Should we use ceramic coatings on our gliders and trailers

[Scott Fletcher]

Yes we should.

I know there is more than one way to skin a cat.  And I realize  that you guys are going to delight in telling me your way to do it, or have dire warnings about it.  If you have a better idea that's great, I'm not assuming that what I'm doing is the best way to do it.  I did spend a lot of time taking YouTube University classes on this subject, and had several questions for Google because my wife was busy doing other stuff, and I couldn't ask her.

However if you do come up with something wonderful, I'm waiting for next winter to try it, because me an Mr. Buffer are not currently on speaking terms. That particular device is going back into a box, and it's not coming back out until my buffer PTSD simmers down a bit.

The attached details my journey through this project.  It's a lot of pages, but there are a lot of pictures and empty spaces in it.  I did leave a lot out, you have to read the directions for this stuff.  It's not difficult, just tediously different.  The manufacturer's how to videos are excellent, and There are numerous YouTube University classes available online.

According to some AI that's friends with Google here's why I started out with yes.  The consensus of the YouTube University crowd is that the following is mostly correct.

If it's not I'll print a retraction after all my highly scientific testing is complete. There may be some marketing involved here that made it through my BS detector.  Marketing guys lie more than salesmen, because marketeers never actually have to talk to mad customers.

Comparison Table: Ceramic Coating vs. Wax

Feature                       Ceramic Coating                               Wax
Durability/Lifespan   Long-term (1–5+ years)                 Short-term (1–3 months)
Protection Level        High (UV, chemicals, scratches)   Moderate (Water, UV, dirt)
Hydrophobicity          Extreme (Water sheets off)           Good (Water beads up)
Appearance                Deep, glossy, "candy-like" shine    Warm, traditional, deep glow
Application Time       Time-consuming (hours)               Quick and easy (<1 hour)
Initial Cost                   High ($100-$1000+ for kits/pro)  Low ($10-$50)
Maintenance               Low (Self-cleaning)                         High (Frequent reapplication)

My thoughts on the above that I have experience with 

Appearance: I don't notice any difference between the two on Gelcoat or PU, everything is white and shiney when you are done.

Application time: not any worse than WX block & WX shield, except for the drying time.

Initial Cost: In glider dollars neither of these really qualify as expensive, assuming you do it yourself, and you work for yourself as cheap as I work for me.

SF

[Stefan Will]

Fwiw, there's an episode of The Thermal podcast where he interviews someone who professionally applies ceramic coating to gliders (unfortunately I don't have a link handy).

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[Lynn Alley]

Anyone have any information about how ceramic coatings might affect repairability?  If your glass has to be patched at some point, does the ceramic coating interfere with the repair process?

[Greg Arnold]

And what happens in 5 years when the ceramic coating starts to deteriorate?  I have read it is hard to remove.

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[Scott Fletcher]

Wash, polish, reapply, same as wax except every 5 years instead of every year.

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[Scott Fletcher]

Have you ever seen anyone patch up a glider?  Not a coating on this earth will still be there after they do all the prep work required to get ready to start using epoxy.

SF

[Charles Mampe]

It would preclude quick scratch fixes or little chip fixes, but anything else gets sanded enough to remove any coating. Some coatings could also be a PITA when applying graphics, etc.

As an example, when I do a "boat wax" on a glider, I hard wax edges where gap tape goes to seal it, then mask and apply boat wax. Buff off, then remove masking. This allows the gap tape to stick well.

[Tom Phelps]

The Thermal Podcast episode on ceramic coating gliders that Stefan is referring to is here: 

 https://thethermalpodcast.libsyn.com/the-thermal-episode-61 

The part on Ceramic coating starts at timestamp 41:20. 

The speaker is an auto detail company owner (London, Ontario) who is a glider pilot, addressing ceramic over polyurethane finishes. 

Some key takeaways:

- Avoid 'spray-on / wipe off' low-end ceramic coating options. 

- The durable ceramic products are difficult to apply, mainly because of proper surface prep. He charges $CAD 2,500 to do a glider.

- He will not apply ceramic over gelcoat. This is mainly because ceramic coating value is greatest on 'new' finishes. Restoring an older somewhat degraded finish to properly receive ceramic is more tedious and produces questionable quality results, in his opinion. (He admits to being a perfectionist) 

Regarding surface prep, I see a lot of 'YouTube University" videos from the boating industry, who seem to uniformly advocate these surface prep steps before ceramic. (They show some pretty remarkable results on aged surfaces.)

- sand the existing finish (gelcoat), 180 grit 

- compound polish

- Fine polish (swirl remover)

- apply ceramic. 

Regarding finish repair over ceramic, the recommendations seem to be: "first sand / compound/ polish  to remove ALL of the ceramic". This is similar to the warnings about using waxes / finishes containing silicones. 

Tom

[Nicholas Kennedy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhLTNii5HWg

Project Farm tests all sorts of stuff.

I'm on several auto marine and  MC forums and I use CERAKOTE now all my things

Is it as good as a $2500 pro job, probably not, but at a tiny fraction of the pro cost it works and performs great.

But it lasts at least 2+ years and is easy and fast to apply. 

Just make sure the surface is really clean as it seals any crud into the  surface.

Nick 

MS