SHARKHIDE Question ?

[RODACTION]

I have applied SHARKHIDE to the swim step of my NorthRiver it worked good. I now have the sides of my boat polished and are going to try it on the sides. Heres the question, is there a better way to apply it than what the directions say ? They say a clean soft cotton cloth in long strokes. Is that the way, or has anyone got a different way that worked better. Thanks alot, Ken. :cheers: I needed some of that after all the polishing..wwhheeww

[Jettin' Fool]

I just had my boat done...had to remove it twice because it looked horrible! :depressed: Get the softest/cleanest lint free cloth you can buy. Put the Sharkhide in a spray bottle and saturate the cloth to <font color="red"> Almost </font> dripping ... Now do 3 or 4' sections at a time in horizontal "waving" pattern and make sure to over lap the sections as you move down the boat.

My boat looked like a mirror before I put the Sharkhide on and now it has a haze to it. It still looks great on the water but it sure takes a lot of shine off the original polish.

One more tip...make sure you wipe the boat down with laquer thinner to remove all residue from the polishing job before you apply the Sharkhide.

Good Luck

Jfool

[Pete]

After polishing, the next step is to use an appropriate solvent (there are good suggestions in the instructions on the can and on the SharkHyde website). There are oils and other things in polish that will prevent the sharkhyde from adhering properly. When the solvent is completely evaporated, use clean rag (keep some extras handy) to apply a thin coat with long strokes. Choose a cool day so it doesn't dry too fast. Then go over it again with a second coat after the first coat has dried. I think the website suggests how long to wait. You'll be a little disappointed at losing the mirror shine from your fresh polish job, but your finish won't discolor over time and exposure to the elements.

[RODACTION]

Thanks alot Jett'in Fool, I have polished my boat alot. The shine stays good until it hits the salt water. I will polish it back up the next day, but then in a week or two..salt again. So I hope the S/H works. My goal is to get the S/H to go on smooth and not look like it was put on with a brush. Thanks for your tips. :cheers:

Also, what was it that made it look horrible ? The way it was put on ? I would think a guy would need alot of rags and alot of laquer thinner to remove it. What a pain in the.....#$% neck !

[Jettin' Fool]

It just looked streaky...it looks better now but still has the haze. I was just hoping to keep the mirror look it had before the SH. Dont get me wrong..it still looks good and hopefully will stay that way for months to come!

Jfool

[RODACTION]

That ya both very much. First light in the AM and the N/R gets a S/H bath. :smash: :smash: Get you shades out..You'll need them :laugh:

[Pete]

Cooler air temp and no direct sun lets the S/H take longer to cure, which gives it more chance to spread out, thus fewer streaks.

Be really careful about water as it will turn wet S/H white ... it only takes one drip of water to mess up a big area and it won't really show up until it starts to dry.

I like two thin coats as it's not easy to see the S/H as you put it on, so you may miss little spots that could show up after the aluminum discolors.

[kenai]

Where is sharkhide available at?

[Bait O' Eggs]

I am sure it can be had at several places, but I found it at Stevens in Milwaukie.

I used a soft cloth and applied in the long strokes like mentioned. After I got the big flat sides done, I was working around the cabin and went into a wet rag mode of wipe from any direction, it didnt seem to affect the application, it just dried up and dissappeared like the sides.

Directions say 36 - 72 hours between coats, or the second coat just disolves the first one.

I waited a couple weeks between coats :shrug: As I just couldnt find a dry day :wink:

A drop of water will make the stuff look all milky.

[SOL]

I had problems with it the first time, but while doing it I was trying to think of the best way to do it...

Has anybody every tried using a paint sprayer to apply thin coats? Thus eliminating streaks?

Obivously you would have to tape off the paint, windows, etc...

[timinthegorge]

And although uncomfortable.... USE a respirator for these applications.... Your lungs will serve you longer if you do.

Not that I know this from personal experience! :bigshock:

[John Lewis]

I was wondering the same thing so I tried this: I took about 4 old socks and some rubber gloves and went to work. I put two rubber gloves on my hand, then put the old sock on over the top of the gloves. I then applied a fairly generous amount of shark hide to the bottom side of my hand. I then walked the entire length of my boat (18ft), starting right underneath the paint. Then I repeated this process right underneath the first swipe, overlapping by about 2 inches. Doing the whole side pretty quickly to avoid drying. I did this to the entire side and was very happy with the results, so I finished the whole boat. The hardest part being the back(all the motors and transducers)it still dulls the shine a little, but the streaks are hardly there. Hope this helps and do the project in a well ventalated area :smile:

[Tall-tailer]

Used Sharkhide on my boat and my father in laws new boat a couple of weeks ago, found the best way for me was to use a Preval sprayer. It has a small 8 oz glass jar, that screws to a pressure spray can. Bottle with sprayer was around $6.00 and refill cans were about $3.00 apiece took two refill cans to do two full coats. Went real fast and no streaks. Still dulls the mirror shine. But it sure beads the water. You can buy Preval sprayers at most automotive stores that carry paint supplies.

[rv10pilot]

I sprayed it on. I tried using the rag but got streaks. So I removed the little section I did and bought a sprayer at Lowes. It worked great!. It made it the job quick, there were no streaks, and if you put it on light enough then no runs either. A day or so later (afetr 24 hour cure time) I went out and sprayed it again.

I think this is the best way to put it on.

Rv

[snit]

What kind of sprayer did you use? Like a pump up garden sprayer? High pressure? I'm always looking for an easier way! Thanks :cheers:

[rv10pilot]

It was a high pressure sprayer hooked up to an air compressor. I bought the sprayer a couple of months ago, right before Christmas, it was a package deal. It had 2 sprayers and all the equipment to take care of it. It cost me about $90.