[Descant]

Congrats on the new boat. Pictures please.
Re Ceramic coat/$1700. This is for a 12 foot boat, right? LOL. Lower price on a new boat may be because they don't have to do much wet sanding to get rid of the oxidation of the gelcoat. I had Diamondshine do my 24' Sea Ray Cuddy a couple of years ago. ~$3000. Perfect, showroom condition for a 1994 boat, and they detailed the inside, too. If you look at the boats at the NE Boat show in Boston, you will find that many Lakes Region dealers don't do their own show prep. They hire Diamondshine to take a crew to Boston and do the work there. Could be the same for the other specialty shops listed above.
I question the bird and bug mess in the sense that I'd expect a boat on a mooring to have a full mooring cover, not just from the windshield to the transom. A waterline cover would be even better if you want to spend $$.
Summary: I love the ceramic coating. Just rinse with clean water and wipe. Diamondshine also gave me fluid to spray on a micro fiber cloth for the wipe down. No chemicals into the lake.