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Sharkhide, clearing up our misconception!

tyjy

tyjy

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Just got off the phone with Clint from Sharkhide and he said that IF we keep the boat in the water all season (like WE DO) Sharkhide will not do any good. It's NOT a bottom paint, it's not an "anti-fouling" product. It's not a wax to prevent algae, moss, zebra mussels, etc.


IF you trailer your boat or keep it up/off the water on a lift, then Sharkhide WILL keep your toons looking BRAND NEW for decades! Even after a weekend, just pull it out of the water, soap/water clean sponge off all the residue and that's it, ESPECIALLY if starting out with a brand new boat and having it Sharkhided from the very beginning as aluminum starts to oxidize almost immediately without it.


We were totally misunderstanding the purpose even though it seemed like cleaning at the end of the season was much easier. And it could have been...or not! We don't really know. We just used soap & water with scotchbrite pads (which Clint said the SB pads shouldn't even be necessary if cleaning daily or after a weekend) and the toons look pretty darn good after two seasons but, who knows how long that'll last? He said now, "the damage to ours is basically done" (by keeping it in the water two full seasons already) and if we want a shiny almost new looking pontoon appearance, it'll take the major stripping/polishing process, then applying Sharkhide AND then keeping the boat on a lift or trailer. That's it.
 
I don't agree with even the folks at sharkhide on this... I had great results with cleaning with being in the water all season in a mucky alge infested sespool. Then season two on a lift obviously the resluts were better.
 
There my be some information lost in translation.  Perhaps Clint implied that SH was not intended to be a product to protect toons in water, and as such they cannot recommend it for that purpose.


Much like French's mustard can be used to sooth burns, but I doubt their customer service would recommend it as a burn cream.
 
Truth is, we sure thought the SH helped clean up as well. Without any previous experience we don't have anything to compare it to, but, with as much crap that was stuck to our toons (VERY muddy Mississippi) we thought they cleaned up well after season one AND after season two. Wish we had a lift so it didn't matter to us : / It's a public marina so doubt that'll happen unless we find another place to dock it. I just thought I'd post this info since it came right from the horses mouth.
 
We had our pontoon a couple years before polishing and sharkhiding. It is MUCH easier to wipe off water spots now with a little vinegar after putting on the Sharkhide.   Ours is stored on the trailer though. 
 
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My boat stays in the water, I have SH applied every spring and think my toons look pretty good and I do not spend a lot of time cleaning the toons throughout the summer.  I will continue to do so as for the money it isn't worth taking a chance
 
Well this is a little disheartening.  We too rent a slip and the boat is in the water all season long.  We take the power washer to the boat a couple times a season and right before it's put away for the winter.  Our current boat doesn't have SH and the crap that clung to the toons was nasty.  Our new Benny that is coming will have SH on it so it will be interesting to see the difference.  I'm with Link on this and going to ask our dealer if they can apply SH in the spring.  
 
In my Gallery Album: "2 Months on the River" that'll show how much foul attached to our toons in the River (being a factory ordered brand spankin' new boat w/sharkhide applied)! You can certainly see how effective the Sharkhide is on the top! Very nice! and how the bottom half is disgusting! The second picture shows how it scrubbed out (maybe a tad better after that pic was taken).


Thinking we learned a lesson, the second season we pulled the boat out 3-4 times to power wash and scrub. Didn't make THAT much difference at season end though, still had quite a job of major (for storage) scrubbing and definitely see the difference between the top of tube and bottoms!


Sooooo, the million dollar question now is what we care about? Do we keep the top remaining nice by continuing the Sharkhide and anyone that sees it on the water (including US) is wholly impressed by what's showing? or let it all oxidize equally so when it's out of the water there is no OBVIOUS difference?? (Resale value is another consideration, but, for us, we're planning on keeping this rig for a long time!)


Since we already ordered Sharkhide for this year, we're going to reapply in hopes that it really is easier to clean up and next spring we'll decide if it's worth it anymore (for us).
 
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Mine is in a slip all season . It is Much Easier to clean with the Shark Hide applied .


I get it reapplied every other year .
 
Tyjy 


sorrry to hear about your troubles 


I think the problem you might have had is the use of Scotch Brite pads to help clean them. If you use SB pads on shark hide you will scratch the shark hide off and will not be protected anymore. Shark Hide (when applied to our toons) is nothing more than a protective coating to prevent oxidation of the aluminum . It is a very thin coating and the use of any abrasive can rub it off. Therefore it is not protected from the oxidation anymore.


I have left my boat in the water for weeks at a time and they do get a little grimy but then I wash with soap and water using a soft rag and it is good as new.
 
I use a car wash mitt on each hand ,no problems at all 
 
clrd said:
Tyjy 


sorrry to hear about your troubles 


I think the problem you might have had is the use of Scotch Brite pads to help clean them. If you use SB pads on shark hide you will scratch the shark hide off and will not be protected anymore. Shark Hide (when applied to our toons) is nothing more than a protective coating to prevent oxidation of the aluminum . It is a very thin coating and the use of any abrasive can rub it off. Therefore it is not protected from the oxidation anymore.


I have left my boat in the water for weeks at a time and they do get a little grimy but then I wash with soap and water using a soft rag and it is good as new.
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Hi Chris! Yes, I think you are right about that. In fact, Clint from Sharkhide said as much. He didn't think SB pads were necessary. Really, what started out as a question about using a product called Easy On Bottom Coating (a "cleanable barrier coating" like a wax to help with cleaning and release of foul-since that's what our main problem is) and the compatibility with the Sharkhide product, turned into a much lengthier conversation about what SH is really for and why keeping a boat in the water all season creates damage already done (per Clint). He said weekends, probably even weeks like you do in the water is fine, it's the indefinite part that he said makes the SH not as effective. Cleaner lakes probably make it a different story too, but, look at the pics in my gallery after 2 months! That's bad : /


 Overall, we don't really see all this as too much trouble though, we just think it's part of the tasks of owning a boat. We also want the convenience of docking in the water all season so we kinda choose this I guess. 
 
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We mostly fish and drive and not much parking idle is why we don't routinely tackle this. I intended to when we first bought but it's just turned out that we don't anchor much on sandbars. I envy all you guys who are able to keep on this! Best of both worlds (keeping in water AND keeping toons nice)!
 
I originally ordered Shark Hide and Dealer talked me out of it 


Claimed it wasn't worth the effort or the money 


Toons looked bad this past season due to inactivity and being in lake all season


Had them cleaned and now they look fantastic


Still no shark hide on them , but I am happy with the results 


Have decided to clean the toons once every two seasons and detail the boat every other year


130248483.jpg
 
My toons currently have Sharkhide on them and it stays in the water all season. They are much easier to clean with them on. We don't let them get dirty dirty. Whenever we go out.......sometime during the day we'll hang out in a cove someplace and get the sponges out and clean the waterline and also the outdrive. If we don't it'll build up and it'll be harder to clean later. 
 
Just to add another variable to the great "Shark Hide" debate, we have the "Alligator Factor" to deal with. Our boat stays in the water, has shark hide, and we value our azzes more than shiny toons. Sooo... Jumping in the water with soapy sponges will NOT be our course of action. We use soft "Shurhold" brushes to reach what we can from the boat, and "never mind" the insides of the outer toons, and the entire center toon. So far so good. It's a boat, they are made to be in the water, they are to enjoy. We'll deal with what ever needs doing when the time comes. The inside and above water line of the Benni is spotless and the toons are made to be in water. Works for us...and 'nuff said!
 
Tooner said:
Just to add another variable to the great "Shark Hide" debate, we have the "Alligator Factor" to deal with. Our boat stays in the water, has shark hide, and we value our azzes more than shiny toons. Sooo... Jumping in the water with soapy sponges will NOT be our course of action. We use soft "Shurhold" brushes to reach what we can from the boat, and "never mind" the insides of the outer toons, and the entire center toon. So far so good. It's a boat, they are made to be in the water, they are to enjoy. We'll deal with what ever needs doing when the time comes. The inside and above water line of the Benni is spotless and the toons are made to be in water. Works for us...and 'nuff said!
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Amen Brother!
 
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