power washer to rinse the salt from the boat. The rep from Glidecoat was super helpful but still wondering about the water spots.

 

[Trisailor]

My R27 has also been treated to the ceramic coating process. I used the Marine Nano (Starke) product. I could not keep wax looking decent for more than two weeks in the So Cal sunlight before the Claret Red gel coat became a faded pink. Now I get 3 to 4 months, before noticing the oxidation process starting. It also held up well during a six month sojourn on the east coast doing the southeastern quarter of the Great Loop. Lots of rain and minimal rinsing. It's (now) an easy 2 day process to hit both sides with 3M rubbing compound and a refresh of ceramic with the boat on her trailer. Water spots are also my biggest problem, we have a fairly high mineral content in our water, including the effect of dew and rain in our dry dusty/sooty air. The eyebrows take a beating. Use of a water filter system in the dock box along with an SO2 spray helps extend the ceramic. My concern is the thickness of the gel coat and how many more "buffings" the 14-year-old gel coat will take before the point of no return. At that point I'm considering a wrap or paint.

 

[RMarkSampson]

I've ceramic coated my 31S twice. I've used Sea Shield ceramic coating the first time, and SKWOL the second time. The SKWOL was easier to apply but the Sea Shield (professional) was also not hard to apply - just needed to apply it in smaller sections and buff it out quicker. The key is the surface prep - I spent six days buffing out the oxidation. Having the boat in a shed was also key in controlling the environment and keeping the boat out of the elements. It is also not just the hull - spent a lot of time on the topsides. Best to start high and work your way down. A rolling scaffolding was very helpful.

 

[hawk232]

I will echo the earlier thoughts on boats that are kept in the water. I had Xpel ceramic put on mine over a year ago. While the ceramic seems to be holding up great, the hull has a ton of waterspots that I now cant remove without damaging the ceramic. I think ceramic is great for a put that is regularly pulled from the water and can be washed but for boats that live in the water I might think twice.

 

[WaterMark]

Hi Hawk232, I live in Lecanto and keep my R27 WATERMARK in Pete’s Pier. I would be interested in meeting you sometime.