Anyone Disappointed with Sharkhide?

[gnc1017]

We recently took delivery of our new boat which has the factory Sharkhide. We primarily did it due to winter delivery, it was dealer recommended, and my dealer even put a second coat on it to ensure it was properly covered. It is only a month old and sits on the trailer in a garage so of course it still looks as shiny day one.

I have since received these 2 pictures that I am told were of a boat sold from another dealer that had the Sharkhide applied at the factory and this is what it looked like 1 year later (looking more at the toons above the water line...). Obviously, this other dealer doesn't endorse the product and given dealers typically want to sell features instead of talk folks out them, have no reason to believe this wasn't the case.

My dealer seems to have had good luck with this, as have many on this forum. Curious if this was a one-off issue, the factory was going through a learning curve, if more common than some realize, due to only 1 coat, improperly applied, etc...

For those who have had it on for at least a year or more, do the toons look as good as when you took delivery (assuming no other damage, rubbing, not counting in-water algae growth and such).? Or have any of you that have had it (factory applied or knowingly as properly applied), still seen some oxidation, tarnishing, discoloration, etc.? If you also have pics of your boats over 1 year old with the product (good or bad experiences), please share. Thanks!

 

[2550RSR]

My last boat was 10 years old, and spent 7 months out of the year in fresh water. It had Sharkshide from day one, and it looked great the day I got traded it in. A reapplied every other year on any spots that showed any wear (usually where it hit fenders while in the slip), and it has been a great product for me. My new boat had three coats applied before it was put in the water recently.

 

[bcpnick]

If you add my two boats together I've had them for more than a year now, does that count? I think there is something not right about those photos. It just doesn't look like it's been applied at all. Or maybe it's just dirty. Sharkhide doesn't keep them clean, it just keeps them from oxidizing. I've seen how quick the areas missed by Sharkhide deteriorate and how well the rest holds up. All I know for sure is that my toons look freaking awesome and I totally attribute it to sharkhide and keeping them clean. I don't leave my boat in a slip, but I do leave it in the water for 5 days at a time most of the times I take it out, so take that for what it's worth. 

 

[SEMPERFI8387]

I agree that it does not look like it was applied ...... I've never seen pics of Sharkhide toons discolor like that. Those toons look exactly like mine do without it.

 

[ILLINOIS AVE]

I've cleaned up set of toons on a 2009 and applied Sharkhide and had no problems after 2 years still looked great. Something wrong about those pictures. Sharkhide is great stuff !

 

[Jack M]

Only problem I have is with a spot that was missed on the transom .

 

[gnc1017]

We recently took delivery of our new boat which has the factory Sharkhide. We primarily did it due to winter delivery, it was dealer recommended, and my dealer even put a second coat on it to ensure it was properly covered. It is only a month old and sits on the trailer in a garage so of course it still looks as shiny day one.

I have since received these 2 pictures that I am told were of a boat sold from another dealer that had the Sharkhide applied at the factory and this is what it looked like 1 year later (looking more at the toons above the water line...). Obviously, this other dealer doesn't endorse the product and given dealers typically want to sell features instead of talk folks out them, have no reason to believe this wasn't the case.

My dealer seems to have had good luck with this, as have many on this forum. Curious if this was a one-off issue, the factory was going through a learning curve, if more common than some realize, due to only 1 coat, improperly applied, etc...

For those who have had it on for at least a year or more, do the toons look as good as when you took delivery (assuming no other damage, rubbing, not counting in-water algae growth and such).? Or have any of you that have had it (factory applied or knowingly as properly applied), still seen some oxidation, tarnishing, discoloration, etc.? If you also have pics of your boats over 1 year old with the product (good or bad experiences), please share. Thanks!

Thanks to all who confirmed my expectations (and hopes). It turns out that the pictures sent to me were not accurate (which explains a lot, but honestly had me quite concerned). The dealer who sent them has apologized for their error in sending the wrong pics and I have removed them from the post to prevent any future confusion. Unfortunately, the dealer did have a Sharkhide application he and the customer was not happy with (just not as bad as the one in the original pictures). From the replies, I'm thinking that case was an exception and hopefully he will see that by and large, the folks on this forum are very happy with it and he too will start promoting this option to his customers.

From what I have seen on this forum and based on the knowledge of my personal dealer (who has had good experience with the product), it sounds like the most recommended approach is 2 coats minimum to ensure proper coverage and no missed spots. Of course, proper application procedures should always be followed and factory coat is preferred for first coat to ensure the tarnishing never gets a chance to start. My understanding is due to cure time, they only do 1 coat at the factory so the dealer would need to do second but if someone else can confirm otherwise, please do.

As always, thanks to all for the feedback and input!

 

[keithkz]

Most on here know the time I spent last spring with shining up my toons (pics are in my gallery).  I then applied the 2 coats of Sharkhide as is recommended.  I leave my boat in the water all season (NOT on a lift).  When I pulled it out at the end of last season (first part of October) I immediately power washed the toons to remove the thin layer of slime and it came off effortlessly.  It honestly took a mere 10 minutes to clean them up.  When I brought her home (from indoor heated storage) a few weeks ago I had forgotton how shiny the toons were.  They still look great.  When I got home with it from putting it in, my next door neighbor replied with "Damn Keith.....the sun hitting your pontoons blinds me."  I did not re-apply the Sharkhide this year but will do so before I put the boat in next year (going to re-apply every other year).

 

[JSM]

Most on here know the time I spent last spring with shining up my toons (pics are in my gallery).  I then applied the 2 coats of Sharkhide as is recommended.  I leave my boat in the water all season (NOT on a lift).  When I pulled it out at the end of last season (first part of October) I immediately power washed the toons to remove the thin layer of slime and it came off effortlessly.  It honestly took a mere 10 minutes to clean them up.  When I brought her home (from indoor heated storage) a few weeks ago I had forgotton how shiny the toons were.  They still look great.  When I got home with it from putting it in, my next door neighbor replied with "Damn Keith.....the sun hitting your pontoons blinds me."  I did not re-apply the Sharkhide this year but will do so before I put the boat in next year (going to re-apply every other year).

So you reapply over exiting or do you strip before you apply? Also, my ladder has a coating of lake "scum" that formed last year. I would like to clean it back up to the original shine. Tried Simple Green and a kitchen scrubby. No luck. Boat is back in the water, any ideas? Telescoping polished ladder.

 

[keithkz]

So you reapply over exiting or do you strip before you apply? Also, my ladder has a coating of lake "scum" that formed last year. I would like to clean it back up to the original shine. Tried Simple Green and a kitchen scrubby. No luck. Boat is back in the water, any ideas? Telescoping polished ladder.

Next spring I plan on power washing the toons really good and then re-applying Sharkhide....WITHOUT stripping them off first (totally not needed).