Boat: Sea Ray 370
Boat Year: 1995
Color: White hull with colored stripes
Issue: Chalky finish
Owner: Bill Karmis

I took delivery two seasons ago of a well-used 1995 Sea Ray 370. I bought this boat sight unseen via eBay. When I received the boat, I was more than disappointed. Apparently, the previous owner allowed his son to live aboard, thinking it was being taken care of.

The finish was completely chalky and the first season I buffed with heavy 3M compound and then with Finesse and got decent results. The problem came when 1/2 way though our short season in Wisconsin the chalkiness returned.

By the last half of the season I gave up even washing the boat as the dirt covered my embarrassment of the chalky finish.

I had seen Glidecoat first in Amsterdam at METS and being a mid-western man who was raised to be a skeptic I filed this in my mind with snake oil. After doing some research though I concluded that what they were saying about sealing the gelcoat and making it super smooth made logical sense.

I decided to open my wallet and purchased a variety of the products in hope that it would perform 1/2 as well as it looked on the internet.

This season I started with a full Nano Wash and proceeded to Buff with the Nano Compound. The results were amazing, I felt like I could see the gelcoat change as I went. The pores seemed to disappear and there was not a lot of residue or wheel scores of any kind.

I then moved on to the Nano Polish and repeated. It just got better. One other notable thing, I live in Southern Wisconsin and the weather is quite chilly. The Glidecoat products seemed to perform well in the cooler conditions.

I was the only guy in the yard not constantly cleaning my buffing wheel from build up because the compound wouldn’t dry.

The finish was so good after the Polish, I was hesitant to try the Nano Liquid Glass as I was afraid I would mess up what I had already done.

Applying the coating though was easy, and I was amazed at how all you did was wipe it on let it sit for a minute then buff off with a clean microfiber towel. No runs, no seam laps, just beautiful.

The best part is we are now 4 weeks into the season and many of the guys I was in the yard with are starting to use Black Streak remover and breaking down their finish while my boat has no streaks at all.

I am completely confident that the “chalkiness” is gone forever. The Glidecoat Liquid Glass has really sealed the gelcoat and will extend the life of this boat for many seasons.

I had many questions throughout the process as I am just a boat guy, I am not a detailer or professional yacht maintenance person and the support that was provided was awesome.

Everyone has an opinion about what to use but mine is backed up with proof and science. – Bill Karmis

If you are interested in becoming an Authorized Glidecoat Dealer, please connect with us. We are always available to answer any of your questions via (561) 290-0165 or dealer@glidecoat.com.