1 - OVERVIEW
Max owns a Sunseeker Predator 86 feet with a beautiful black hull. As other boat owners with colored hulls understand, they can look amazing, but they can be a real pain to keep clean. Max had recently learned about the benefits of ceramic coatings, but like many consumers, he didn't know how to select the best ceramic coating for his boat.
2 - CHALLENGE
As ceramic coatings are becoming more popular in the marine industry, many companies and detailers are starting to supply ceramic coatings as an alternative and better solution to wax. While it is still a good thing to have a good time when making a purchase, it is important to know a few things when trying to select the best ceramic coating for your boat.
Ceramic coatings have been around for over 15 years in the automotive industry, and it is only recently that they have gained traction in the marine market. Given the origins of ceramic coatings, many companies offer an automotive ceramic coating.
In many cases the marine coating will be the same or very similar to the automotive. These coatings will work to an extent, providing a high gloss and a hydrophobic surface, but they will not last in a marine environment.
The lack of longevity of a automotive ceramic coating on a yacht, is due to numerous reasons :
- The different type of surface - painted aluminum is a less porous surface than gel coat and painted fiberglass. As a result, the percentage of solids for the ceramic coating must be greater, to fill in the pores of the gel coat and painted fiberglass.
- High and constant exposure to salt - salt is one of the biggest culprits that cause oxidization to your boat.
- Higher exposure to UV damage - This exposure is more intense than what your car experiences due to the water reflexion. As a result, the ceramic coating must be stronger to protect from sun damage.
At Sio Protect, we have tested, developed and optimized our coatings to perform best in the marine environment, ensuring our customers will get a coating that lasts. This is a key factor when trying to choose the best ceramic coating for your yacht.
Before reaching out to Sio Protect, Max had his local detailer working on the boat. His detailer was applying a competitive ceramic coating to the black hull of the Sunseeker. After learning more about the product that was being put on his boat and not a ceramic coating optimized for marine, Max had his detailer stop the project. He then reached out to Sio Protect, to have us remove the existing ceramic coating and complete the project with Sio Protect's Ceramic Coating.
Before the restoration work, the gelcoat was matte, burnt by the sun due to the ceramic coating of the local applicator had gone into plates. After washing the hull, the gelcoat was covered with salt and traces of hard water that had penetrated the pores.
3 - THE PROCESS
Ceramic coatings are a great solution to protect yachts surface from the harsh elements, repelling UV rays and not allowing salt and acid rain to penetrate the pores. When a boat is treated with a ceramic coating, the surface becomes very hydrophobic with incredible anti-adhesive characteristics, what we call the "easy clean" effect . This allows you to clean the yacht with water and a little mild soap to remove dirt and salt from the surface.
The surprising thing that we found after washing the boat was the amount of salt deposits and matte areas in the gel coat, across the entire hull, even the areas coated with the competitive ceramic coating.
These salt deposits are where salt penetrated the pores of the gel coat, creating hard water marks that are extremely detrimental to the surface and difficult to remove.
It was clear that the coating previously used was not strong enough to withstand these harsh conditions.
Before the surface restoration we used a gloss meter to measure the shine of the surface, on areas coated with a competitive product and the non coated areas.
Once the surface was free of salt and the hard water marks, we began the removal of the previous ceramic coating and surface restoration. Note most ceramic coatings come off through abrasion (buffing), whereas some require wet sanding. When dealing with a newer boat with little to no oxidization, our main goal in the surface restoration step is to remove any minor surface imperfections (scratches, water marks, etc) while increasing the gloss of the gel coat.
We used an Eco Friendly Compound with a light cutting foam pad to remove the leftover water marks and bring an added depth to the gloss of the black hull.
The Sio Protect treatment is a five stage process completed by our certified applicators. After an initial assessment of the boat, we get started washing and preparing the yacht.
The Professional Nano Ceramic process completely restores your yacht’s surface and offers the ultimate protection available.
4 - THE REAL TRANSFORMATION
At this point, we have finished the restoration process to bring back the shine and color of the hull.
Before applying our gelcoat ceramic coating, we wipe a medical alcohol to sterilize the surface and ensure all contaminants are removed from the surface.
With the surface now fully prepared and consistent we started the application of our gelcoat ceramic coating.
The gelcoat ceramic coating will fill in all of the pores of the surface and after few hours of curing time, will create a protective barrier on the hull to prevent oxidization and hard water marks.
After the curing process, the hull of the yacht looks like a mirror!
Before applying our gelcoat ceramic coating, we wipe a medical alcohol to sterilize the surface and ensure all contaminants are removed from the surface.
5- THE RESULT
Once finished, the shine and finish of the black hull is second to none !
Not only does Max' yacht have an unbelievable shine, it is now protected with the best ceramic coating for marine ! Max can now enjoy the beautiful look of his Sunseeker without having to worry about constantly washing.
Before having a ceramic coating applied to your yacht, make sure to call Sio Protect.
Click Here to reach out to the Sio Protect team to help you on the best way to protect your boat.
After coating, the depth of gloss in the hull was simply amazing ! The hull has a mirror like finish.
Feel free to ask questions... We will reply shortly !