Case Study
2005 42′ Viking

Overview
1

It's true, a boat ceramic coating process is different than your traditional buff and wax approach. Some people are intimidated and rely on professional boat detailers like Thomas at All About The Details LLC. In this case study, our hope is to help alleviate that intimidation factor, by describing our tested and proven ceramic coating process, that you too, can be successful in properly restoring and applying a marine grade ceramic coating to protect your boat.

By following our multi-step ceramic coating process, this 2005 42' Viking went from a dull and oxidized surface with gloss meter readings as low as 35.3 to 97.9, which is approximately 12 - 15% higher than factory new.

Boat Brand:
Viking
Length Overall:
42'
Ceramic Coating To:
Hull, Transom, Top Side, Tower & Vinyl Cushions
Completion Time:
100 hours
Project Completed By Authorized Glidecoat Detailer:
All About The Details LLC
Location:
Apalachicola, FL
Challenge
2

The 42' Viking needed some serious TLC to bring it back to life. Upon arriving at the boat, during the initial inspection, it was suffering from noticeable signs of oxidization, mold build up on cushions, signs of faded gel coat in select areas.

“35.3

“Mold

Anytime our service team or one of our authorized Glidecoat applicators is inspecting an older boat, we are looking for any signs to show little gel coat is left on the surface. The indicator is tiny little black spots. As shown in the photo below, you can see the Viking was battling no more gel coat on the outer edge of the top of the tower. To prevent any further damage, we recommend you to proceed cautiously with your buffing .

“Black

35.3 gloss meter reading before ceramic coating process
35.3 gloss meter indicating medium oxidization to the hull surface that will require multiple buffing steps before applying the marine protective ceramic coating.
39.4 gloss meter reading on the transom before the marine protective ceramic coating.
The Process
3

The Ceramic Coating Process

One of the realities in the marine industry, is that each and every boat has it's own characteristics and completing several test spots around the boat is essential to understand the best approach for the boat. As a baseline, our ceramic coating process is 6 steps;

Step #1 - Wash and dry the boat
Step #2 - Compound with a buffer
Step #3 - Polish with a Rupes polisher
Step #4 - Sterilize the intended sections with Surface Wipe
Step #5 - Apply first coat of ceramic coating
Step #6 - Apply second coat of ceramic coating

Considering the condition of boats varies drastically from owner to owner, it may require several additional buffing steps prior to the ceramic coating application. A general rule, is that you want the surface to be in as good of condition as possible before applying the ceramic coating, as it will seal in the surface. Any blemishes, oxidization or swirl marks will then be locked in for a minimum of two years, or until the next re-application.

Additional Restoration For Ceramic Coating Process

This particular boat required several additional restorations steps to our baseline process to ensure the oxidization was properly removed and boost the gloss meter readings back into the 80's (before ceramic coating application).

To remove the oxidization from the surface, Thomas needed the use of wool pad with several buffing steps and our nano compound. This buffing step will show the most significant jump in the shine levels of the surface, but also, may leave some swirl marks in the surface from the heavy abrasion of the wool pad.

As a result, you always need to use of medium grade and soft foam pad as well as a Rupes polisher (recommended polisher) to help smooth out the surface and eliminate those subtle imperfections in the surface. For this particular project, Thomas was required to complete the additional steps with wool then finish off with multiple steps with the polisher to get the gloss meter readings back to our expectation, which is at least in the 80's before applying the ceramic coating.

The Result
4

After completing the restoration steps and applying the ceramic coating to this 42' Viking, the gloss meter readings jumped from the mid 30's to all the way up to 97.9. Just as a frame of reference, typically brand new boats will have gloss meter readings in the mid 80's!

Another significant improvement on the boat was the transformation to the vinyl cushions. Before starting, the cushions had tremendous mold build up yet with a thorough cleaning and applying our Vinyl Ceramic Coating, the cushions look brand new again.

“Vinyl

Awesome to see those readings jump higher than factory new especially on an older boat like this!

“Hull

97.9 gloss meter reading on the transom after the boat ceramic coating application process.

Glass like finish after the ceramic coating process

Glidecoat Your Boat?

Interested to see the transformation of your boat? Connect with us to discuss the process.

Contact Us