Ceramic coatings have become increasingly popular in the boating world over the past few years, but even with the popularity of ceramic coatings there is still a lot of misinformation about coatings and what they can do.
Ceramic coatings are one of, if not the best product to protect and preserve the integrity of your surface, far superior to traditional wax and sealants (especially in the marine market). One of the most common misinterpretations of a ceramic coating is that they are almost maintenance free, or your boat will not get dirty if it has a ceramic coating. That is simply not the case.
While ceramic coatings are extremely durable, they require ongoing maintenance to ensure that you are getting the full benefits and protection out of your ceramic coating. With that being said, the main benefit of having a ceramic coating is that your ongoing maintenance is much easier and more effective (with less effort) than using a traditional wax or sealant.
In this guide we will explain how to properly maintain a ceramic coating on your boat to ensure you are getting the most out of your ceramic coating, and properly protect your investment.
After the application of our Marine Ceramic Coating, it is important to let the coating fully cure before getting the boat wet or putting the boat back in the water. A full cure of our ceramic coatings is between 24-48 hours. If the boat gets wet or rained on during the curing process, dry the boat as soon as possible, and avoid leaving the boat to air dry to prevent potential water spots on the surface.
Allow a minimum of 48 hours before washing the boat to ensure the coating has fully cured.
After the coating has fully cured, we recommend the ongoing maintenance of rinsing (and drying) after every use, bi-weekly washes, and spot cleaning as needed.
Ongoing maintenance is an important factor in ensuring that you get the most benefits from your ceramic coating. If a coating is too dirty, this layer of contamination (salt, dirt, bird droppings, water spots) will diminish the stain resistance and hydrophobic properties of the ceramic coating, making your boat more difficult to clean, defeating the main purpose of a ceramic coating.
Here are some general guidelines for ongoing maintenance of your ceramic coating:
In between your bi-weekly washes you may need to do some spot cleaning. Whether it’s salt build up on the hull, water spots from the rain, or bird droppings, we recommend cleaning them as you see them to make your ongoing maintenance that much easier.
Here are some general guidelines for spot cleaning:
In addition to ongoing maintenance and spot cleaning, ceramic coatings benefit from a maintenance spray every 3-4 months in southern states or once a season in northern states, such as Glidecoat’s Marine Shine and Shield. Marine Shine and Shield will enhance the shine and hydrophobic effect of the surface, while adding an additional layer of protection on top of the ceramic coating to promote longevity.
Marine Shine and Shield is a simple spray on, wipe off application.
Here are some general guidelines for applying Marine Shine and Shield for quarterly maintenance:
An annual maintenance typically consists of a decontamination wash with Glidecoat Iron Remover to remove contamination from the surface that could be impacting the hydrophobic properties of the ceramic coating. After the Iron Remover, the boat should be washed with Glidecoat Nano Wash or Glidecoat Ceraglo. Inspect the coated areas to ensure that the ceramic coating is holding up as expected. If any areas are not beading water, but still have a good shine, apply Marine Shine and Shield to restore the hydrophobic activity on the surface.
If any of the high sun exposed areas have significantly diminished in gloss it may require a light polish to restore the shine and have one additional coat of the ceramic coating applied.