Case Study
BlackJack 224

Overview

RedFin Charters is a fishing charter operation in Charleston, South Carolina, with two BlackJack 224's in their fleet. The company runs 800 charters in a year and the boats are constantly exposed to their fair share of sun, salt and use. Redfin reached out to Glidecoat about a better solution to prevent fading and oxidization for their fleet and detail the boat for a hull restoration.

Goals

Restore the boat's original finish
Protect the boat's finish from UV damage

Manufacturer:: BlackJack
Year:: 2015
Color:: Black
Issue:: Fading and oxidization
Owner:: RedFin Charters

Challenge

Redfin uses the BlackJack 224 boats extensively in its fishing charters and given they are chartered most days they see their fair share of sun, salt and use. Given the black hull, the older of the two has seen UV damage on the transom as noted in the picture. Prior to the time of application, we performed a Gloss Meter test of the gelcoat on the transom and the reading averaged 4-5.

Faded and oxidized hull of a Blackjack 224 sitting on a floating dock — In this before shot, you can clearly see the staining and wear on the boat’s finish above the waterline.

Faded and oxidized transom of a Blackjack 224 sitting on a floating dock — Fading and oxidization on the transom of the BlackJack 224 from the usage of constant exposure to the elements

The Process

To begin the hull restoration process, the boats were then both washed with Nano Wash which is a high foam, non-abrasive soap. After washing and rinsing down, the older of the two boats was then compounded using Glidecoat Nano Compound – a medium cut.

After compounding the boat, we then applied Nano Polish to help restore the shine using a dual action polisher.

After polishing we used Surface Wipe to de-contaminate the surface of the boat, both hull and topsides.

Diagram with four steps to show the entire restoration process including wash & prep, surface restoration, surface preparation and coating application — The Glidecoat Professional Marine Ceramic Coating is a five (5) stage hull restoration process completed by our certified applicators in a controlled environment. After an initial assessment of the boat, we get started washing and preparing the boat and carefully apply the exclusive line of Glidecoat products. The Professional Coating process completely restores your boat’s surface and offers the ultimate protection available.

Lastly Glidecoat ceramic coating was applied to add further shine and gloss, but also seal the surface for up to 2 years, making it hydrophobic and provide much needed UV Protection. After application the Gloss Meter readings averaged 82-84 on the older boat, making it equivalent to factory new again.

The Result

After much research, we turned to Glidecoat and are very happy that we did. The color and shine are back reversing any visual damage, and so is our boat’s resale value. Thanks again for your help!

Joel LeVine

Glidecoat has brought back the original black that I fell in love with when I bought this boat. When you run 800 charters a year among a fleet, there is no way to keep enough wax on a boat to protect from UV damage.