Keeping the Toons Looking Great
- Thread starter JoeR
- Start date
keithkz
Well-Known Member
Oh I would def. call them and see if it can be added. No question.
Grizz
Well-Known Member
yep, give em a wake up call first thing !
lakeliving
Well-Known Member
Jlsusa,What did you order?
Keith, you literally drove by my house to get to Wilson. I'm just down Grand River from them.
Keith, you literally drove by my house to get to Wilson. I'm just down Grand River from them.
Jack M
Moderator
If your build date has not been scheduled ,there should be no reason they cant add it . Even if it is scheduled they should be able to add it ,some dealers apply it also .
kaydano
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 4,287
- Reaction score
- 2,163
Should be no reason you can't do that yourself.
Jack M
Moderator
Myself I don't have a way to apply it . It is kept at a marina ,no trailer ,and neither of our vehicles is capable of towing .
By the time I rented a trailer ,and asked some one to bring it to my house ,I may as well let the marina apply in the spring when it comes out of storage .
By the time I rented a trailer ,and asked some one to bring it to my house ,I may as well let the marina apply in the spring when it comes out of storage .
Last edited by a moderator:
BigBlock
Well-Known Member
Keith,
Don't waste your time and effort with Sharkhide polish. It's a pretty good polish but it will make a mess just a great as Gords. Been There, Done That... I polished my first pontoon with Sharkhide polish, it was a big, messy job, but after many passes I did achieve an OK shine. My next pontoon I switched to Gords, still messy, but seemed to achieve a shine a little faster.
Since those first two polish jobs, I started experimenting with other techniques and products for polishing aluminum. Over the past few years, I would take milled finish, sheet aluminum and polish them with various products and methods. After polishing, I would apply Sharkide protectant and place the in the lake. At times, I would pull them out of the lake, test chemical cleaners on them to try to destroy or distort the Sharkhide protectant. After a two seasons, the Sharkhide protectant has not failed, but there is a noticeable difference in the underlying polish job.
What I have found through all the experimentations is the best way to polish the tubes to a flawless mirror finish with the least amount of mess and labor. I truly believe the only way to polish the tubes is with a machine buffing wheel and rouge. I have been using Zephyr as my supply source for all things buffing and they can supply you with the proper wheels and rouge to get the job done fast and clean. The website is zephyrpro40.com.
What used to be a big messy task with just average results has now turned into a quick, methodical process to bring out the very best finish prior to applying Sharkhide protectant. The better the underlying finish, the easier it is to maintain if you ever need to touch up the Sharkhide in the future.
I am currently in the process of preparing my new 2014 for the water this spring. I will post up a couple of pictures from my polishing results this last Sunday.
Don't waste your time and effort with Sharkhide polish. It's a pretty good polish but it will make a mess just a great as Gords. Been There, Done That... I polished my first pontoon with Sharkhide polish, it was a big, messy job, but after many passes I did achieve an OK shine. My next pontoon I switched to Gords, still messy, but seemed to achieve a shine a little faster.
Since those first two polish jobs, I started experimenting with other techniques and products for polishing aluminum. Over the past few years, I would take milled finish, sheet aluminum and polish them with various products and methods. After polishing, I would apply Sharkide protectant and place the in the lake. At times, I would pull them out of the lake, test chemical cleaners on them to try to destroy or distort the Sharkhide protectant. After a two seasons, the Sharkhide protectant has not failed, but there is a noticeable difference in the underlying polish job.
What I have found through all the experimentations is the best way to polish the tubes to a flawless mirror finish with the least amount of mess and labor. I truly believe the only way to polish the tubes is with a machine buffing wheel and rouge. I have been using Zephyr as my supply source for all things buffing and they can supply you with the proper wheels and rouge to get the job done fast and clean. The website is zephyrpro40.com.
What used to be a big messy task with just average results has now turned into a quick, methodical process to bring out the very best finish prior to applying Sharkhide protectant. The better the underlying finish, the easier it is to maintain if you ever need to touch up the Sharkhide in the future.
I am currently in the process of preparing my new 2014 for the water this spring. I will post up a couple of pictures from my polishing results this last Sunday.
keithkz
Well-Known Member
Wow....thanks for the tip. I guess I'll stick with the Gord's then and the Sharkhide protectant afterwards....just like last year. I am wondering though....we do have a huge truck stop about 30 minutes from where I live along I-94 just West of Ann Arbor. Should I take it there and have them properly clean the tubes first? My boat is a 2005 so I know I'm not gonna get them perfect and they already look way better than they did before last season but I'd like to get them a little better and I think that's a possibility.
BigBlock
Well-Known Member
Keith,
Here are some pics from last Sunday mornings work on the pontoon. Good luck with your polish job!
lakeliving
Well-Known Member
Would you consider doing a quick how to video? Boat looks great by the way. Blacked out with polished toons, damn!
keithkz
Well-Known Member
Wow very sharp....nice. Yeah I second wanting a how to video. No way I'll ever get my 2005 to look like that but would like to get them looking as good as possible.
kaydano
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 4,287
- Reaction score
- 2,163
That website has a 10 page pdf of the process with pics. Enough to show what to do.
Big Block - What color rogue do you use and which wheel? I polished mine to a mirror shine by hand once, so they are smooth, but I didnt know about sharkhide at the time, so they are now oxidized. Can I go right to the final finish step and use a white wheel and the white rogue?
Jared - They sell this stuff at the I80 truck stop.
Big Block - What color rogue do you use and which wheel? I polished mine to a mirror shine by hand once, so they are smooth, but I didnt know about sharkhide at the time, so they are now oxidized. Can I go right to the final finish step and use a white wheel and the white rogue?
Jared - They sell this stuff at the I80 truck stop.
Last edited by a moderator:
BigBlock
Well-Known Member
Keith,
I tend to disagree with your statement that you can't get it to look that good. Any aluminum, unless severely pitted can look great. No need for you to take it to a truck wash. With Sharkhide Aluminum Cleaner and a garden hose, you can get the tubes prepped for polishing. The polish with wheel and rouge. Save yourself the mess and labor by skipping on the Gords.
Kaydono,
Due to the oxidation, start with Sharkhide Aluminum Cleaner to remove the oxidation. The buff with Airway Mill Treated White pad (#AWW 58-8HF) and Green Chrome rouge. Follow up with un-treated white wheel and White Chrome rouge and you'll have a great shine ready to be coated with Sharkhide protectant.
I tend to disagree with your statement that you can't get it to look that good. Any aluminum, unless severely pitted can look great. No need for you to take it to a truck wash. With Sharkhide Aluminum Cleaner and a garden hose, you can get the tubes prepped for polishing. The polish with wheel and rouge. Save yourself the mess and labor by skipping on the Gords.
Kaydono,
Due to the oxidation, start with Sharkhide Aluminum Cleaner to remove the oxidation. The buff with Airway Mill Treated White pad (#AWW 58-8HF) and Green Chrome rouge. Follow up with un-treated white wheel and White Chrome rouge and you'll have a great shine ready to be coated with Sharkhide protectant.
keithkz
Well-Known Member
Your method (via the buffer and rouge and the Zephyr site) seems too good to be true but you have me looking anyway!
keithkz
Well-Known Member
So you only use the Airway Mill Treated White pad (#AWW 58-8HF) and Green Chrome rouge but you don't use/need the Pro-40 polish? That polish is sipe on, let dry, then buff off. Sure seems way less messy than Gord's but you're saying you don't even need that stuff?
BigBlock
Well-Known Member
I do not use the Pro 40 polish since I am overcoating the surface with Sharkhide protectant. The bare metal surface must be free of any contaminants, polishes, etc. prior to applying Sharkhide.
keithkz
Well-Known Member
Yeah see this is where I am def. getting different results than everyone else on here who has been using that Sharkhide protectant. I used it last year after using Gord's on my boat. People on here are acting like that Sharkhide protectant is significantly adding to the shine of their toons....not mine. I mean, it might BARELY increase the shine but not much...not for me anyway. But again, I have older toons. So I have some serious doubts that just using the wheel and rouge will do the trick on mine. I just don't see it.