Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hi

Sorry, a newbie question.

What is skinning? What is shark skinn used for?
Can someone elaborate and explain the big picture as well as detailing would be nice.

Cheers,

Under skinning is typically aluminum sheet applied to the under side of the deck, making for a smoother flow of water as it splashes beneath the deck. The crossmembers are covered, reducing surging and making for a quieter ride. The deck doesn't get as wet as well.

Sharkhide is a metal coating that can be applied to pontoons to keep them relatively shiny. It is a lot of prep work but seems to work well to keep them looking good. http://www.sharkhide.com

Tom Schmidt wrote:Under skinning is typically aluminum sheet applied to the under side of the deck, making for a smoother flow of water as it splashes beneath the deck. The crossmembers are covered, reducing surging and making for a quieter ride. The deck doesn't get as wet as well.

Sharkhide is a metal coating that can be applied to pontoons to keep them relatively shiny. It is a lot of prep work but seems to work well to keep them looking good. http://www.sharkhide.com

Couldn't have said it better!
Sharkhide works great on paint to seal it also. Never wax again!

Tom Schmidt wrote:Under skinning is typically aluminum sheet applied to the under side of the deck, making for a smoother flow of water as it splashes beneath the deck. The crossmembers are covered, reducing surging and making for a quieter ride. The deck doesn't get as wet as well.

Sharkhide is a metal coating that can be applied to pontoons to keep them relatively shiny. It is a lot of prep work but seems to work well to keep them looking good. http://www.sharkhide.com

Thank you for clarifying this. You know - as a engineer I kind of wondered why the boats come the way they are. First, the deck made in wood, subjected to water spray from beneath......
Second - I can see how it would greatly reduce drag and make for smoother flow.
Any manufacturer that deliveres their boats with a metal bottom or "skin" as a option or standard?

OK, so is Shark hide coating some kind of paint? Or is it a transperant tape/film?

I believe the owner of sharkhide is a member here. They have a polishing compound, and a clear-coat that is hand applied. Now this being said, the cleaning and polishing van be a lot of work, depending how carried away you wish to get. I believe the protectant can be applied without polishing, and will still protect your toons from fading. Toons can be polished to a mirror finish.

[quote="NusseThank you for clarifying this. You know - as a engineer I kind of wondered why the boats come the way they are. First, the deck made in wood, subjected to water spray from beneath......
Second - I can see how it would greatly reduce drag and make for smoother flow.
Any manufacturer that deliveres their boats with a metal bottom or "skin" as a option or standard?[/quote]

Yes most manufacturers offer underskinning as an option, on a Premier PTX package it is standard ,(probably Manitou SHP and Bennington ESP too).

Yes, my new Bennington on order has both underskinning (as part of ESP tri-toon package) and Sharkhide applied from the factory.

Nusse wrote: First, the deck made in wood, subjected to water spray from beneath......
Second - I can see how it would greatly reduce drag and make for smoother flow.
Any manufacturer that deliveres their boats with a metal bottom or "skin" as a option or standard?

Most Tracker boats prior to 2007 have all aluminum "Duradeck". No plywood anywhere.

Voyager comes with "factory" underskin

Just curious, is underskinning beneficial to something like my little 18' buggy with a 40 horse, or only performance toons?

trktrd wrote:Just curious, is underskinning beneficial to something like my little 18' buggy with a 40 horse, or only performance toons?

It is a plus on any toon, it smooths the ride by keeping the water from slamming into the crossmembers

BMR,
Tracker boats dosen't use Duradeck anymore?
seems like a great selling point, those decks would last forever I'm guessing
Is there plywood on the topside, or is the carpet glued right to the duradeck.

After 2007 Tracker went back to plywood for most of their boats, even Party Cruisers. You had to pre-order with Duradeck and pay a lot more for it. Yep, the carpet is glued right to the deck. There's no wood anywhere.

After 2011, there were no more Party Cruisers or Party Huts and won't be for the near future. Tracker shut down one of their plants due to the economy.

G3 pontoons, owned by Yamaha, come with underskinning standard.
Shark hide is a great product but not sure how well it would hold up in a saltwater environment. A non copper based bottom paint from the water line down is the best solution.
A couple of questions for you
Will you be carrying lots of people on your pontoon?
Will it stay in the water most of the time or will it be on a trailer after use?

Boats with marine plywood decking are more structurally sound than those with aluminum decks. They just don't flex as much when bigger waves hit.

Aluminum is very expensive stuff. Plywood is cheaper and also easier to deal with. Building toons with aluminum decking is less labor intensive.

My old pontoon boat is a 1985 model, and the original plywood is perfectly good because it's been kept out of the weather. I once replaced the plywood on the back, beside the motor, and regular plywood only lasted about 8 years. Marine plywood is long lasting stuff vs regular plywood.

Underskinning is worthwhile on most boats. I don't know if an 18' boat with 40 hp is capable of splashing much of a wave under the boat--I might pass on underskinning it.

Sharkhide is a really thin protectant that fills the pores on aluminum and other metals. The biggest problem is getting all of the black aluminum oxide out of the nooks and crannies after polishing. When Sharkhide is applied, the oxide makes black streaks. The cleaning of the toons with lacquer thinner and massive amounts of manpower is required before applying Sharkhide.

I have read about metal polishing on car detailing web sites, and I've bought the Porter Cable Dual Action polisher. I can probably polish my boat yearly with much less effort than cleaning polished toons every 3 years enough to apply Sharkhide. I am glad that Bennington's applying Sharkhide as an option when the boat's being built--good thing.