Factory Applied Shark Hide - Care & Maintenace?

[Tooncrazy]

My 2015 2275 GCW build is getting the factory applied Shark Hide treatment.  I'm located in a clean fresh water lake area and the boat will be kept out of the water on a boat lift.

What should I expect in the way of Shark Hide longevity, when will it typically need to be redone? What should I expect to do in the way of on-going maintenance and care of the SH? 

My dealer tells me that SH application is something they (the  dealer) don't do well.

Thank you.

 

[Link]

I think the manufacturer says it last 2-3 years. Of course this is dependent upon such things as if you brush up it could take the layer of SH off and if you use an acid based cleaner on your toons. Putting SH on is not hard but it is a mental focus issue, you have to be OCD and make sure you cover it completely

 

[bcpnick]

If I were getting a new boat tomorrow, I'd give it an extra coat of sharkhide on top of the factory coats, especially around the ends of the tube, transom, etc. I'm not very happy with how well they put it on, and then to add to that, my dealer apparently scraped something down the side of one of my toons moving the boat around. I could tell they buffed out a spot so I added some sharkhide there figuring they'd buffed it off in their repair process, but what I didn't see was a long scrape down the tube that was just light enough to remove the sharkhide. After a few times in the water, that turned into a dark black streak. It makes it look like I scratched the hell out of the toon. 

 

[Indian_Lake_Bum]

bcpnick we had the same thing happen to our boat after the 20 hour service.  When we got our boat back from the dealer we had a nice black mark that showed up down both sides of the toon after a few trips out on the water.  I didn't think I had rubbed up against anything in our dock that would have caused the marks and now that you mention it they did show up after the dealer had it for the 20 hour service.

 

[Pittsburgh]

 

[Tooncrazy]

Am I correct in understanding that the SharkHide finish can be successfully patched if it gets scratched? If so, what is the patching process?

Thank you.

 

[bcpnick]

You can apply more, the problem in my case is that the affected area is now oxidized, so I can cover it up with Sharkhide but it will still look like crap. I'm contemplating polishing my toons a year or two earlier than originally planned because of it. I don't think you could just buff a small part back to the factory finish and have it match. I'd love to hear I'm wrong on that though. It'd save me a lot of work...

 

[ricks 0712]

For small scuffs and scrapes in shark hide , try a product called Never Dull. its available in auto parts stores for polishing metal. use a small piece of the wadding from the can to polish out the oxidation in the damaged area. then use a Scotch Brite pad to tone down the shine and give the aluminum a factory like finish. Clean repair area with soap and water and reapply shark hide. Its not perfect, but looks better than a black spot.

 

[bcpnick]

For small scuffs and scrapes in shark hide , try a product called Never Dull. its available in auto parts stores for polishing metal. use a small piece of the wadding from the can to polish out the oxidation in the damaged area. then use a Scotch Brite pad to tone down the shine and give the aluminum a factory like finish. Clean repair area with soap and water and reapply shark hide. Its not perfect, but looks better than a black spot.

Thanks for the tip! I would be so happy to fix that up even part way. I'll give it a try and report back with some before and after photos. 

 

[Rockie69]

Nick... If you need help with the photos do not hesitate to ask. There are a few folks on here that are happy to help. I know you mentioned in the past you struggle in this area...

 

[bcpnick]

I had great success polishing off the black oxidized streak in my tube. The Nevr Dull worked great! It's not a perfect match to the original finish, but it's pretty close and way better than a big black streak. At some angles and light you can hardly even tell. It's all cleaned up and Sharkhided and I'm no longer tempted to polish my tubes. Thanks a ton for the tip, ricks 0712. 

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