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Sharkskin... pros and cons

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tj shanahan

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I was convinced on putting sharkskin on the new 2575RCW I'm ordering but my dealer is trying to convince me otherwise.  She said it does work as described; however, it scratches easily.  More concerning, she said you can't acid wash the toons...which we often do on the lake we're on.  This got me wondering, what are others seeing in terms of pros/cons for Sharkskin?
 
With sharkskin you shouldn't need to acid wash as it protects the alum from "tarnishing" but yes it can scratch ("easily" is perception of what people perceive as easy), and must be reapplied every so often (easy to do yourself), BUT, it should keep your toons looking new longer. Regular crud MAY wash off a little easier with gentle pressure washing.
 
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Fenders won't scratch it off. Rocks will scratch it off.
 
My boat WAS in a 10 ft slip with no lift for the first season (lesson learned), and the constant rubbing of the bumpers did slightly wear away the sharkhide.
 
You are right. Long term in a slip it will probably wear off. Temp docking isn't an issue.

It's like a clear coat paint more or less.
 
New toons look awesome with it. The dealer scratched a bit of the sharkhide off of mine, and that sucks, but I'd rather have a little black here and there than the whole things black. I scratch it off the front bottoms of the toons when I beach, but you never really see that anyway, so no big deal. I'd never have a toon without it. 
 
I love sharkhide on mine, did mine myself when I bought the boat and before in went in the water. Toons still look brand new today. Yes it can scratch but a little sharkhide on a rag and reapply in that area before it oxidizes, whala, good as new. 

I also do not leave mine in the water full time, it mostly sits on a trailer. So I can easily see the areas that might need touch up. So for me it is well worth it.. B)    
 
Dock bumpers will rub it off, but no tarnishing at all...great stuff. I'd definately do it again.
 
Had the Sharkhide on my boat for about 5 seasons and it was starting to look worn in a few spots..........I reapplied it thinking that it would "meld" into the worn areas and look like it did when I first applied it but it didn't. It's a clear finish so it looked like a worn area w/ a coating on it. I didn't like the way it looked so I had it acid/power washed at the end of last season. Although the toons are clean you can see the outline of how the Sharkhide was applied. Before I bring my boat down to Lake Norman next spring I was told to clean the toons w/lacquer thinner to take the outline off........
 
Evert Fall when I take my boat out I acid wash my pontoons.  In the spring there is another quick cleanup acid wash and then a new coat of sharkhide is applied.  Throughout the year I rarely spend any time cleaning the pontoons.  We are in a pretty clean lake so they still look pretty good but I do see a drop in WOT of about 3 - 5 MPH 
 
FYI on this topic.  We were going to spec sharkskin onto our new Bennington s-series order this past weekend. However, our dealer said that Bennington automatically adds it on, no charge, to all winter Bennington orders in northern states due to shipping them out in inclement weather late winter/early spring.  Hence, if you are going to order a new pontoon over the winter, and live in a northern state, inquire with your dealer about this free option...assuming you want it in the first place.
 
I am calling BS on that unless this is new practice. Both my 2013 and 2014 Benningtons were ordered in the fall and arrived to the dealer in December both times. No sharkhide on either. I could be wrong but that is my first hand real world experience.
 
lakeliving said:
I am calling BS on that unless this is new practice. Both my 2013 and 2014 Benningtons were ordered in the fall and arrived to the dealer in December both times. No sharkhide on either. I could be wrong but that is my first hand real world experience.
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THAT would be funny if you did have sharkhide. LOL
 
The ones I have seen at my dealer ,either have the tags or they dont .


Delivered to the dealer in February 2014 


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Looking at my toons I can guarantee I don't have it. Plus mine was towed back to IN to be torn down to the cross members in the winter as well. That's not what I had in mind when I ordered it with the "salt water series" package.
 
Have 3 seasons on my sharkhide and it's just showing signs of wear, looking to remove, polish and re-apply this winter/spring.  Don't think I'd go without or order a new boat without, especially because my boat's allergic to salt water! You salty dogs always have your ways of doing things!!
 
lakeliving said:
I am calling BS on that unless this is new practice. Both my 2013 and 2014 Benningtons were ordered in the fall and arrived to the dealer in December both times. No sharkhide on either. I could be wrong but that is my first hand real world experience.
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Glad you flagged this for me.  I followed up with my dealer.  It's an exclusive they have with Bennington due to volume of winter sales.  I got it in writing to insure I am covered come spring when my new boat arrives.  Thus, not a normal Bennington procedure as I had originally thought it was, but more of a dealership & Bennington partnership/perk.
 
adkboater said:
Have 3 seasons on my sharkhide and it's just showing signs of wear, looking to remove, polish and re-apply this winter/spring.  Don't think I'd go without or order a new boat without, especially because my boat's allergic to salt water! You salty dogs always have your ways of doing things!!
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I have read a lot of posts from people on adding this to a purchase.  I don't think I have found any where the person got it and regretted it, but I found a few the other way around (people that saved the $ and regretted it later).  I am pretty finicky about my stuff, so I know stains would bother me down the road if I could have done something on the front end to mitigate them.  Thanks for your insight and experience.  
 
Vikingstaff said:
Glad you flagged this for me.  I followed up with my dealer.  It's an exclusive they have with Bennington due to volume of winter sales.  I got it in writing to insure I am covered come spring when my new boat arrives.  Thus, not a normal Bennington procedure as I had originally thought it was, but more of a dealership & Bennington partnership/perk.
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Sounds like a good perk for you. Also, have you discussed props with your dealer? Some will try to just throw an aluminum one on there. I made sure my deal included a stainless. Also, did you ever get confirmation on the 10 year warranty?
 
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