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At the end of last season, doing my post season inspection of the boat, I noticed some very fine scratches on the gel coat. Hard to tell where they came from, but the best way to describe them would be like swirl marks on a car. Since my gel coat is black, it's not hard to see, but also not very noticeable if you're not looking for it. I'm a bit disappointed to see this since my boat was ceramic coated. I'm wondering if the dealer may have forgotten to ceramic coat the boat before delivery.

So I'm asking this to the Cobalt forum brain trust:
1) Has anyone had experience with these types of minor scratches on the ceramic coat? Can it be fixed without stripping all the coating off, etc.
2) Am I wrong to think this should not happen and paranoid to think the dealer did not perform a $2k add-on for my boat?
3) No idea what caused these micro scratches - I'm a new boater, so maybe user error, but it doesn't seem to follow the types of scratches you see from the boat rubbing against something because all the scratches are parallel running parallel to the waterline, mostly.

Take my word for what it's worth, which isn't a whole lot... but ceramic coat is not really something to completely prevent scratches. Sure, it does offer some protection against minor scratches, but it's not a miracle shield as all the tv commercials would have you believe. That being said, I ceramic coat my boat and vehicles, because of the protection it gives against UV rays, bird droppings, and makes the surface easier to clean because dirt doesn't stick to it nearly as easy as a non-coated (wax included) surface. From the descriptions of the scratches you have (without actually seeing them) it sounds like they may be from when you are drying the boat off. Make darn sure that towel is VERY clean and free of any debris. It will take more than 1 good sized towel to dry of a boat the size of your R6 (my 242 takes 2 large drying towels to ensure I don't wipe the surface more than once with the same spot on the towel).

At the end of the day, it's something that can be fixed, and relatively easy. Sure, it will require a new ceramic coat to be applied to then protect that same area again, but in reality, applying a good ceramic coat isn't too difficult to do yourself with some patience, and a few minutes watching some YouTube videos. I know that doesn't make you feel any better about the price spent on the coat to begin with, but it's reality. If nothing else, you could see if the dealership would be willing to fix that area for you, and re-apply the ceramic coat in that spot before next season.

I agree with NautiWeasel... I think of it more as a long lasting wax than I do a scratch protection. If it offers any scratch protection that's a bonus. If you repair any surface you will need to reapply the ceramic coating.

dsthomas wrote: ↑Thu Feb 09, 2023 5:10 pm I agree with NautiWeasel... I think of it more as a long lasting wax than I do a scratch protection. If it offers any scratch protection that's a bonus. If you repair any surface you will need to reapply the ceramic coating.

Just think of it as a water repellent.

Definitely not intended to protect boat against scratches, but I know auto ceramic coating has a 9H hardness which is hard enough to resist micro scratches - think swirl marks, etc. I think marine ceramic coating is 12H. That's why a lot of detailers throw their hands up if you need to strip it b/c it takes more than just buffing compound to do so. I'm going to talk to the detailer and see their thoughts.