New boat... is ceramic etc. worth it?

[8gv]

This week I am taking delivery of a new hole in the water in which to throw my money.

As is customary, the F and I guy wants to sell me some extras.

They offer a ceramic hull and top sides treatment and vinyl protectant for $1,700.

The boat will live on a mooring on Paugus Bay.

It has been promised that the ceramic will minimize the scum line that develops from keeping the boat in the water. I am familiar with this scum on my previous boat. I didn't like it.

They also promise that bird and bug poop will not stain the vinyl and make for easy clean up.

My default position on F and I guy sales pitches is "NO" but I am wondering what the collective here thinks.

Should I spend $1,700 on these treatments?

[livinthedream]

I had this done on my pick up truck and would highly recommend it. It's been about 3 years since it was done and the truck looks brand new.
I wanted to have my boat done. It's a 2015 and a solid black hull. It has a few blemishes and was told the ceramic coating will only magnify the blemishes and I might not be happy with the result. I didn't really look much further into it but I might revisit it.
$1,700 seems very reasonable and I think you'll love the result, especially on a brand new boat with no dings or scratches.

[fatlazyless]

Some depends on how big is boat, and do you keep it on a trailer?

For $63.75, Amazon has a gallon of Presta HydroProtek Ceramic Coating - Spray-On Protectant for Boats & RVs.

With 60-opinions and five answered questions ..... and NOT sold at the Gilford-Walmart!

[Woodsy]

I think the ceramic is a worthwhile investment.... that being said, I would want to know who the dealership is subcontracting the job to. John Spooner @ Diamond Shine is the best in the business, but extremely busy. John Getty @ Gettyshine & Mark Rancourt @ Rancourt's Professional are excellent as well.

I would not have the dealership do it themselves.

Woodsy

[Descant]

Congrats on the new boat. Pictures please.
Re Ceramic coat/$1700. This is for a 12 foot boat, right? LOL. Lower price on a new boat may be because they don't have to do much wet sanding to get rid of the oxidation of the gelcoat. I had Diamondshine do my 24' Sea Ray Cuddy a couple of years ago. ~$3000. Perfect, showroom condition for a 1994 boat, and they detailed the inside, too. If you look at the boats at the NE Boat show in Boston, you will find that many Lakes Region dealers don't do their own show prep. They hire Diamondshine to take a crew to Boston and do the work there. Could be the same for the other specialty shops listed above.
I question the bird and bug mess in the sense that I'd expect a boat on a mooring to have a full mooring cover, not just from the windshield to the transom. A waterline cover would be even better if you want to spend $$.
Summary: I love the ceramic coating. Just rinse with clean water and wipe. Diamondshine also gave me fluid to spray on a micro fiber cloth for the wipe down. No chemicals into the lake.

[XCR-700]

Interesting topic I have been wondering about myself. There is so much hype about ceramic sealants it certainly begs the question.

I have not yet seen any boat manufacturer endorse it, so that always leaves me concerned about any impact to the warranty should you then have any problem with the fiberglass such as blistering or such. Who will blame who???

I cannot speak to boats/fiberglass, but having worked in the automotive industry for many years, I can say with 100% confidence most such products were huge profit items for the dealer and were pushed hard on older buyers and woman and anyone deemed an easy sell, and were virtually 100% snake oil. Not saying they did nothing, but they were not even close to the hype the customers were told.

In my most recent experience, I bought a 2 1/2 year old Dodge Challenger with X-Brand sealant and a its fancy forever warranty that had pages of purported benefits, and at that 2 1/2 year mark, I saw no difference than any other car in the parking lot. if there was a benefit to the original buyer, it was short lived. The original buyer bought everything the dealer sold, tire and rim insurance, a full maintenance plan, he had the dealer add a MOPAR cold air kit & performance exhaust - the works. The out the door price was over $45K, and 2 1/2 years later and only 13K miles he had just upgraded to summer only performance tires and then sold it for less than 1/2 of what he paid for it.

The dealer saw him coming and hit him hard!

In my experience (on cars) the only thing less valuable than paint and interior treatments was the engine additives, pure fantasy. No value whatsoever.

That all said, cars are coated in paint not fiberglass and gelcoat, and they are different! And with few exceptions, boats are not painted.

So if I were seriously considering such a treatment, I would thoroughly research the products. Does the boat manufacturer endorse it, will it have any potential impact to the warranty. How long has the ceramic company been in business, how long has the installer been using the product, what is the cost of a do-it-yourself version (short version how much is the dealer making on you) ETC, Etc, etc,,,

Again not saying it does nothing, but I am hesitant to hear from other owners who say I spent $2K plus and love it, what else are they going to say, I got screwed over,,, In the end how much better is this than a top-shelf wax? Thousands of dollars better? That would have to be a whole bunch better for me.

Wishing you the best, hoping you make the right choice for you, and regardless of what you do, look forward to seeing pictures and hearing about your experience with the new boat!

ATB

[TiltonBB]

I have not had a boat done but I have two vehicles that have it. I did not buy from the dealer but took them to someone who does several cars a week and has been doing ceramic coating for years.

Both cars look better and have more shine than they did when I bought them. When it rains, the water beads and runs off like it was just waxed. I wash them with a pressure washer and dry them with a cordless leaf blower. Quick and easy. It looks like the ceramic coating will last for years.

If it works anything like it does on a car, I would think it would help with keeping the boat clean and keeping the water line off of the hull.

[LIforrelaxin]

Your going to find all kinds of opinions... here what it comes down to in my mind.... How long do you intended to keep the boat... the the answer to that is 10 years, adding the extras is no big deal .... If you are like others I know, and you will only keep the boat for 2 or 3 years... well just do the math......

While I have heard great things about Ceramic Coatings... I see it as nothing more then a fad, and a way to get people to spend even more money when buying a new vehicle....

My 7 year old truck still beads water on the factory paint... I have done nothing to it..... over all paints, finishes and Gel coats only continue to improve....

Now If I had a 10 year old boat, that I wanted to make shine again, instead of going and trying to buy something new... I would bring it down to John Spooner, and ask him to do what he can do.....

As my boats are both 20 year old, I do what I can do.... when I decided things need to look a little better, I use oxidation remover, and then a nice polish... brings things back to life... and costs me far less.... But then again, while I don't live on the Wal-mart side of the lake, I also don't need to have shiny sparkly boats and cars, I by them and use them, they should look used when I am done with them....

[Woody38]

I have been considering ceramic for my cars for some time. One I really like which does require prep which I can surely perform. So, what I have done is to use spray wax (Show Time) along with a clay bar. Smoothed the fiinish and gave a beautiful shine. Then I applied Nu Finish and the shine was even better. Once in a while a little spray With Show Time and use the California Classic Car Duster before taking the car out and after coming back into the garage. Washing appears to only need a hose off but I like to use the DuPont 7 truck and auto soap. Everything slides right off. I am always asked what I use to wax the cars.

_____________________________________

I am a retired workaholic and continuing aquaholic

[NHskier]

For the last several years I’ve been using Griot’s 3-in-1 Ceramic Wax spray above the rub rail on our Cobalt, and on our cars. (I leave the hull to the marina since we’re in a slip throughout the season). I apply it twice per year, first thing in spring and again in the late fall, and it holds up quite well, leaving a good shine and very good water repellency/beading properties. Very easy to apply, just spray on and wipe right off, no drying time needed.

Like Woody notes, a well prepped clean surface gives best results. Wash with a high ph detergent or use a surface prep cleaner to remove any old wax or sealant before applying the ceramic wax product. Griot’s also sells a detailer spray (Ceramic Speed Shine) for keeping everything nice and shiny.

Of course it’s not as durable or equivalent to a full blown ceramic treatment.

[8gv]

I bought the ceramic applications.

Pics of new boat are coming but if you see a blindingly white SeaRay SDX270 out on Winni it's me.

Can someone please drill another oil well? Soon?

Thanks for the opinions.

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by 8gv

I bought the ceramic applications.

Pics of new boat are coming but if you see a blindingly white SeaRay SDX270 out on Winni it's me.

Can someone please drill another oil well? Soon?

Thanks for the opinions.

Well lets hope it is not to blindingly white.... I don't need to be blinded by the suns reflection off of it...

Congradulations on the new purchase.... Remember there is always master card, and who cares if your paying off this summers gas bill next summer, you will have had fun this summer and that what counts right?

[8gv]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

Well lets hope it is not to blindingly white.... I don't need to be blinded by the suns reflection off of it...

Congradulations on the new purchase.... Remember there is always master card, and who cares if your paying off this summers gas bill next summer, you will have had fun this summer and that what counts right?

The sun needs a welding visor when it looks at my boat!

[SAB1]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

Your going to find all kinds of opinions... here what it comes down to in my mind.... How long do you intended to keep the boat... the the answer to that is 10 years, adding the extras is no big deal .... If you are like others I know, and you will only keep the boat for 2 or 3 years... well just do the math......

While I have heard great things about Ceramic Coatings... I see it as nothing more then a fad, and a way to get people to spend even more money when buying a new vehicle....

My 7 year old truck still beads water on the factory paint... I have done nothing to it..... over all paints, finishes and Gel coats only continue to improve....

Now If I had a 10 year old boat, that I wanted to make shine again, instead of going and trying to buy something new... I would bring it down to John Spooner, and ask him to do what he can do.....

As my boats are both 20 year old, I do what I can do.... when I decided things need to look a little better, I use oxidation remover, and then a nice polish... brings things back to life... and costs me far less.... But then again, while I don't live on the Wal-mart side of the lake, I also don't need to have shiny sparkly boats and cars, I by them and use them, they should look used when I am done with them....

Pretty much this. The Ceramic coating is nice but IMO you get three years at best out of it and for the cost I think it’s not worth it. A good buffer and polish each year does the trick along with a good spray detailer periodically your all set.