Keeping the Toons Looking Great

[keithkz]

Did you ever get those old corner cleats off??????

Also, the Bennington dealer calibrated my tach and also found my trim gauge wasn't calibrated correctly either.  There was also major water damage to the outdrive due to a torn boot which explains the vibration I started to feel.  So everything is fixed and he said I shouldn't need to do a thing with it for the next 10 years.  He said it will run way smoother now so I can't wait to get it back in the water this Spring.  Now that the tach is calibrated I'm going to re-check my performance specs and see how they compare (remember all the props I tried last summer?  lol). 

 

[Rockie69]

 

Keith,

Here are some pics from last Sunday mornings work on the pontoon. Good luck with your polish job!

BigBlock - In your opinion how much do you think it should cost to hire this done?

I have no shop and I have no time... 

 

[BigBlock]

Jared,

Someone posted earlier that a truck stop would do it for $300.00. I'm a bit suspicious of that price or certainly the quality of the job. I spoke with a professional polisher a few years back in St Cloud, Mn. that quoted $25.00 per foot (25ft x $25.00 times both sides = $1,250.00) That is for a polish of the outside toons only, nose cones, and end bells... basically only what shows. That price did not include any application of Sharkhide protectant.

A buddy of mine with S.O.B., had his done by this outfit last spring and spent $1,000.00. The polish job, in his opinion was well below satisfactory. He then contracted with another polisher to both polish and apply Sharkhide. He reportedly paid that guy $2,200.00 for a polish and application of Sharkhide. I never saw it when they delivered it back to him, but another friend who did said it was extremely well done. I saw him about two weeks later on the sandbar, and his toons looked like crap. They had already oxidized. The outfit that polished it said that they had applied Sharkhide, but it actually was never done. This was verified by the application of a small amount of Ducky to the aluminum. When the Ducky was applied, the aluminum turned further. Had the toons had Sharkhide, the Ducky would have no effect on the aluminum.

Long answer to a short question.

I would Google professional polishers located in your area, talk to them and get quotes, and get a few references. Also, your dealer may know of some good sources.

 

[keithkz]

Yeah last year I asked a boat dealership here and they wanted like over $2K to do it.  That's not happening.

 

[Rockie69]

Thank you. Very much appreciated!

 

[bcpnick]

Hey guys. I just took delivery on my new 22 SSX on Friday. I'll be sure to post up lots of pics once I get it out on the water here in a couple weeks, but in the mean time I'm hoping someone might be able to give me some advice on cleaning my pontoons in preparation for sharkhide. 

I've scoured through all the threads here and around the web that I could find on the subject, but I'm still not sure. My boat is new, supposedly never touched water and stored inside the whole time. But the pontoons have lots of spots and streaks running down them. We tried cleaning them today, first with vinegar and then with 'The Works' toilet bowl cleaner. The vinegar seemed to do nothing and The Works, while it definitely got them cleaner, did nothing for the spots and streaks. I don't care about polishing, but I'd like to get them looking really clean and new before I put on the sharkhide. Are we being too picky or something? I would have expected this stuff to be easily cleanable considering it's a new pontoon. Thoughts?

Pics (don't mind the handprint):

 

[Geoffrey & Brenda]

Ours where like that as well, i think it is  the oxidation process in it's early stages. I washed ours with car wash soap, rinsed well and wiped down acetone to remove any oily residue. (like hand prints) Then applied 2 coats of sharkhide. They still look great after 3 seasons on the lake.

I'm not sure you will get them any cleaner without sanding and polishing, that was too much work for me, so i opted to get the sharkhide on before they got any worse.

I did not do the inside of the toons, and you can really tell the difference between the treated and untreated areas, sharkhide makes a huge difference! 

 

[theduke]

bcpnick We did our's when new also and as per dealer advice we were told to wash good with soap and water,dry off well,then clean with lacquer thinner as the final step.Apply with cotton material such as baby diapers so there wont be a lot of dust and threads deposited with sharkhide.Do not apply in sun because it dries to fast and will streak,make sure your rag is really saturated and go one section at a time overlapping each time.If you are going to put on two coats you have to wait and let it dry and cure overnite and it will go on easy I hope this helps...

 

[bcpnick]

Geoffrey - did yours have the vertical streaks too? The little spots aren't terribly bothersome but those streaks sure are an eyesore considering it's a new boat. I guess it's a lot worse when they're at eye level standing right in front of it though.

I have my diapers and sharkhide ready to go. Just waiting on some dry weather now.

 

[cwag911]

When you wash the tubes, you might try using a scotch-brite pad with the soap and water.

 

[Jack M]

When you wash the tubes, you might try using a scotch-brite pad with the soap and water.

Will a scotch bright remove the sharkhide ?

Last season I just used sponge at the sand bar  ,I did notice that at the end of last season I had two wear spots  on the sharkhide from the dock bumpers .

I am going to move the bumpers around this season .

 

[cwag911]

I was referring to cleaning them before the sharkhide. I don't know about after. You can always call Clint at Sharkhide, he has all the answers.

 

[Jack M]

Thanks ,Carl.

I don't have to worry about it this year ,but on those wear spots I was referring to from the bumpers .I can just reapply to those areas correct ?

Thanks again .

Jack 

 

[cwag911]

Yup, same thing Daril does.

 

[Geoffrey & Brenda]

Yes, ours had some vertical streaks as well, it almost looks like where it may have gotten rained on, perhaps during transport.

After seeing the amount of work involved in sanding and polishing, i decided the streaks really weren't that bad, and the sharkhide made them less noticable.

 

[BigBlock]

bcpnick,


The tubes will start oxidizing immediately after the build process unless protected. I don't think any amount of scrubbing will remove your streaks. Mine were dull, streaked and spotted with two weeks after the build.


The only way to remove the streaks would be to either acid wash or polish. The acid wash will remove your bright mill finish also so unless you want to do a lot of work, just go ahead and Sharkhide it now before any more oxidation occurs.


I believe I read on this forum some time ago of a person doing an acid/scotchbrite scrub to replicate the mill finish but I think if you were to do that much work, you might as well go to a full polish.

 

[Bamaman]

Kaydano,

I have seen the other brands of rouge at local heavy truck dealerships but don't really know if there is a difference. I started a few years back with Zephyr and feel that there quality is consistent, so I don't really want to stray away from that. They have kind of been a one stop shop for me and are always available via email and phone with helpful information. As I write this, it kind of sounds like I'm a paid spokesperson for Zephyr or Sharkhide... Not the case, I have just found that that combination has yielded me the most favorable results.

My new Bennie toons started to tarnish within 6 weeks of being built, in spite of my dealer keeping the boat inside a dark warehouse and perfectly dry. 

I bought a Porter Cable dual action sander/polisher--the best selling polisher in the business--and a wool peel and stick bonnet.  I tried Mother's Aluminum Polish, but it was crap.  I went to Advance Auto Parts and bought White Diamond Metal Polish. 

You put 3 dime size dollups on the wool bonnet and go back and forth, up and down for 90 seconds on a 2' x 2' section of the toon.  At about 90 seconds, all the black oxide will turn to powder and mostly blow into the air.   You wipe down the toon with a towel, and it's polished.  After a little practice, I can polish the outside toons, nose cones and the backs of the toons in about 90 minutes.

I then took lacquer cleaner to remove the rest of the black oxide in anticipation of applying Sharkhide.  I cleaned and cleaned the toons.  But everytime I'd apply the Sharkhide, I got black streaks into the finish.  I cannot tell you how many hours it would take to clean those toons enough to apply Sharkhide. 

I just have no desire to work that hard to get those toons clean (after polishing) to apply Sharkhide.  Screw it.  I'll just pull my boat every spring and spend the 90 minutes polishing the toons.  Bear in mind that it's kept hanging out of the water in a boat house, and not in the water daily.

 

[bcpnick]

Thanks for the input guys, heading out to clean them off and do my first coat of sharkhide right now!

 

[slyguy]

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.

OK, so I don't think anyone's asked, and if they did, well, sorry... How much sharkhide cleaner and protectant will you need for a 25' boat?  Also how many wheels and rouge do you wind up going through?  Recommended buffer?  THanks!

 

[keithkz]

I bought one quart for my 2575 and had some leftover. You want a varying speed buffer (NOT an orbital buffer like you use on cars). Make sure you buy some high quality, thick buffer wheel pads...not the thin flimsy ones. I went through several pads last year using Gord's polish....probably 6.

I have the same questions as far as how much rouge to buy because I definitely plan on trying this....if winter ever leaves.