Pre-Ceramic Coat cleaner
 

So last winter I used a ceramic coat product instead of wax and was relatively happy with the results.

What's a good cleaner to use prior to applying? Obviously I have a little black streaking still on the gel in certain areas. Last year I used maguiars oxidation remover to get it clean, then applied the ceramic coating. That's not the best process, was hoping there is a better cleaner you guys can recommend.

Second - what ceramic coat product is everyone using? I bought one off eBay last year, and again, was pretty pleased, but would like to see if there is a better product this year....

Anyone used Glidecoat? Some decent feedback on forums. Looks like they will perform ceramic coating and also sell the product....

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...c6d1842c38.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...87f3368ea6.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...3a83dc24b6.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...34c8466d7e.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...a5c036a509.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...234607d761.jpg
I did mine with Xpel Marine coating.. its all I use at the shop too. most of the spray and wipe stuff will only last a season.

P&S Coatings and all products.

the true process is to do your polishing and then use a prep spray before laying the coating down. It is to remove all the raw chemicals in the polishes and you want the surface completely clean/fresh so the coating will adhere for maximum efficiency. After the coating you should use a topper for that final slickness, it is also the product that will mainly be the maintaining chemical for the coating.

We used isopropyl alcohol mixed with de-ionized water to prep after buffing and wet sanding.

‘Drilling, who did you say did your paint job after the guy in south fl frigged it up?

thats what most of the cleaners are, after you do the prep work you need to get rid of the polishes and left over contaminants, or they form a block for the ceramic.

Maryland offshore performance and Grafik efx, chris dilling did the design and paint work

The spray and wipe stuff may only last one season but it’s 100x easier to apply and 100x more forgiving.

we used car pro quartz on the bottom…it works good. It’s just a PITA.

I would recommend a good spray and wipe to anyone who is considering making the change before spending 4-6k to have there boat done.

even then I might still opt for the spray and wipe.

What ratio Moses?

I used this website..

https://avalonking.com/blog/how-to-m...-coating-prep/

Hence why it's for professional use only.:picard1: To quote the late great Tom Callahan "I can get a good look at a T-bone steak by sticking my head up a bulls rear, but I'll take the butchers word for it".. So the fact that you "wont spend the money" has no bearing on the durability of the products or the ability to get the type of shine that a professional detailer will. We fix the DIY'ers cars and boats every week, and that 4-6k figure doesn't touch it. much less after they have loaded it with a hardening product that wont self level.

great. Still stand by my comment. I get a great finish with the spray on stuff. Holds up well and costs little. If it works and I’m satisfied with the result why change.

the griots 3:1 ceramic spray is a great product and lasts an entire season. Easy to put on and it’s cheap.

plan to use it again this season. Boat has never looked so good.

you should probably lay off the professional ceramic kool aid. Go to Scott hd YouTube channel. He has tested more ceramics than you know about…I base my decision on emperical data not a sales pitch

oh the great scott on youtube.. lmao:picard1:... Really, Dude I have been doing this for 30 years, Ive tested and been on the test programs for all the major companies since they started back in 09. im quite sure I've forgotten more about ceramic than you know.. if you think that youtube is "empirical data" you have another thing coming... oh and just so you know, Griot doesn't manufacture anything, all of his products are relabeled, private label through other manufacturers. so you go boy!

Never claimed to be an expert. Nor did I imply it.

keep peddling your stuff…go for it. :party-smiley-004:

Nuff said... you go boy

yes you know me so well based off one post.

suggest checking out Scott hd on YouTube. He has the most comprehensive tests that I could find. All of the results are objective and paid for by viewers not products or companies. Check out his excel spreadsheets too. I’m sure products you have shopped are on his list. He has tested over 70-80 different ceramics.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...6a3b31568e.gif

My experience with spray on wipe off products has been good. Currently using Adams Graphene Ceramic spray.
True ceramic is great but, nothing seems to hold up long below the waterline or where water is constantly blasting it. In fact most pro shops will recommend topping occasionally with a spray on anyway so I have a hard time justifying its use vs expense.
I just did my 32 Dominator on Saturday and takes almost no time. I also like the spray for getting in all the little areas around the drives and tabs, I probably used more around there than the rest of the boat.

Imo the best product for ME is the one that I get the desired results with ease of use.

BTW nobody asked paint vs gel.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...c9cb65cdc0.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...70f3954727.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...e175acc87d.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...4fa5e4e687.jpg

This is so funny to me-

am I reading the comments correctly? Are you guys comparing diluted SIO2 chemicals to concentrated true SIlica products such as a coating that takes major time and does not self level?

Sales pitch? What? Huh? You said it your self it’s about time and money to you, so why then say the true ceramic is not worth it and say a man that makes a living off of it is just a salesman? Makes no sense to me!!

BTW- my company sells the products for P&S Detail products look them up. I could take you right to the factory. I too have been in this industry a long time. And the long lasting ceramics over wax is the real deal. As far as the sprays go- yes nice products that are easy. To each is own. I get it having a company instal a coating is not cheap. But to say the products are over rated or not worth it is simply an opinion and IMO means you just don’t want to pay for it. I mean did you say yourself it worked good on the bottom but it was just a PIA? Well yes it’s a totally different process.

And it is true that Adam’s and Griots don’t make their own stuff.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...f47067f8f8.jpg

Wow this one got pretty sideways...

I can understand the argument that the professional stuff will last longer and look better, but for several thousand dollars?! If that makes me cheap because I’m not going to spend that much on a coating that will eventually wear off, then yea I’m cheap!

If I can get an entire season out of one of the spray products, I’d be happy with that. Again, to each their own.

I re-read the first pages and still didn’t see where 1moses1 said the professional stuff was overrated.

It’s a typical difference in opinions on a forum. Lol

I don't think this is necessarily a difference of opinion but rather more an issue around economics. While my old Formula looks great for being thirty-four years old, I can tell you right now that I am not going to spend thousands of dollars having a ceramic coating put on the boat. It's just not worth it to me. But, if I can get nice shine and lessen the cleanup chores that I need to deal with every time she goes out for a couple hundred bucks and some elbow grease in the beginning to prep/apply, then that to me is a very workable solution. I'll bet that many reading this thread and its companion are in the same situation. I know that I find value in reading the reviews posted up by the doityourself-er. Now if I had a 100k+ boat with a continuous open checkbook for maintaining it, a professional application may be more worth it - I do not foresee my situation changing anytime soon, but that's my thought.

Let's keep it civil. We're all gaining knowledge here.

TZ

if griots 3 in 1 was horse piss in a container I wouldn’t care…it’s still easy to apply, looks good, and offers decent protection for the money.

our 30 year old boat doesn’t stain like it used too. It cleans up nice after a few outings. And the water beads off at the end of the year like a new coat of wax.

It checks off all the boxes and I don’t have to spend $5,000.

not sure why you guys are getting so butt hurt.

no one is butt-hurt, its your choice to do what you want. it actually shows more about you than anything else.. but back to the products, when you say they are a pita, well yea, like i said before, they are designed for professionals and have specific ways to apply and to handle along with having the knowledge to see whats going on with the substrate, whether it be gel or paint. sure you can spray something on and it will make something bead, but the cheap products aren't ceramics, they are loaded with petroleum distillates that will break down your clear and your gel. there is a reason the cheap products are cheap.. as precision details said, your spray on products arent ceramic, there is little if any silica in it as it would harden between uses. graphene is the new buzz word in the industry for slick. its marketing, plain and simple. there is no way that a spray product will compare to a full ceramic, period. It will always cost more as anything of quality does. the difference is I'm telling you the truth, you already fell for the slick talking market hype... I'll still take the butchers word on it

Not sure if this is directed at me but what I am saying is that pro applied ceramics don't last well on a boat so I'm using what I feel is a better solution for ME.

Again, nobody has asked gel vs paint.

depends on the product, i guaranty my marine coatings. can use on gel or paint, the difference on gel is the prep work, no ceramic will hold up on coarse gel as its like a sponge. it needs to be corrected and polished before any product goes on.

and to do it right, that takes "X" hours of billable labour = $$$$.

Simply put, those products are there for those that can afford them and want them.... having seen the end results, on the right car or boat it definitely is worth it is you can afford the investment.

Apples to apples.. What is the going rate for a polishing service to clean, buff, polish and conventional wax a 38' boat (ie Cig TG or Fountain) per year?

too many variables to honestly quote. paint or gel, area of country, condition of vehicle all plays in. just like trying to call a dr and getting them to diagnose something over the phone. in my shop its never about trying to bang someone over the head. i just removed film and did a polish on a gt3 Porsche i billed him for 10 hours removing 15 year old film, i have 29 hours in it. at 325.00 an hour i couldn't charge him full price for scraping off glue, i discounted over 6k. even though it was never my issue. i am mid Atlantic, a high price area, homes, gas, and everything is on the higher end as compared to other areas. if i had a penny for every time i heard its just this or just that, id have a million more dollars.

Had my 38ZR, exterior only, cleaned buffed polished and waxed last summer. Just under 1k cash.


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...8ae1868a2.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...a83debe65.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...5745c0919.jpeg

My experience and that of several friends who have had professional applications on some big offshore fishing boats is that anywhere its in constant contact with the water when running the boat it doesnt last at all. Around the cockpit yes. When we fish we typically are running 160-200 miles round trip. When cleaning the boat you can see on the sides where the water has erroded it away starting towards the bow and getting higher towards the transom. Drives etc, forget it, Anywhere that gets a ghood scrubbing at the end of the day, forget it.

And I know the response will be "poor application, prep, products, etc" and thats another part of the problem. How do you know who to chose? They all talk a good game and have good references. Its as crap shoot with $5k.

Love it on my black cars but the boats get what is easiest to maintain and works well. I am not a skeptic that it works its just not something that works well enough on a boat to justify got me.

watch YouTube reviews where different ceramics are applied to different panels on a car…it’s no mystery that the panels to lose ceramic the fastest are the wheel weels. root cause = it’s getting blasted with water constantly like a boat would. Even the professional stuff has a hard time lasting in harsh environments. Anyone selling you that ceramic will last 5-7 years on the bottom of a boat is :poopoo:

now that comment about the bottom of the boat I can Agree with completely

Well I know who will hate this lol but I like this stuff. Boated yesterday and just a rinse. Salt rinsed right off and hit it with the leaf blower then a quick once around with a big microfiber towel. Used about 1/8 of the bottle to do the whole boat from the chine up including drives and interior.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...c0c3ef9b87.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...f8ded0900f.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...b70122915b.jpg

Hey offshore drilled, remember that time I asked you for some product and you said no problem and then blew me off .. good times good times.

have to be a professional to use it…sorry pal

I sure do!