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Boat Wax or Ceramic Coating?

Started by SawyerTed, February 05, 2024, 12:49:02 PM

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SawyerTed

I've been waxing boats since I helped Dad wax the old Fabuglass tri-hull when I was a kid.

Lately I've been using Collinite 920 Cleaner Wax and 925 Last Step Wax.  I like it pretty good.

It's in the 50s and 60s so it a great time to wax the boat and camper. 

Dad brought me so liquid carnuba wax that he swears by.

My buddy does ceramic coatings and wants me to get the boat done.

For now I'm using Collinite.  Any downsides to ceramic besides $$$? 

Here's the boat in process of being waxed. 




Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

SawyerTed

I've looked at some other sources for info on marine ceramic coating.  The results are about evenly distributed in 3 groups. 

1.  These people love ceramic coating on their boats.  

2.  These people think it's pretty good but the price and maintenance is a concern

3.  These people have had ceramic coating on their boat but haven't seen results to justify the expense. 

A kit to coat my boat is around $400.  Glidecoat is the product of choice for marine applications.  

Application is one cost, prep and maintenance are additional costs.   My buddy want to polish and buff first.  My reading says annual maintenance at $500+ is needed to keep the coating.  

So wax is looking easier, less expensive and in my skill/tool set.  

I'm skeptical about ceramic coating because I was convinced to apply an acrylic coating to my old boat.  It was awful, turned yellow and required a serious acid wash to remove.  
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

Southside

Maybe just buy a new boat each year instead? Saves on maintenance costs and the agony of making a decision.  :sneaky:
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YellowHammer

That's what I did for the last couple years, $300k for a set of boat keys and the ceramic coatings were free along with a couple hats.

So, I'm a boat guy and use good nano shine boat wax for my freshwater boats that see "sweet water" and for the last several years, switched to ceramic coatings on ocean boats that see real mean water and hard environmental conditions. 

The expense of a professionally applied ceramic coating is hard to justify in a freshwater boat that may see a a little muddy water, a little fish blood and slime and some dirt off the road.  Ceramics is kind of overkill, unless it is at a good price.

On the other hand, on a saltwater boat, wax just isn't enough, where the fish sling gallons of seemingly a mix of red paint and crude oil everywhere.  The bait is even worse, various cigar minnows, herring, menhaden, lady fish and the Florida sun cooked on squid guts is the closest thing to epoxy I've ever seen, even to to the point where I outlawed squid for decades in the baot, when all I used was boat wax.  Nothing short of a 3,500 psi pressure washer took it off and that with effort. There was always a stain left behind anyway, where I had to use oxycalic acid to get it off.  However, with a good ceramic coating, the squid and blood washes off like fried eggs slide off a Ronco Frying Pan.  It's amazingly effective, I just hit the boat with a pressure washer and let it dry and it looks like in never left the garage, glossy and brilliant. Amazing stuff.



YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

SawyerTed

Thanks Robert!  That's helpful!  

So far keeping the wax on this one has made clean up after a day of fishing pretty much a rinse with the hose and brushing a few problem areas.  The biggest cleaning challenge is the non-skid deck and other tread areas.  

My old boat was a bit of a task to keep clean because I was less than prompt in my polishing and waxing.  

@Southside I have traded trucks instead of buying tires...  :uhoh:

Since the Admiral (aka Dr. Emily) has a big investment in the boat, I best take care of this one for awhile.  That last one was heavily used for 20 years.  

So I'm waiting on the quote from my detailer buddy.
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

SawyerTed

Well I got the price for coating my boat.  Either I had unrealistic expectations or he gave me the "I don't want to do this price." $3,750!  :shocked2: :shocked2:  I was thinking half that.  

Then he explained the periodic maintenance he wants to do at $500-$700 annually.    

I will continue to wax.  
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

YellowHammer

I agree, that seems pretty high, I paid $85 per foot, inside and out, and there are no yearly maintenance fees, other than me keeping it clean, which makes things pretty easy.  I've had it done on two boats (not sure of the brand used by the dealer), this new boat is less than a year old, but this is what it looked like when it came out of the ocean after a day of use last fall.  A wipe done with a soapy rag, that's all, no wax, just soap and rinse.  No pressure washer even.  Mirror shine.

I'm curious what the $500 maintenance fee is for?  What are they doing?  I wasn't told about doing anything other than don't use any harsh cleaners like rubbing compound for bleach, which I haven't had to.  At most, I gave a previous ceramic coated boat a shot of spray bottle nano wax from the Cabelas or Autozone at the end of the year.  I used to have to spend hours (if not days) on my old saltwater boats trying to keep them clean looking, I almost felt guilty just giving this one a wipe down and being down with it.  I still use a pressure washer on the non skid after a week of fishing because I can't convince people to not wear black soled boots on a boat.  Oh well.   

The DIY ceramic kits are much less expensive, and I haven't tried them, but I would think they would work pretty well.

I may try one on my bass boat, I get tired of wiping the Guntersville Scum Line off the boat every trip, or it will stain the fiberglass.

 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

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