Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I've gotten curious about this product since I've got a new Harris showing up in about a month or so. I like to keep my toys clean and looking good, and wonder if Sharkhide is worth the time and effort. My boat will also get used in salt water a good bit.

So I got curious and called the company and spoke to Clinton about his product. Very nice guy, btw.

Clinton strongly recommended an application of protectant before the boat hits the lake for the first time. Stains and corrosion never has a chance to contact the logs and they will look good, without polishing, as long as the product is reapplied ever few years. Clinton mentioned that doing this would aid in resale value years down the road preserving a like-new look. Good looking logs might be worth a couple extra thousand in sale price if I ever sold the boat.

If I do this, the marine dealer will have to do it since i'm a couple hours away. So, my question is: has anyone protected their new logs before first use? If so, how long is it lasting and is his claim valid? Do you think it's worth it?

I would not mind doing the work myself, but when we travel to the marina, that boat better be water ready because it is going to get wet for the weekend before it is hauled home. There is no problem in my doing all the work after I get the boat home, but Clinton says I will miss that "new" window before the boat ever hits the water to let the product do what intended.

All comments and ideas welcome!

Thanks,
Mike

I put Sharkhide on my Brand new South Bay last year before ever putting it in the water. The stuff is amazing. Simply use a terry cloth towel and wipe it on. No water lines or any marks whatsoever after a full season. Except that 2" spot I must have missed on the inside of one of the logs where you could see it starting to darken already. The product is amazing and you will have no regrets at all. Still looks like brand new. Now mine is only a year old but so far so good. i will probably reapply after this season just because Im OCD like that.

I applied Sharkhide in the stealership parking lot, about 10 mins after closing of the sale. I used a cloth diaper - less lint. Long, smooth strokes, barely overlapping. It's quite clear. You might miss a spot or ten. Oh, the missed spots will show, alright. It let's you know just how great this stuff is. Take your time with the application, but don't go too slow. It gets tacky quickly. After application, just wait about 20 mins, then hit the road. The stuff 'highway cured' in the 1.5 hours it took me to get home, pick up the wife and daughter, and get into the lake. I applied this to the nose cone, outside log, and rear of log.

Let's see... I think I'm into my 3rd year of the boat.... Only now considering cleaning my logs, but will probably wait one more season.

CERTAINLY worth it.

I waited 2 months after my Bennington was new to attempt to apply Sharkhide. Black oxide came off into the finish as my boat already was tarnishing. My dealer had kept the boat inside a dark warehouse--perfect conditions.

I polished the toons and cleaned the black oxide with a towel and lacquer cleaner. After working and working, I still got black oxide in the Sharkhide finish.

It is easier to polish the boat with a Dual Action Polisher at the start of the Summer, as I can do the job in maybe 90 minutes. It's a lot of less work than spending a whole day cleaning the toons with lacquer cleaner before applying Sharkhide.

Yeah I did on my new Tracker before I first put it in the water last year. lo still look new. My '06 Party Cruiser was bottom painted, but I did above the water line. Logs stayed bright for years.

I called my sales guy and he knew exactly what Sharkhide was and said they do it already for a couple of customers with great results. I gave him the order to apply it to mine before delivery.

Thanks for the comments and endorsement. I am used to caring for an all fiberglass center console, so this aluminum thing is expanding my learning curve! Love it!

I swear, it's going to be a long month till that boat is delivered. I'm so ready to get on the water!

zoom650 wrote:
I swear, it's going to be a long month till that boat is delivered. I'm so ready to get on the water!

Yep waiting till you can get your deck wet, always seems to long, our brothers up north feel your pain

Plus Clint is a valued member of this forum

I'm in the same situation: Waiting on mine to get built. Should be another week or two though. I definitely plan to Sharkhide mine as soon I get it. I'll go ahead and ask the stupid question: What about the bottom of the toons sitting on the trailer? I get that no one will ever really see that part but I am pretty detailed with my stuff and don't want to overlook anything.

If you put it where the bunks are, it'll just rub off.

cwag911 wrote:If you put it where the bunks are, it'll just rub off.

Kind of what I thought, like I said, had to ask the stupid question to make sure I wasn't overlooking something. Thanks!

After polishing, I taped a line down to the bunks, thats where I stopped. Love the Sharkhide, Its been on 2 pontoons I've owned. I treat all my bare aluminum in my shop and have even coated over painted surfaces.... My Trailer! Looks Brand new yet, never needs waxed.

And if you ever rub spots off and it oxides, you can clean it all off easily with lacquer thinner. You can use an aluminum brightener or polish them and reseal. I am polishing mine again right now. Looks much better than my first attempt.

Our 2003 is shiny like new, except in a couple of spots where the sharkshide got rubbed of on a tree that we were tied to.