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Just cleaned my badly stained pontoons

Wow that is scary Link.  My gelcoat boat didn't slow down that much and was a tough wash at the end of the year.  Are pontoons really that much worse?  That doesn't help the move to a toon for me.   I'm not going to spend a day on the lake scrubbing toons once a week - thats a lot of surface.   Pulling boat and power washing where I am isn't that easier either.  Really something I've got to reconsider.  Thank you for the insight.


Rockie thank you as well.  The sale of the boat is a real consideration as well, wasn't thinknig about selling it before even getting it delivered but your right.  I was just thinking that maybe the acid wash would really screw up the sharkhide and I don't want to be reappling every year.   


This is exactly why I wrote on this forum.  Your insights have really helped me.  Thank you!
 
StevieG, it is not a full day job hand washing the toons.  When we beach at a sandbar I usually grab a beer and get started.  Including stopping for a few slugs it only takes me about 20 minutes to knock off the worst parts of crud off the toons.  The reason I made the switch to a pontoon was the spaciousness and comfort that only a pontoon can give
 
Rockie69 said:
 Anyone that tells you not to get the sharkhide has an alterier movite or just plain does not like to keep things looking nice. This is my opinion, I could be wrong.
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Easy now. I did not opt for sharkhide on either of my builds. I didn't want the maintenance associated with reapplications, touch ups etc. And I sold my last boat for what I paid for it new. I honestly believe 95% of real buyers don't give a crap how the toons look as long as they are not damaged. Not having sharkhide isn't an indicator of ones pride of ownership or how the boat is cleaned and maintained.


I could say more but I'll put a sock in it! :D
 
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Sharkhide rules!
 
For added clarification, I was directing my opinion towards a dealer more than any member of this forum.

lakeliving said:
Not having sharkhide isn't an indicator of ones pride of ownership or how the boat is cleaned and maintained.
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On my boat (new this year, don't even have it yet) it was $413 MSRP for triple toons.  I had 3 possible outcomes:


- get it, doesn't work, spent $400 for nothing, and I either live with the appearance or acid wash and go from there; or,


- get it, it works, love it, toons look awesome and no acid wash, great decision; or,


- don't get it - toons definitely weather and I either live with it or acid wash - neither of which I wanted on my brand new beautiful boat.  


It came down to believing what most on this forum said, and likely saving myself either living with weathered toons or acid washing.  In the overall price of a new boat, for me, it was definitely worth $400 to try it.


That's just me ... I'm generally a cheap SOB but after all the "buyers regret" I've heard about on this forum I wasn't going to quibble over an extra $400.
 
I used my 2010 in one of the freshest-water lakes in the world and always kept it on a trailer inside when not boating. The tubes discolored and stained.


Tried scotchbrite pads and vinegar a couple of times to no success. Oven cleaner was a disaster.


My new boat is getting Sharkhide from the factory.
 
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WinnebagoOshkosh said:
On my boat (new this year, don't even have it yet) it was $413 MSRP for triple toons.  I had 3 possible outcomes:


- get it, doesn't work, spent $400 for nothing, and I either live with the appearance or acid wash and go from there; or,


- get it, it works, love it, toons look awesome and no acid wash, great decision; or,


- don't get it - toons definitely weather and I either live with it or acid wash - neither of which I wanted on my brand new beautiful boat.  


It came down to believing what most on this forum said, and likely saving myself either living with weathered toons or acid washing.  In the overall price of a new boat, for me, it was definitely worth $400 to try it.


That's just me ... I'm generally a cheap SOB but after all the "buyers regret" I've heard about on this forum I wasn't going to quibble over an extra $400.
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You made a very wise choice. I've put Sharkhide on personally. It works. Think of it as a clear coat paint. 
 
If you are going to acid wash yearly, you will have white pontoons.  The acid changes the aluminium oxide to aluminium chloride or sulphate  depending on the acid used.  As you have removed the oxide layer that was protecting the raw aluminium, it will start to oxidize immediately. The new exposed surface will not be as smooth as the new aluminium was.  At the dealership, Rub your hand on a couple year old pontoon toon and compare to a new one. 


IMHO, protecting the original pontoons is huge.  Drag is a killer for speed in a pontoon.  You have a large wetted surface.  Keep it clean to stay happy.  


I take a micro towel and clean while floating.  
 
Well as expected it seems there are a lot of Sharkhide fans out there.  My take away from this is that the aluminium tubes seem to require more care than my gelcoat used to.  As I read this it basically reads that you take a towel with you when you grab a beer on the lake and drink and scrub.  With my gelcoat boat I bought an inflatable island and had social time with my beer.   Maybe I can convince my drinking buddies to bring a towel and we scrub while we sink the island.   Crazy.   I guess I need to pay more attention to the toon owners next time I'm on the lake - I never realized there is a whole community UNDER their boats.


Thanks for the feedback - I'm thinking the old gelcoat boat isn't so bad after all.
 
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Stevie,


Well, I'm pretty meticulous at taking care of my stuff.  My last boat (Malibu) was 9 years old and looked brand spanking new.  Including the trailer.  I could never spend some serious coin on something and not take care of it.  Ain't me.  Now, on my new Benny I didn't have the Sharkhide done at the factory because I was told at the dealership that basically since it didn't last forever it wasn't worth putting on.  I've got two buddies with pontoons that have badly discolored tubes.  They were the ones that told me about Sharkhide before I even ordered.  They wished they had done theirs.  They could have them cleaned and Sharkhided now but it would be much more work.  I ordered the boat and while waiting for it read lots and lots of reviews of the stuff.  So, I ended up ordering several cans of it and applied it myself when I got the boat.  It's not hard to do but would be much easier done at the factory as they can ensure to get into every little nook and cranny.  I first put a couple of coats on the outside tubes just to try it.  After a couple of outings on Lake Havasu, which has very hard water btw, I could easily see a couple small areas where I missed the Sharkhide.  It was a noticeable difference.  The tubes started to discolor that quick.  So, I put a couple of coats on the inside tubes (that was a little work because of the limited room) and a couple more on the outside tubes including the missed areas.  Now when I pull it off the water I just wipe them very quickly with a damp cloth.  That's all I do.  I don't scrub them while sitting on the beach or anything and they look great.  Of course, when I get the boat in the garage I clean up the fencing and rails with some Boat Candy.  I also use 303 protectant and Boat Candy vinyl cleaner inside.  I never wiped any of my boats down while on the beach and they've all looked like they came off the showroom floor so I wouldn't worry about having to clean your tubes while on the lake.
 
Thanks Havasu - I think I'm keeping you busy with all my posts all over this forum.  Your insight is greatly appreciated and insightful.


Winnebago/Oshkosh put it best - it's $400 bucks - if it doesn't work then don't keep it up or it will eventually acid wash off.  I think your points are good as well - the factory can get it to places I may not.  I love having a nice clean boat but I'm not crazy about it.  I do not pull it weekly to power wash off the algae.  My port isn't the convienent, nor is it fun to pull my trailer out of storage, pull the toon up and out and then drive to where I can get my power washer going.  I'd love to say it's going to happen, but it's not, I have to be honest with myself.  I'm really disappointed to read how algae covered toons are so impacted on speed.  So lots of great lessons learned.


I called the dealer today and added Sharkhide to the order just based on the feedback here.  I'm ordering 100 microfiber cloths from overtons, sunglasses and a big wide brimmed hat for when I'm spending my weekends buffing toons.  I hope to hell you are all wrong on that aspect.  I'm kind of hoping spilled beer will wash the toons off enough to continue through my short boating season and I can spend September scrubbing them off.


Actually, that does bring to light my next question.  Now that I am a proud weekly scrubber of sharkhide, what is the correct maintenance on it?  Can it withstand acid washing, can it be scotchbrite cleaned and/or how do I maintain this stuff?   Does it get painted on, sprayed on or how is it applied?  I might as well make plans now.
 
Stevie G said:
Actually, that does bring to light my next question.  Now that I am a proud weekly scrubber of sharkhide, what is the correct maintenance on it?  Can it withstand acid washing, can it be scotchbrite cleaned and/or how do I maintain this stuff?   Does it get painted on, sprayed on or how is it applied?  I might as well make plans now.
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My new boat will also  be my first experience with Sharkhide, but here's what the Sharkhide website has to say:


"In the marine industry, SHARKHIDE is used primarily on aluminum hulls such as Pontoon boats, Houseboat, and Fishing boats. In most instances, a couple of good coats can last many years. It's not uncommon to see three to five years of protection. On applications like motorcycles, muscle cars, show cars and other things that don't see a lot of exposure to the elements, you may see as many as eight or more years. In severe duty applications such as fire/rescue equipment, over the road trucks, dumps, tanks and the like, you can still enjoy one to three (or more) years of protection. And one of the many great features of SHARKHIDE is when it is time to reapply, there's no need to strip or prep the original coat. Since SHARKHIDE's "self etching", you simply wipe a fresh coat over the old one, and the new coat will partially melt, and blend right info the first!"


I would treat it like a painted surface; nothing abrasive, minimize scratching, touch up when disturbed and avoid contact with other boats, docks, piers, etc.


My 2 cents.
 
They recommend a cloth diaper (lint free rag).  You wipe it on.  It comes in a can, and is pretty runny.  I was tempted to use a paint brush.  A paint sprayer might work, but it would waste a lot of it and the stuff costs $65/quart if I remember right.


I missed a couple spots, and my pontoons are pretty dark brown (almost black) in those spots.  Do at least 2 coats.


Mine have gone through a couple seasons now, and it looks like it did the day I put it on.  Again, it's like a clear coat paint for a car.  Unless you scrub it off, or etch it (acid) my guess is it will last a long time.  It's a pretty hard finish.  Almost like a clear epoxy.


I find cleaning the toons are a LOT easier after the Sharkhide.  Just wipe with a wet rag.  I even use lake water on the rag.  But, my boat is stored out of the water, so I don't know about algae.  My guess is it would come off MUCH easier after Sharkhide.
 
Sharkhide plus algae = Easier to remove


Non Sharkhide plus algae = THIS SUCKS!
 
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