Ceramic coating

I

iggy

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 1, 2020
Messages
261
Fluid Motion Model
R-23 (Sterndrive)
Some of you may or may not read my last post asking what should a add from the factory to my new 30S. Some suggested "ceramic coating" to the hull. The coating is in the 3k range, so I could spend the money on other things than that.

My questions is, is it worth it, would you do it again? What else should I know about it?

Thanks!
 
I’ve read that the average useful life of a ceramic coating is between 3-5 years before it needs to be done all over again. At $3,000 that works out to $600 to $1,000 a year for the ceramic protection. Too pricey for me!
 
I tried ceramic coating last year. It was expensive and it did not work for me. Perhaps if you start it when the boat is brand new you may have better results. Mine was 3 years old and no matter how much polishing beforehand and following the strict instructions the most it would last was 3 months. For me not worth the effort and cost.
 
You could hire a good detailer to clean your boat for that much money.
 
Matty":2sdd05w5 said:
You could hire a good detailer to clean your boat for that much money.
Click to expand...

That is why I was asking. Thank you all for your input into this.
 
I have yet to get my new R23 ceramic coated... however, I do have experience in other arenas - namely automobile ceramic coating.

Full disclosure: I have no dog in this fight... I'm not affiliated with any product or shop. This is just my 2c

3 years ago, I got one of my cars coated with Modesta Ceramic. It was expensive, no doubt. But I just could NOT be happier that I did it! I am a clean freak with my vehicles, and hate driving in the rain because I know I'll just have to appease my OCD and clean it once the driving is done. :x

Since my coating, most of the time I just hit the car with water only and voila! - it's clean! Dirt and grime just rinse off. Plus, the paint on the notoriously ill-painted Tesla looks showroom perfect. This version of the product has an 8-10 year life expectancy, and based on how it looks after 3 years, I have absolutely no doubt it'll last at least that long. Note: I would previously wax my car about 3x/yr, and haven't touched it with any form of wax for the last 3 years. So TOTALLY worth it for me.

My nephew, however, got his car ceramic-coated "by a friend that is an expert", and after a year, it is basically like it never got coated. He's now a nay-sayer, and will talk everyone (but me) out of wasting their $$. I tried to explain the 'you get what you pay for' idiom, but once he gets a mindset.... :|

I researched local shops that perform ceramic coating, and went with one that obviously takes great pride in their work. I only wish they traveled!! I'm on the hard, and don't have a trailer... otherwise I'd be contacting them to see if they can fit the boat in their shop! 😀

My R23 will soon (once the darn weather gets a bit better! 😳 ) be coated by a great guy that came highly recommended, and whom I have worked with in the past and have seen his work. I can't wait, and I know it'll be done right and I'll get many years of protection. 😀

So, I would place my input in the "Highly Recommend" category with one caveat: Get it done by a reputable person/company that uses high quality product. Otherwise, I would agree with Iggy: hire a good detailer...
 
Brian98133":q0kluheb said:
I am a clean freak with my vehicles, and hate driving in the rain because I know I'll just have to appease my OCD and clean it once the driving is done. :x
Click to expand...

You live in Seattle, so i'm guessing you take your car out 3 weeks a year? :lol:
 
You live in Seattle, so i'm guessing you take your car out 3 weeks a year? :lol:[/quote]

Sometimes I can stretch the season to 4 weeks :mrgreen:
 
I read that unless ALL wax is removed first it gets trapped under the ceramic and yellows over time.

I also wonder whether the difference in experience is due to different brands used.
 
I have also had mixed results - albeit with a consumer applied version. I applied the “CMX” brand to both my ‘15 GMC Sierra, and my best friend’s “new to him” Ranger 21.
The 2014 tug had seen VERY little use by the previous 2 owners from what I could see, base on wear and tear. It did, however, seems to have spent at least one or two seasons on a slip, and, based on oxidation of the gelcoat, all of its life outdoors (likely with no previous finish care, other than bottom paint). The Claret red finish was badly oxidized, and the brow was so badly oxidized it didn’t even shine when wet. We did slot of prep work, with a professional buffer and the proper compounds, which made a huge Difference to the gel coat. I applied the ceramic coating to everything (2 coats) according to instruction. We found that the least oxidized gelcoat held up great - after a year of sun and water, just like the day applied (which is to say excellent). The surfaces that had been badly oxidized didn’t seem to hold the shine as well, as I expected. The oxidation damage had already been done (and I couldn’t bring myself to wet sand his boat). It worked great on the glass, too, btw.
I prepped my truck in a similar fashion, only used bar clay and a more gentle compound. The finish on my truck gas held up great - and this is on a New England (Western Mass) truck that rarely gets washed. The truck is a work truck that gets used daily. I have found that snow and ice slide off with ease, and road grime / salt wash off with rain. The truck and windshield bead / sheet water like crazy. I couldn’t be happier. I’ve never had a wax or other finish perform like this.
My take is that a professionally applied ceramic finish on brand new gelcoat would be a no-brainer, but I would have lower expectations on a previously oxidized or pitted surface.
JP
 
I looked into ceramic coating for my 2011 R27 (Claret Red) that has spent it's life in the southern California sun and is badly oxidized, bordering on pink. The dealer for one of the well know brands didn't even want to look at the boat or estimate how much to install as " it won't meet their standards for color retention and protection" due to the oxidation. I'm looking into a skin or wrap or paint.
 
How long will ceramic coating last? Proper after care is the key here. Without proper maintenance ceramic coating will last 2-3 years BUT with the after-care product that my company offers the coating could last indefinitely. This product is EASY to apply & restores the hydrophobic property of the ceramic surface which is paramount in keeping the gelcoat protected.

The boat owner must be diligent caring for the boat’s coating using the after-care product (Hydroserum) every 6 months so that the surface continues to benefit from hydrophobic properties.

Some of you have applied ceramic coating yourself with less than ideal results. Installing ceramic coating is a very arduous & precise procedure thus most of the ceramic coating producers will not sell it directly to the public. Training to become a certified installer is required before these companies will sell the ceramic product to a customer.

Preparation of the surface means everything when ceramic coating is installed. When the surface is not appropriately prepared, many issues can arise which lead amateurs to state “it did not work”. When there are poor results, it usually means that the oxidation has not been completely removed which is the first step in gelcoat restoration. It may appear to the untrained eye that the oxidation is gone but it is definitely not the case.

All of us Ranger Tug & Cutwater owners have invested a considerable amount of our hard-earned money purchasing these awesome boats so the desire to protect your valuable investment is understandable, for sure. The additional expense of ceramic coating is something to consider but NOT protecting your boat could lead to unfortunate results down the line.

Benefits of ceramic coating:
• Guards against harmful environmental factors such as salt water & oxidation
• Bird & insect dropping are more easily removed
• Effortless to keep clean
• Adds a layer of hardness above 9H which helps resist scratches, dock rash etc.
• Adds gloss & color depth unlike any other product
• Super hydrophobic properties that repels water

For further questions, PM me. Kevin
 
Kevinandcarol

"Without proper maintenance ceramic coating will last 2-3 years BUT with the after-care product that my company offers the coating could last indefinitely. This product is EASY to apply & restores the hydrophobic property of the ceramic surface which is paramount in keeping the gelcoat protected."

So, just to be clear, you do appear to have a vested interest. I've no issue with that since it enables current users of ceramic coating to give you feedback on their experience.
 
Kevin:

Ceramic coatings seem to remain a big mystery. I'd love to get to the bottom of it, so since this is your field perhaps you can help.

There seems to be several different chemical formulations that are quite different but all referred to as "ceramic". Help us out with that. I think there is "nano", and then something else.

Then, despite searches over the past 10 days or so on the topic, about all I can find are sales pitches that say "its great", but nothing in any technical depth. If you have some links to some serious and detailed discussions on it, I'd be grateful.

Now you introduce the concept of an after-care product to be used twice a year. Exactly what is that stuff? Getting away from twice a year full detailing (with wax) is part of the appeal of ceramic, but now that seems not to be the case?

Lastly, my concern is in part about what has to be done to get rid of it if it fails due to poor application .. or whatever reason. The only thing I've seen referenced is sanding it off, which seems like a pretty bad case scenario.

I love the idea, but remain pretty confused and can't sort through misinformation and hype. Help would be appreciated.
 
That is new information to me about the 2x per year maintenance for ceramic. IMHO that substantially reduces the advantage over traditional detailing (although I do thinkmit looks good).
 
There seems to be some confusion as to what ‘maintenance’ is involved with the after-care product (Hydroserum). It’s a very simple & easy process once every 6 months. There are 2 easy methods to chose from when applying: one is to spray-on/wipe off with microfiber towel and the other is to apply with a garden sprayer over the entire boat & then hose off with water.

The information on the internet can be very confusing as there are a lot of different products called ‘ceramic coating’. In a nutshell: It’s the ‘binders’ and the ‘solvents’ added to the ceramic that is the biggest difference. Some formulas are very difficult to apply as they dry too quickly, etc. If it fails due to a poor application, it can be removed by the same process as removing oxidation.

When we bought our R23 three years ago, I spent a great deal of time researching a way to protect our boat’s gelcoat from oxidation. I discovered ceramic coating is the best method, in my opinion. I ceramic coated our boat and received lots of compliments. Other boat owners wanted to have theirs done also but couldn’t find anyone that knew about ceramic coating for boats. I was asked to coat several boats so at that point I made the decision to become a certified installer and start my own ceramic coating business. Recently, we had a booth in the 2020 Seattle Boat Show and there was lots of interest with our product and service.

Please PM me if you have additional questions. Kevin
 
It would appear that many may be (as I admittedly was) skeptical about what was involved with the required "after-care" application - and exactly what that meant.

Before I got my car coated (and now my R23, which looks amazing!), I assumed that the term "after care application" meant that it was up to ME to do what I assumed was the equivalent of re-applying a full ceramic coating. I didn't know, so I thought the worst. I pictured it taking days of elbow grease to apply. If that were the case, why spend the money to do the initial coating?

I was wrong. The 'after care' is taking the hydrophobic liquid and spraying it on (like Windex, for example), lightly wiping to disperse evenly, and wiping off (again, like Windex). SUPER easy.

I have done this with my car every 6 months and it's like new every time and it's 2 years old (the ceramic coating). I know that doing this with with our R23 will also keep it looking like new (better, actually... the Hero Red looks just incredible!).

IMHO, the super easy application of the after care hydrophobic liquid makes doing a yearly full-detailing with wax (and assorted compounds) seem like the 18th century.

If it seems expensive at first, I would wager that you'll save $$$ after the first year or two... PLUS, you'll have a showroom-perfect finish for years. After all... we spent many of our hard-earned $$ on our boats. Why not spend a little more to keep it looking like new?

Just my opinion.
 
FWTMD, I would recommend finding an experienced company that deals with marine ceramic coatings and talk to them.

The Googleator gives very generic (and many times, misleading) info, depending on how you did your search. Type "how good is ceramic coating for a boat" and you'll get many articles about how great it is. Change the word "good" to "bad", and you'll get an equal amount of verbiage that will scare you away. Which one is correct? Only experience knows.

I actually visited places before deciding on who to use for my car. There's nothing better than seeing the process, and learning what to be on the lookout for. I then used the info I gathered during my search for the car to determine who knows best for my boat.

I will say this, however: I believe that ceramic is not a lifetime product for our boat. However, with proper care, I truly feel that I will get many years of useful protection before having the coating re-applied. And regardless of what you may read, the 'after care' is SUPER easy...

The article you linked, based on my admittedly limited knowledge, sounds like the info is based on worst-case scenarios (i.e., NOT doing the after-care once or twice a year, depending on climate), and I would agree that if you did nothing to the ceramic coating - it would probably need to be re-done after 2 years in the Floridian sun. But even the article states:
"Up north, they might endure for three or four seasons.".

Based on my history of hiring detailers (I am one that does not enjoy buffing/waxing/cleaning for hours on end), if I never do any after-care, I would expect at least 4 years before having to re-do. And 4 years of hiring detailers is way more expensive, cumulatively, than what I paid to have it ceramic coated! Add my after-care, and I will get many more years.
 
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