Back to the main site

New Bennington Owner

GCWAndy

GCWAndy

Active Member
Messages
40
Reaction score
33
Location
Watauga Lake, TN
Greetings,

Just purchased my first boat and Bennington, a 2275 GCW LIMITED. Excited to take delivery next week.

Any key suggestions for making my investment last as long as possible?

Thanks. Look forward to participating in the forum.
 
Sharkhide your toons before they hit water [i paid my dealer to do it so so I could get it right in the water]. Use 303 Vinyl protector and 303 Fabric on bimini. Use synthetic wax on fences. Realize some things will still happen, so let it go and enjoy
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Congrats& welcome aboard !!! Make sure to post up pics or it ain't true !!! :lol:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
GCWAndy said:
Greetings,

Just purchased my first boat and Bennington, a 2275 GCW LIMITED. Excited to take delivery next week.

Any key suggestions for making my investment last as long as possible?

Thanks. Look forward to participating in the forum.
Click to expand...
Agree with the shark hide and the 303.. that's some good stuff. If your not going to keep your boat in a slip, I would strongly suggest storing it indoors if at all possible. Down here in Louisiana, the hot sun can do a lot of damage over time...

Roland
 
Thanks Everyone. Keep the suggestions coming.

I am checking with the dealer to see if they will Sharkskin the toons.
 
Ditto on the shark hide and 303. The shark hide before it ever hits the water is a MUST if you want to keep clean toons. Also I would suggest wiping it down after every trip to eliminate water spots. I use a mixture of 50/50 water and vinager. If you don't do it after every outing, these spots are harder to get off and become a pain in the butt.

As Link said, things will happen so don't let the first scratch get you down.

Congrats and enjoy.
 
I am not clear on what Sharks Hide is or does. What does it generally cost to have done to the toons ?

How long does it last on a toon stored indoors ?

Ron :unsure:
 
The playpen cover is your friend.
 
My dealer is not completely sold on the benefits of Sharkhide. He has and will apply for $300-400 but has had mixed reviews. Some users have experienced discoloration below the waterline. Apparently the acidity in the water.

Has anyone else had any issues with Sharkhide?
 
I would think discoloration is normal in anything that sits below waterline, that's normal, it's above the waterline that it really makes a long term visual difference, no multiple hues of aluminum discoloration

I do believe it helps "cleaning" the toons below the waterline though.

It's like using 303 on the cover, it will not stop long term wear from sun and such, but it will definitely slow down the process.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
My 24' SSLX was built toward the end of May, and the dealer kept it inside a warehouse. When I purchased the boat the first of July, it had stripes already coming down the toons. It's continued to tarnish throughout the Summer while sitting undercover in the boathouse. That's pretty quick chemical action.

At the 20 hour oil change, I'll be polishing the toons and putting a couple of coats of Sharkhide on it. It's required if you want to keep your boat looking as new as possible.
 
While there is nothing perfect, shark hide is the best thing in the market that I am aware of. If your dealer has had mixed reviews, the negatives are probably from people who are expecting "perfect" results. I can guarantee you it is 100% better than doing nothing. If you do nothing to your tubes, you will see staining and discoloration after your first trip to the lake. I polished my tubes and added the two coats of shark hide at the first of this season and mine look just as good now as they did at the first of the season. Now that being said, I trailer mine home and store in a garage and I also wipe them down after each trip. The only negative thing I have had is a couple of rub marks from a buoy that took the shark hide off. A person can apply this themselves pretty easy and if I remember correctly its only about $32 bucks a quart. One quart will also be sufficient to cover a tritoon. The main thing to remember is to follow the instructions to a "t". Two coats are a must. And again, if I had to do it over again, I would do it before you ever put the boat in the water. I made a couple of trips to the lake before I did mine. I then had to do a lot of cleaning again to get it ready for the shark hide. The toons need to be clean before the application.
 
I love to kayak as something else to do up at our cabin. In Northwest Wisconsin we have lakes, lakes, and more lakes. I like to get up early and kayak different lakes every weekend. The biggest bad habit that I see is people are so lazy and do not put the playpen cover on. It does not matter the size of the pontoon the brand, horsepower, or dollars spent. I have seen $80,000 plus boats week after week sitting out in all kinds of weather with no cover.

I take better care of my $900 kayak than some people take care of a $80,000 boat. Today I kayaked passed a beautiful $500,000 plus lake home with a 2011 Mastercraft ski boat. To this day I have never seen a cover on that beautiful boat. It sits on a Floe lift with no cover at all. $90,000 boat $30,000 docking system, to lazy to put the cover on. No pride of ownership!!!

So, if your asking what can you do to make your new Bennington looking new for as long as you can. The most effective thing you can do is when you are done with your boat for the day, put your cover on.
 
Congrats on a nice toon. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do mine. As for the care, keep it clean & it should take care of you. Enjoy!
 
Thanks again everyone. I am having the Sharkhide applied as I type. Have also purchased 303 to apply.

Going to put a full cover over the playpen cover when storing.

Cannot wait!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top