ceramic coating - worth it or snake oil?

[cnote]

Hey there TO --- I'm about to jump in on a new '18 R23 and the lake I boat on has VERY hard water. Previous '08 Z1 required a massive effort to keep hard-water spot-free, (compounding, waxing, polishing, washing - not in that order obviously), and even then it wasn't perfect. I'm very interested in keeping hard water spots off the hull, and reducing the long hours it takes to maintain the finish.

So... with that in mind, I've been trying to gather info on these ceramic coatings. This type of solution was actually mentioned to me informally during Tige factory tour. Has anyone used this type of "ceramic" coating product on your boat? What were the results? How much did it cost? Is it worth it?

I've browsed other forums and manufacturer website (ceramic pro, liquid armour, element 119). Obviously the product pages talk up what their product can do and how awesome they are, but I can't seem to get any real consensus of product effectiveness (esp not long term) by browsing various other non-sponsored boating forums. Any feedback would be helpful.

Thanks TO!

[talltigeguy]

I do not know about ceramic coating, so apologize if I derail you some.

F11 TopCoat is supposed to be great for that sort of thing. I bought a bottle, and it didn't seem to do a whole lot for the kitchen stainless hood, so I never got around to doing it on the boat. It has to go on a completely clean surface to start with, which may be why I was not satisfied with what it did for the stainless kitchen stuff, although I tried to clean it up as good as I could. A new boat would be the perfect test subject. This stuff should create a coating that would allow any hard water to easily wipe off.

Beware, once they get you on their list, expect to get spammed to all H#$!! every time they have a sale. Even when I have unsubscribed, I got 10 emails this weekend.

I boat in some pretty hard water, and a good wax always makes the spots so much easier to clean up. Can I ask where your hard water lake is and what wax failed you? Is it trailered in or left in the water all the time?

[bsreid]

I was curious about the ceramic coating too so I asked around a little bit and people were saying 3k range for a clean new boat.

It’s only going to benefit the boat, that’s for sure, it’s just a matter of if it’s worth the money. I’d give some local shops a call and see what they think, given that they might experience the same water as you.

[Germaine Marine]

Their are a few different schools of thought regarding ceramic coating. But its definitely not snake oil.

I have had several cars and my Z3 done with cquarts finest which is the same arena as Ceramic pro, whether competitors agree or not. Same premise.

With that said, Ill give you my insight. With any similar product, the original surface is prepped and polished and then the coating applied. While it is fantastic, and definitely worth it for certain applications, I wasnt thrilled with it in the marine setting. Yes, the depth and clarity it provides is amazing and yes its a minimal protective coating. However, it mars. And by mars I mean bad and needs to be fixed if rubbed too hard etc.\... anyone who tells you any different is trying to push a product.

What it does do, is make the washing experience easier including a a slight improvement in regards to water beading off the surface. However, as I mentioned above, the surface is more prone to being marred with improper washing and or doing something silly.

If the surface is marred you have to repair the section, its not easy and its not free. Thats probably something applicators are not spreading around freely.

I think its ideal for the car enthusiast, who doesent run his or her car through the car wash, and washes said car once a week. I dont think its fantastic on a boat, that gets bumped with buoys, and or other rubber items from time to time but again just my .02. I think a correctly performed, cut/polish/wax and and an application of clear bra in areas is a much better investment IMO.

[Germaine Marine]

A cover can easily mar a ceramic coated surface for example..........

Its a great product, for my own truck I would do it where I know I can stay attentive to it etc, for a car like my wifes its not.

Again, for a boat I think its a waste.

[cnote]

great info @elevated...good insight thank you!

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[cnote]

I do not know about ceramic coating, so apologize if I derail you some.

F11 TopCoat is supposed to be great for that sort of thing. I bought a bottle, and it didn't seem to do a whole lot for the kitchen stainless hood, so I never got around to doing it on the boat. It has to go on a completely clean surface to start with, which may be why I was not satisfied with what it did for the stainless kitchen stuff, although I tried to clean it up as good as I could. A new boat would be the perfect test subject. This stuff should create a coating that would allow any hard water to easily wipe off.

Beware, once they get you on their list, expect to get spammed to all H#$!! every time they have a sale. Even when I have unsubscribed, I got 10 emails this weekend.

I boat in some pretty hard water, and a good wax always makes the spots so much easier to clean up. Can I ask where your hard water lake is and what wax failed you? Is it trailered in or left in the water all the time?

I boat at possum kingdom lake in North Texas, about an hour west of Ft Worth. Incidentally, it's the same lake where Tige does all their photo shoots, so all those cool cliff shots on the website and in the glossy collateral, that's "PK" as we call it. I currently trailer my boats.

My typical routine is a thorough wax (meguiars marine or 3M paste) at the beginning and end of the season (March/April - November). During the season when putting away I will spray down with a "salt-away" solution with water I bring from the city, and then spray wax. Interior gets cleaned on the regular with soap & water and a topcoat of 303 aerospace. End of season I typically do my best to clean the hard water spots off with a combination of products.

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[talltigeguy]

I boat at possum kingdom lake in North Texas, about an hour west of Ft Worth. Incidentally, it's the same lake where Tige does all their photo shoots, so all those cool cliff shots on the website and in the glossy collateral, that's "PK" as we call it. I currently trailer my boats.

My typical routine is a thorough wax (meguiars marine or 3M paste) at the beginning and end of the season (March/April - November). During the season when putting away I will spray down with a "salt-away" solution with water I bring from the city, and then spray wax. Interior gets cleaned on the regular with soap & water and a topcoat of 303 aerospace. End of season I typically do my best to clean the hard water spots off with a combination of products.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Interesting, I never heard of the Salt-away until now. PK doesn't have any brackish water, does it? There must not be much talk about it on the discussion boards.

It says it is safe for waxed surfaces, but I wonder if it is actually taking your wax off, and compounding the problem. Have you tried a couple of trips with something like Boat Bling Hot Sauce?

[knotayooper]

We use a lot of the Vantage products at work. IMO they work well, on my RZR they made clean up of the water spots MUCH easier. I will still wax over it because the wax burns off and takes the spots with it. If you don't wax it, the spots are still there, but can be easily cleaned. Best part about Vantage is it has an appearance warranty that goes along with the coatings, for 5 years you're covered. If hard water spots don't come off you make a call and they send someone out.

[Jetdriver]

CLR diluted 1/8 in a Home Depot spray bottle is cheap and very effective at removing hard water spots.

[cnote]

good to know...i'll try that CLR. but that seems like a less frequent solution as it likely strips any wax.

[Germaine Marine]

Straight white vinegar chews through hard water.... I mean chews.

[Germaine Marine]

The thing I always hear from guys is how hard it is unless you have a decked boat house to wipe the boat down when it goes in the air. If you can get to it, boat bling or Boat juice when it gets out of the water should be sufficient to that thing staying perfect. It might take you 30-40 min but, it shouldnt have a water spot on it if done every single time.

[david.osborne24]

Hey guys has anyone revisited this since new coatings have come out? I know ceramic pro is now offering a marine branded product. My new 2019 RZX3 will be delivered next week and I’m considering taking it to the detailer the day it arrives. He’s a Opti-Coat dealer so he has offered the following options. Unfortunately I can’t find much info out there on marine use but I was at the Tige factory this week taking the tour and my rep was telling me that’s few of the Tige dealers have started offering ceramic coatings to their customers. Any feedback on the matter would be greatly appreciated!

“We use opti-coat coatings
The price is a follows:
$1350 Optimum Paint Guard (12-18 mts)
$1650 Opti-Coat Pro (12-24 mts)
$1950 Opti-Coat Pro Plus (12-36mts)
All coatings look good but Course the pro + is a 2 layers that protect and make it look really deep shine”

[bobcat1973]

As the owner of a few BLACK boats and a new 2019 boat for this year that is partly black i have been looking into this myself. Personally i just can't justify the cost. Boat juice, Babes, hot sauce works for getting water spots off without a problem. I have all 3 products and they work. One thing i have done differently is used a sealant rather than wax for the first application. I am either using REJEX or Protec sealant. 2 coats of this seems to really do a nice job and they claim it will last 6 months. I have heard some putting a coat of Collinite 845 over the sealant for extra protection.

I can do my boat in about 1.5 hours, and it will cost me about $30 for the wax and have a ton left over. I did my previous mastercraft which was all black this way and it stayed gloss black until they day i sold it and it was a 2006. Right now i just don't see how paying $3000 for this coating