Prior to last years Miami Boat Show, we were approached by Pocket Yacht Company, who are dealers for Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats. They wanted to apply Glidecoat ceramic coating to a brand new 2017 Cutwater C-302 Coupe before displaying the boat in the boat show.
- Boat Type:
- 2017 Cutwater C-302 Coupe
- Gloss Meter Reading of Brand New Gel Coat:
- 82.1
- Gloss Meter Reading After Glidecoat Application:
- 92.9
Many people believe that ceramic coatings are only a solution for older boats, in order to restore the gloss and shine of the gel coat. This is certainly not the case. It is one of the best decisions you could make after purchasing a new boat.
Applying Glidecoat Liquid Crystal to a brand new or newer boat helps fortify the gel coat, sealing the pores before the sun and salt begins to deteriorate the surface. In addition, Glidecoat will also increase the gloss and shine of even a brand new boat by 15%!
The boat was delivered to the Boat Show staging area directly from the factory near Seattle, Washington.
Although the boat had been shrink wrapped for its cross-country trip it still needed a good wash prior to coating. With that, we used Glidecoat’s Nano Wash to first wash the hull. The soap has minimal abrasives, yet a high foam content which helps to remove dirt and grim on the boat’s gel coat.
Once the hull was completely washed and dried, we then applied Glidecoat Surface Wipe which is a decontaminate to further remove any other contaminates on the surface. This is done by just spraying Surface Wipe on a clean microfiber towel and wiping down the surface.
Prior to coating the boat, but after washing and applying decontaminate we used a 60 Degree Gloss Meter to take readings of the hull. The average reading was 82, which is in line for a new gel coat application, which typically is 82-85.
Granted the staging area was not the best place to be applying the coating given the dust, but our applicator took his time, applying the coating to a 2-foot by 2-foot area at a time and lightly buffing after application.
Coating the hull took about 1 hour, and after completion of the first coat a second coat was applied.
The following day the boat was moved to its slip in the show and 2 days later with the boat now in the water we coated the topsides of the boat.
The process was the same, applying a small amount of Glidecoat to the application sponge and then applying to a 2-foot by 2-foot area and lightly buffing with a clean Microfiber cloth. Two coats were applied.