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Well, we did it, POLISHED TOONS! Whatcha think?

Well Gang,
Tuesday here in Lake Havasu AZ, was a great day to initiate the polished toons to the lake. We'd been told by the polisher that there would be no issues and they'd come out of the water, as nice as they went in. We'd also been told they'd immediately show a water line, turn black and all kinds of other stuff. Well, I'm sorry to say folks, NOTHING happened to them! They did come out of the water, looking as nice as they did when we hit the water. Yeah, there was a few water spots here and there but, even if we missed some while wiping the boat down at the ramp, a slight spray of a mixture of vinegar and water and some SUPER SOFT rags was all that was needed to eliminate any spots. Yep, without a doubt, we both are not only impressed with how they held up but, how well they repelled any form of staining etc. I could show pictures but, they'd be the same thing you all have already seen, polished toons.
Scott
 
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When we took the boat out for the first time on Tues the 28th of Jan and it was a fabulous day for being on the water here in Lake Havasu AZ! To say the least, everywhere we turned, folks were mesmerized by our polished toons. We beached it on some soft sand near our in our channel and, while we were eating some lunch, a gent walked up and asked us if our toons were STAINLESS STEEL? I snickered a bit and assured him that they were, in fact, highly polished aluminum. He stated his were polished but, looked absolutely NOTHING like ours do. We got lots of thumbs up as we cruised slowly by folks. WE'RE HAPPY!
Scott
 

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FIRE UP said:
Hey Gang,
Well, it's been a while since I been here, with the colder season on us and all that. Anyway, some of you might have seen my pics of my toons after I used a product called Starbrite Aluminum Cleaner. They looked really good after I did that. A tad bit of history here. First, the boat is a 2014 RCL25 and, we purchased it used, about 5 months ago with ONLY 24 hours on it. Yep, 24. The boat has been garaged for its entire life. It was only in the water 5 times before we purchased it. Needless to say, the toons were in great shape to begin with. They were barely water spotted but, did have a water line. The boat never, ever sat in the water unless it was being used.

So, after I did the Starbrite treatment, I enquired about using/applying *Sharkhide". Well, after some debating back and forth, I finally purchased some and applied it. Well, after ONE TIME in the water, and retrieving it to the boat, a bit of that Sharkhide was SLUFFED off!! CRAP!!! Needless to say, after all the work I'd done, and it didn't look as nice as it did before we took it out just one time, I was not a happy camper.

So, while sitting at home one evening, the wife was cruising facebook and found an ad for Metal Polishing here in our town. It showed the tip of one pontoon. I WAS IMPRESSED by what was in that picture. I'd seen polished toons before but, nothing quite like this picture showed. So, I gave the gent who placed the ad a call. He came over the next day to give me an estimate. What he quoted seemed fairly reasonable but, the wife and I wanted to talk it over before we made a final decision. It didn't take too long and, we called him back. He was to start on it the next day.

I'd been polishing aluminum for decades and know a bit about it. I told him that my thoughts were that since our toons were in such great shape, it should not take as long as he may have thought it should. Well, this boy's been doing this for quite some time and assured me that it WOULD take as long as he estimated, based on the way the metal was surfaced from the factory. He started the process with sanding first. He started with 400 on a disc-abrasive, random orbital sander. The entire areas of all the parts that were to be polished, were done with the 400.

Then, he moved onto 600 grit and again, every inch of what was to be seen and polished, was done. When that was done, it was time for the 800 grit. The whole sanding process took well over THREE DAYS! And each day was pretty close to full 8 hour days. You should have seen how much sand paper discs he went through! Then, it was time to start the polishing process. Just like the sanding process, it was a gradual step process. He'd use a strong rouge to start with then, move on to a finer grade. And in the final polish, he actually made his own final chemical/wax/paste. As you can see in the pics, he did one SERIOUSLY FLAWLESS JOB! Those toons are now a MIRROR!! When he was done, we took the boat to various places near the water to do photo shoots of it. Nothing we could find did the boat justice. Once we did that, we took it to our local Bennington dealer/service center and had them give me their opinion.

Needless to say, they were AMAZED! They said they'd never, ever seen toons THAT CLEAR in a finish! Every one who's seen it has really, really praised his work. According to our polisher, he's warrantying his work for a year, no matter how much it's in the water. We haven't had it in the water yet 'cause we've been doing Christmas stuff for a couple of weeks now. We'll put it in the water after the first of Jan. So, what do you folks think?
Scott

P.S. The first picture shows MY work. All the rest, show HIS work!
[/Gorgeous.
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FIRE UP said:
Well Sir,
Like any polished metal, yes, it will oxidize over a given amount of time. Aluminum, when polished down, will eventually return to its natural state we all know it as. But, when taken dow to that level, with no sealants of any type, and, kept out of the sun {for normal day-to-day storage}, the oxidation rate will be deferred phenomenally.
No, the boat never sees water unless we’re in it. It is stored under a drive-under cover. If and or when, it needs any form of touch-up, or possibly a “refreshing “, he’s agreed to do it for between $100 and $150 and would take less than a day, due the the prep of the metal in the first place.
As for 3-5 years down the road, well, we’ll see what happens then or take care of it then. I have years and years of metal(aluminum- stainless etc) polishing under my belt too. My wheels on our motor home look just like the toons you see. They also do not see the sun unless we’re in it traveling some place. And I only touch them up up about once a year if, I think they need it,
Yeah, ever since those toons were done, I’ve joked with many people about NOT putting it in the water ANY MORE!! It’s now just a display! Yeah sure! Can’t wait to get it out.
scott
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looks wonderful…what’s this guys name or business, so that I can get a quote? Thanks!!
 
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You most certainly hit a grand slam with this job
 
FIRE UP said:
When we took the boat out for the first time on Tues the 28th of Jan and it was a fabulous day for being on the water here in Lake Havasu AZ! To say the least, everywhere we turned, folks were mesmerized by our polished toons. We beached it on some soft sand near our in our channel and, while we were eating some lunch, a gent walked up and asked us if our toons were STAINLESS STEEL? I snickered a bit and assured him that they were, in fact, highly polished aluminum. He stated his were polished but, looked absolutely NOTHING like ours do. We got lots of thumbs up as we cruised slowly by folks. WE'RE HAPPY!
Scott
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Scott how have they held up coming up on almost 2 years?!? Got updated pics?
 
Well boys,
It's a long, long story but, here's the short version. The gent who did the original polish on the toons guaranteed them to keep this shine, for at least 2 years, no matter how much the boat was used. Well, some things have happened that, kind-a had that gent re-think his *guaranty*. He's polished pontoons in a few western states and of course, the boats have been used in various lakes. There seems to be a problem with the water here in Lake Havasu. Yes, it will leave it's stain on any pontoon and, that's evident as you look at just about any toons that have seen regular lake use in this neighborhood.

But, when it comes to pontoons that have a mirror finish on them like mine, AND, there is no protection on them such as Shark Hyde, that stain, even after ONE TIME in the lake, is certainly there. Its not water spots I'm speaking of. It's an actual water line stain. And, you just don't *wipe* it off, even when you remove the boat from the lake. This stain, has to be POLISHED OFF! It is not the end of the world for me. I'm retired and can spend the time, replenishing that mirror surface. If we put the boat in the water and use it for say, oh, maybe 6 hours or so, in the heat the day, usually around 110 degrees or more in our summer, then pull that boat out and take it home, it will take me around 2-2.5 hours of machine polishing, to bring back that finish for all the polished surfaces.

If I don't polish it after that one use, and wait 'till we've taken it out maybe 3 or 4 times before re-polishing it, it will take me around 6 hours or so to polish them back to a mirror surface. We have contemplated actually spraying on Shark Hyde and the original gent has had to do that, on multiple boats here in Havasu. Once the Shark Hyde is applied, that seals the finish and the water line is not able to latch itself to the surface of the toons. But, the down side is, no matter how meticulous the Shark Hyde is applied, you will loose what is calculated to be, around 10%-20% of the shine. Now, most guys simply accept that and, will pay to have that Shark Hyde applied, just so they don't have to go what I go through on an every-so-often basis.

The gent who did the original polish, states that he has never seen this type of staining, in any other lake, besides here in Havasu. As stated, he's done polishing of toons in many other states and no one, NO ONE has this problem like we do here. There is something in this water and maybe the harsh suns affect, that causes this dilemma. I'm getting ready to do an experiment. I've acquired a small sample (about 2' x 2') of some clear vinyl (the same stuff used on the front of cars, motorhomes, trucks etc. ) and apply it to a section of one of my polished toons. Then take the boat out for some play time and remove it, to see if that is an answer. If this experiment works, I may be applying that vinyl *wrap* on the entire pontoons, at least where they're polished. We'll see.
Scott

P.S. In the pics below, you will see the staining. You'll see where I've re-polished and stopped. Not fun!
Scott
 

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So it looks like the staining is below the water line but the entire tube has lost its luster. Can't believe that happens after only 6 hrs./or a day on the water. Can you imagine what it would look like after keeping your boat in the water all summer?!? I've always had Sharkhide on our toons. It definitely makes it easier to wipe off the waterline/keep clean! Do you have any more pics of the entire toon?!?
 
Hey BigKahuna,
Well, I don't really have any pics of the toons in the stained state, other than the ones you see. I don't like them looking like that. Yes, it's a fair amount of work to keep them up but, as stated, I'm retired and it's more of a hobby than it is work. Yes, it gets to my muscles, arms, wrists etc. when I'm about 3/4 done re-polishing them but, I endure. In a way, I created a monster in having them polished to a mirror finish in the first place. We get tons and tons of nice comments when we're either gassing the boat up at a local gas station or, launching it, or retrieving it. Those toons DEFINITELY attract attention. The boat is not a priority right now and has the full cover on it. When we plan on taking it out in the near future, I'll un-wrap the cover, and apply that clear vinyl sample to a section of a pontoon and see what, if any, protection against the water-line stain it affords. Time will tell.
Scott
 
FIRE UP said:
Hey Gang,
Well, it's been a while since I been here, with the colder season on us and all that. Anyway, some of you might have seen my pics of my toons after I used a product called Starbrite Aluminum Cleaner. They looked really good after I did that. A tad bit of history here. First, the boat is a 2014 RCL25 and, we purchased it used, about 5 months ago with ONLY 24 hours on it. Yep, 24. The boat has been garaged for its entire life. It was only in the water 5 times before we purchased it. Needless to say, the toons were in great shape to begin with. They were barely water spotted but, did have a water line. The boat never, ever sat in the water unless it was being used.

So, after I did the Starbrite treatment, I enquired about using/applying *Sharkhide". Well, after some debating back and forth, I finally purchased some and applied it. Well, after ONE TIME in the water, and retrieving it to the boat, a bit of that Sharkhide was SLUFFED off!! CRAP!!! Needless to say, after all the work I'd done, and it didn't look as nice as it did before we took it out just one time, I was not a happy camper.

So, while sitting at home one evening, the wife was cruising facebook and found an ad for Metal Polishing here in our town. It showed the tip of one pontoon. I WAS IMPRESSED by what was in that picture. I'd seen polished toons before but, nothing quite like this picture showed. So, I gave the gent who placed the ad a call. He came over the next day to give me an estimate. What he quoted seemed fairly reasonable but, the wife and I wanted to talk it over before we made a final decision. It didn't take too long and, we called him back. He was to start on it the next day.

I'd been polishing aluminum for decades and know a bit about it. I told him that my thoughts were that since our toons were in such great shape, it should not take as long as he may have thought it should. Well, this boy's been doing this for quite some time and assured me that it WOULD take as long as he estimated, based on the way the metal was surfaced from the factory. He started the process with sanding first. He started with 400 on a disc-abrasive, random orbital sander. The entire areas of all the parts that were to be polished, were done with the 400.

Then, he moved onto 600 grit and again, every inch of what was to be seen and polished, was done. When that was done, it was time for the 800 grit. The whole sanding process took well over THREE DAYS! And each day was pretty close to full 8 hour days. You should have seen how much sand paper discs he went through! Then, it was time to start the polishing process. Just like the sanding process, it was a gradual step process. He'd use a strong rouge to start with then, move on to a finer grade. And in the final polish, he actually made his own final chemical/wax/paste. As you can see in the pics, he did one SERIOUSLY FLAWLESS JOB! Those toons are now a MIRROR!! When he was done, we took the boat to various places near the water to do photo shoots of it. Nothing we could find did the boat justice. Once we did that, we took it to our local Bennington dealer/service center and had them give me their opinion.

Needless to say, they were AMAZED! They said they'd never, ever seen toons THAT CLEAR in a finish! Every one who's seen it has really, really praised his work. According to our polisher, he's warrantying his work for a year, no matter how much it's in the water. We haven't had it in the water yet 'cause we've been doing Christmas stuff for a couple of weeks now. We'll put it in the water after the first of Jan. So, what do you folks think?
Scott

P.S. The first picture shows MY work. All the rest, show HIS work!
Click to expand...
Absolutely incredible. Congrats. Money well spent.
 
FIRE UP said:
Hey BigKahuna,
Well, I don't really have any pics of the toons in the stained state, other than the ones you see. I don't like them looking like that. Yes, it's a fair amount of work to keep them up but, as stated, I'm retired and it's more of a hobby than it is work. Yes, it gets to my muscles, arms, wrists etc. when I'm about 3/4 done re-polishing them but, I endure. In a way, I created a monster in having them polished to a mirror finish in the first place. We get tons and tons of nice comments when we're either gassing the boat up at a local gas station or, launching it, or retrieving it. Those toons DEFINITELY attract attention. The boat is not a priority right now and has the full cover on it. When we plan on taking it out in the near future, I'll un-wrap the cover, and apply that clear vinyl sample to a section of a pontoon and see what, if any, protection against the water-line stain it affords. Time will tell.
Scott
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Just curious..... were all 3 toons shined or just the nose cones and the outside of the outer tubes?
 
Willes said:
Absolutely incredible. Congrats. Money well spent.
Click to expand...
I certainly appreciate the nice comment. Folks, without a doubt, if you saw them in person, it's totally amazing as to the depth of the shine. It was quite a bit of work to get them to that stage. But, on the flip side, KEEPING them that shiny is work. I have two random orbital pro machines. One is used to apply the polishing solution and the other is used to remove it and put that mirror shine. I'm still working on a solution to my issue of the water line stain.
Scott
 
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