SHARKHIDE Aluminum Hull Protectant

[t_birder]

Hi All,
First of all, I want to thank Pete for allowing me to join your board.
My name is Clint.

I've noticed lately a lot of incorect information floating around about SHARKHIDE's capabilities as well as how to apply and maintain it. If any one out there has any questions what so ever, I would be more than happy to try to answer them. Just post them here and I'll try to get an answer to you the same day. My goal is for every one to be 100% happy with SHARKHIDE.

Thanks for your time and I hope I can answer some questions.
Clint

[Jettin' Fool]

Welcome from a happy Sharkhide customer!
:wave:

JF

[JawHooker]

Welcome Clint,

I still owe you some photo's and my Sharkhide story. I can assure all that Clint is a stand up guy that truly wants everyone to be satisified with his product.

another satisfied customer
JawHooker

[t_birder]

Thanks Jett'in Fool. And thanks for the kind words JawHooker. I'm lookin forward to those pic's!
Clint

[Bait O' Eggs]

Let me play first

I got a new boat last November and planned on playing in the salt primarily and didnt want the dull oxidized look my last boat had. I wiped the boat down with laquer thinner, and applied sharkhide as best I could with the instructions. Making those left/right sweeping motions with a tad bit of overlap is easier said than done, as it was fairly warm the day I did it, and the sharkhide just dissapeared after a few seconds and I could not see where I had and had not been

I let it sit a week and applied a second coat hoping to hit any spots I had missed.

First I want to say I am really happy with the product. Where I did a good job the boat still has that new look.

I do want to ask you some questions, as I dont use boat bumpers When you have an Edwing boat, you do more damage to the dock, than the dock does to the boat

I have several spots on the side of the boat I assume are a result of the docks rubbing the sharkhide off the boat I just continually gets more and more "skuff" marks as I use the boat more. Can you confirm if the docks are creating this look on the side of my boat by removing the sharkhide?

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/shark1.jpg

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/shark21.jpg



I did not do the bottom side of the boat but where the front comes down there was not a good line to quit applying sharkhide so I just reached up under the boat and wiped till I figured I would not see the line. I missed a spot on one side which I have to be under the boat to see, it doesnt bother me, but I took a pic to show you what the boat would look like if I had not applied sharkhide. The straigth streaking lines on the bottom/left are a result of the boat bunks rubbing off the sharkhide, the blocky one is a miss on my part, :redface: and the dull area to the right/bottom are where I did not apply sharkhide it was beyond my quitting spot

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/shark3.jpg

I am sure some day I will want to pretty up my boat again and am curious if you have any suggestions on how to fix the dock rub marks on the side of the boat? I assume if I start polishing making the polished spots look like the rest of the boat, will require polishing the whole side or can a spot be done in the middle of the boat and then reapplied with sharkhide without having to do an entire panel of the boat?

Biggest mistake I made was not doing the inside of the cabin Crew comes in the cabin with wet salty rainpants and where there legs rub against the seat boxes, and where salt water has sprayed thru the windows from hitting swells a little to hard with the windows open I am getting that oxidized look. Polishing the inside of the cabin would be a real pain now, but it could have been done a lot easier when the boat was new.

The exterior of the cabin where it has not rubbed up against anything, still looks as good as the day I picked up the boat.

[t_birder]

Hey there Bait O' Eggs,
You have a tough one there. It's really hard to "spot match" a "mill finish" like you have now. The mill finish you have when a boat is new is a bi product of the manufacturing process at the aluminum mills. Once that finish is gone, there's no way in the world to duplicate it. All you can really do for now is wipe another coat of SHARKHIDE over the bad spots. This will lessen the contrast between the protected area and the scuffed off spots. It will also stop the bare spots from getting any worse. Then when your ready, I can help you remove the original coat of SHARKHIDE so you can acid etch the boat back to one uniform color. Then you can re seal it. You can also polish it at that time if your feeling energetic!. As far as te inside goes, I think I can help there. I did the inside of a Jon boat a few months ago. All I did was take some of my aluminum cleaner and put it in a trigger spray bottle. I climbed in the boat with the cleaner and a garden hose and started spraying it down. Once it foamed up and sat for a few minutes, i just rinsed it off with the hose, let it dry, coated with SHARKHIDE and sent him down the road. It really looked cool when we were done. If your interested, I'll post some before and after shots of what the cleaner does to the finish. That way there aren't any suprises.
I hope I was able to help a bit here.
And by the way, you guys have some really wicked looking fishing boats up there in the north west. These things look like there built like little battle ships!
Clint

[jet]

BOE's boat is built more like a tank, and kind of looks like one.

Jet~~~
My Alum boat looks like a thing of beauty, you know what they say about beauty.

[Blind Bobber]

Hi Clint
I have got mixed feelings on this product here so never made the investment. My Smokercraqft is 10 years old and the transom is discolored partly from the 2 stroke I asume. What would this product do for my boat? Is it a cleaner and a protedtant? Would it kill my factory decals? Thanks much for your time.
BLIND BOBBER

[t_birder]

Hey Blind Bobber,
It's way to late in your boats life to try to save it's mill finish, however at this point, you can use SHARKHIDE aluminum hull cleaner or an equivalent and acid atch the hull. This will remove all the dark streaks and stains and bring your hull back to one uniform color. That color will be sort of an off white. Not as good looking as the new mill finish was, but a whole lot better than it probably looks now. Then you can apply the SHARKHIDE metal protectant to keep it from getting bad again. As far as your decals go, as long as their a good grade vinal and not a cheap screen printed version, SHARKHIDE protectant will give them a rich, glossy look as well as keep them from dulling out and getting chalky.
I'm going to post a couple of pictures of what my cleaner does to the finish of the boat.
Hope I answered your question.
Clint

[t_birder]

I would like to post a couple of pictures on here, could any one lend a hand?

[Hooked on Fish]

Welcome Clint,

I've got a 97 Thunderjet. It had a scum line. THis past weekend I used Starbrite Aluminum Cleaner. Now I have the coolest (kidding) zebra pattern. Can you help me get a uniform look?

Also, I buffed a little, dang hard work, would your sharkhide do me any good now? I'm planning on taking the sled to the ocean crabbing later this month. Will it protect against the effects of salt water?

[Paddler]

I just got my new Hewescraft 200 Searunner. I had Sharkhide put on at the factory, but they only do the sides, not the bottom. Is it worthwhile doing the bottom? I want to keep it looking great, and also want to reduce drag. Can your product do these things?

[Bait O' Eggs]

T-birder - email me the pics and I will post them for you

baitoeggs@hotmail.com

[t_birder]

Hey there Hooked,
Starbrite like almost every cleaner/brightner out there is acid based. And if I can picture what happened to your boat (etched it around the area you tried to clean), about all you can do is acid wash the entire hull. Then to keep it from ever getting a scum line, or any kind of staining again, just apply a couple of coats of SHARKHIDE. SHARKHIDE with out a doubt will protect it from salt water as well as fresh water.
With the help of a kind member of the forum, I'll try to post some pic's of a boat I did a couple of months ago.
Best of luck on the boat,
Clint

[t_birder]

Hi Paddler,
Your boats are a lot different than the pontoons and things I do around here. You can see a bunch of the hull when it's on the trailer. If it were my boat, I would definatly take the time to do the bottom. Bait o'Eggs posted some really good pictures of what it looks like where he didn't wipe the SHARKHIDE. I would take the time to get a creeper and do everything thats visible. But don't wory about where the hull sits on the bunks. You cant see it when it's on the trailer, and same when it's in the water.The bunks would just scrub the SHARKHIDE off any way. While I was at it, I'ld hit the rest of the hull again just for piece of mind. Dave Hewes is a great guy, and is truley concerned his customers are happy. But in the very unlikley event they missed a spot, it would be to late when you finally did spot it.
As far as less drag goes, I honestly can't say one way or the other. It would be nice if it did, but I wouldn't want to miss lead or lie to you. I will tell you this much, the women just to go wild over the guys that use SHARKHIDE.....HONEST!!
Good luck on the bottom,
Clint

[Bait O' Eggs]

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/115.jpg

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/28.jpg

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/38.jpg

[t_birder]

Hello again,
We can all thank Bait O'Eggs for posting the pic's of the pontoon boat cleaning job.
As viewed from the bottom up, this is what this guys boat looked like when we started. A far cry from the new mill finish it had when new.
The middle picture shows the sharp contrast between the stained side and where we used the SHARKHIDE aluminum hull cleaner. This is strictly a spray on, rinse off process. I didn't touch the surface at all.
The top photo is after the cleaner and then I put a couple of coats of SHARKHIDE aluminum hull protectant on. Although it looks dull from this angle, look close and you can see the detail in the reflection of the diamond plate on top of the fenders. This boat has loged many hours this summer and the owner allowed me to leave a small spot unprotected by the rear boarding ladder. As soon as I can, I'm going to go and snap a few pics of the differance between the plain, and protected surfaces.
This process is what I had in mind for the inside of Bait O'Eggs boat. A by product of acid washing your boat like this is that it is much easyer to polish as well.
Again, many thanks to Bait O'Eggs for his help.
Clint

[ripnlips]

Just put two coats on my new North River a week ago. Hasn't been in the water yet. When I get it in the water and see spots that we missed, what would you recommend we do to coat the spots we missed? Thanks to my friend Sturgeonator for his help. Boat looks good sitting in a driveway. Had to give it back to the dealer to add a few goodies. We'll have it in the river for the first time this Friday. 20 foot Seahawk. Can't wait.

[t_birder]

Hey ripinlips,
Glad to hear you coated it before the first outing. In an ideal situation, you have enough SHARKHIDE and enough time to get another complete coat on your boat. The layers are so thin that unlike paint, you cant get too much on. If you are able to get another coat on now, be sure to start in a different area of the boat than you did before. this will help make sure you won't niss any of the same spots again.
If for some reason you can't do the extra coat, then as soon as you get your boat out of the water, take a chamoise and wipe it down and look for any discolored areas. With the super clean water you all run in, it may take a few times out. But if you do find a spot that's changing in color or finish, all you have to do is be sure it's wiped clean and dry,(no sanding or scuffing necessary) then slowly swipe a coat of SHARKHIDE or two over just that area. SHARKHIDE is self etching, meaning it will melt itself into the surrounding layers without leaving and edge to peel away like paint can.
Best of luck on your first trip,
Clint

[zipper]

what does your cleaner do to paint? thanks! :cheers: zip

[t_birder]

Hey zipper,
SHARKHIDE aluminum cleaner won't hurt your paint at all. We've been using it for many years now, and to date, I've never had a problem, nor has a customer informed me of a problem. But to be sure, I allways tell my guys to try a small spot first. Better safe than sorry.
If your paint is dead and chalky, you can wipe SHARKHIDE protectant on it and it will bring back a rich wet look on the finnish that wont turn dull again. The protectant is UV resistant as well as resistant to fresh, and salt water.
Hope this helps.
Clint

[Pete]

I put a double coat on my boat before she ever got wet. I've noticed lately (3rd season since application) that wipe marks are becoming visible. I guess it's time for another treatment. What's the normal life expectancy of a Sharkhide treatment? Should I plan to reapply annually, to avoid letting it get too thin?

[t_birder]

Hey Pete,
Sorry, there is no "Normal Life Expectancy" for SHARKHIDE.
How's that for avoiding a tough question! Just kidding. SHARKHIDE can be expected to last as little as one year, or I've seen it in use for as many as eight and still counting. What I'm trying to say is there are too many variables to throw a date out there. That would just be too missleading.
Here are a few things you can do to get the most out of each application.
#1: Use a "white cotton baby diaper". Not any thing with a texture. And be sure to fold the diaper very neatly, not balled up like a rag.
#2 The cooller the temprature the better (smoother) the finish.
#3 Do at least two coats.
#4 Let the SHARKHIDE fully cure (different than dry time) before second coat.

These few things will help get the most protection from your SHARKHIDE.
I reapply on my stuff every year or two just to make sure it's not wearing too thin. Thats a lot cheaper and easier than fixing the dammage after it's worn through.
I hope this helps. Let me know if I can help in any way.
Clint

[ripnlips]

T-birder...once we have it on (2 coats), what type of cleaner should we use to get the Willamette River scum line off it? Had the inaugural ride Saturday and the Willy left a line on it after only an hour or two. I don't want to use anything abrasive on the Sharkhide but what kind of cleaner and method would you recommend?

[t_birder]

Hey ripnlips,
The best way I've found to maintain my SHARKHIDE finish is I wipe it down with a damp towel when I pull it out of the water. The scum line and such is still wet and easy to wipe off. Don't panic if you just cant do it every time, but it is the best time to clean that junk off. Then once in a while I scrub it down with hot soapy water and rinse it down. Just like the finish on your car.
But a bit of warning, don't EVER use a wax or a polish on the finish. The petroliums and the other things in polishes will desolve the SHARKHIDE.
Clint

[ripnlips]

Thanks. I appreciate your presence on this forum. Tell me I didn't screw up by using a medium bristle scrub brush with water. Hope I didn't mess up.

[hot wire]

Just ordered a new boat from Hewescraft and I am getting the hull protected with Sharkhide. Looks like I may still need to apply some additional coats....as Ripnlips questioned, I too am wondering if an RV style soft brush and good old Dawn or Joy would be a good between application cleaner...?

Thanks for giving us all the support you've already provided. :applause:

Tom

[t_birder]

Hey there HewsFisher,
Congratulations on the new boat!
I wouldn't say you "need" to recoat your boat when you get it, but that wouldn't do any harm at all. If you've read some of these other posts, you'll notice people mention seeing "spots they missed" when they did their own boats. Dave Hewes is one of the coolest guys I've ever had the pleasure to work with and both he and his crew try their very best to do a perfect job, but because SHARKHIDE is clear, it's so easy to occasionally miss a spot or two. So if you don't end up doing one more coat when you get it, be sure to watch your hull VERY CLOSE for darkening spots after the first few times out.
And like I mentioned to ripnlips, a mild soap and water mixture is ok, but I would trade in the brush for a scrub mit instead. Just keep this in mind, if you wipe it down with a damp towell when you pull it out, you won't have to scrub it later.
Have fun in the new boat,
Clint

[t_birder]

Hey ripnlips,
Thanks for the kind words. I'm tickled to death to even be on this forum. You should really thank Pete (site Admin) for allowing me to hang around.

I want you to fully understand them and be happy with the products. I wouldn't have given out my home number for the last fifteen years if I wasn't serious about taking care of my customers.
Sorry, didn't intend to get on my soap box, I'll quit.
Now to the real question. As far as "screwing up" goes, no real harm done, but I would trade in the scrub brush for one of those shag carpet looking scrub mitts. Think of your SHARKHIDE finish the same you would your car's finish. Treat them the same and you'll be fine.
Clint

[ripnlips]

Thanks again. Your presence here is relieving a lot of minds for people dealing with a product that we've had no experience with. Hope you and all I Fishers have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

[bluebackbil]

Clint:
I have a 20' Thunderjet that I would like to sharkhide. I talked to the guys at riverview marine (customweld boats) and they told me to scotchbright the boat first. My question is, can I apply sharkhide in cold weather and will it protect my boat against corrosion caused by the de-icer magnesium chloride?
Thanks
Bill

[BARCHASER]

T birder, I purchased a new NR Seahawk in July and applied two coats of Sharkhide before I put it in the water. Used it several times since and it still looks real good. I intend to moor it on the lower Willy for springers for three months. I've never moored a boat for that long before and I'm a little worried about tarnishing the hull. Should I throw on a couple more coats? Do I just use the same method I used when new? That is, I applied it with a clean towel in long strokes and it went on well. I assume I dont need to clean it with lacquer thinner again.

[t_birder]

Hey Ripnlips,
Again, thanks for the kind words.
As far as my "presence here" goes, in the fifteen years or so I've sold my product,(and tried to get to folks to explain how it works)this is one of the ONLY sites I've found that the the administrator allowed it, and the people on the site had real life questions.
I know how well SHARKHIDE works, and (as a boater not a business man)to be able to share it with you guys means the world to me.
Hope all of you have a happy Turkey day as well.
Clint

[t_birder]

Hey Bluebackbil,
This is a bit touchy because I'm not sure why the guys told you to scotch-Brite the surface first. I do it to get a real soft shine (like burnished stainless) on a hull after I use my aluminum cleaner, not so muct to get the SHARKHIDE to stick. Assuming it's new, just scrub it first with a hot, sudsey soloution (same as youl'd use on your car) to be sure it's clean, then (when dry) apply a couple of good coats of SHARKHIDE.
As far as the magnesium chloride goes, I've got SHARKHIDE on over the road trucks, tankers, camper trailers, countless wheels and diamond plate stuff that runs through it every day, and so far, (knock on wood) not one complaint!
And as far as temperature goes, the colder the better! SHARKHIDE dries to the touch (60 to 90 sec. @ 70 deg F)so fast, when it's cold, it has time to flow out before it dries giving you a smoother finish.
Hope all this makes sense.
Happy T-day,
Clint

[t_birder]

Hey BARCHASER,
How long will my SHARKHIDE last? That's the "Million Dollar Question"!!! SHARKHIDE (on a boat that's trailered, or stays on a lift when not in use) can last many, many years without wearing through. But on a boat that sets in the water for long periods of time, it's hard to predict the life of the coating. On a body of water that has very agressive marine growth,(algae and such)it may last only a month or so, but in better water conditions, it's lasted up to a couple of years without wearing through. I truley wish I could give you a better answer, but I'ld rather tell you something you don't want to hear than something thats wrong.
As far as a couple more coats go, you know the old saying, "You can never be too rich, or too thin, or have too many coats of SHARKHIDE"!! Well, I wish that's how the old saying went.
Any way, put a couple of more good coats on,(and you're right, no more thinner, and use the same methode when it was new) and keep a close eye on it. Don't let it wear through.
Best of luck and have a good time,
Clint

[BrianH]

Hi ya T_birder,
So far I've been a very happy user of your product. First boat bought back in April and it still looks good thanks to Sharkhide.

I only did 1 coat and am now thinking after reading these posts that I should do another. Is there a low temperature that becomes too low to apply Sharkhide?

Best,

BrianH.

[t_birder]

Hi ya Brian,
When I say "the cooler the better", it really depends on how low you can go!. SHARKHIDE will dry at any temprature. It just takes longer the colder it is, but you have a much better chance of a perfectly smooth finish that way. I've actually applied it outside in a driveway when it was in the upper twenties and it came out great!
As far as the two (or three, or four) coats goes, I would do it without a doubt. We do this for two main reasons. Number one, if you were to happen to miss a spot on your first coat, by applying a second coat, you will almost for sure NOT miss that same spot again. The second reason is if you let SHARKHIDE fully cure, (different than dry time)you will get the benefit of multiple layers. That means it's a longer period of time before it begins to wear through at its thinnest spot.
If you do decide to do a second coat now, you don't have to do any thing special at all. Just scrub the boat down real good with hot soapy water, and wipe your other coats on. SHARKHIDE is "self etching" so it will literally "melt" itself into any previous coats.
Good luck,
Clint

[5-Salt Fever]

Have it polished by a good polisher. see below before and after pics. Cost for entire hull was 350.00 and worth every dime. The gentleman who did mine recommended against sharkhide as fuel spills will turn it yellow. Simply rinse after every use and have it polished every 1-2 years to keep her looking sweet.

You can get that new shine back with right proceedure and polish products and she sure washes up a lot easier.

Before:
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/5221Before.jpg

After:
http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/5221After.jpg

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/medium/5221PC182007.JPG

[t_birder]

Hey 5-Salt,
Your friend is correct when he said it can discolor when you pour fuel on it. Obviously, the object would be try not to pour fuel over the outside of your boat. But for some reason this happens, you can easyly repair it by wiping the stain off with thinner, then simply swipe a fresh coat of SHARKHIDE over the spot. Since SHARKHIDE is self etching, it will blend in smoothly with the surrounding coat.
It looks like your guy does some FANTASTIC polish work! Is there a way I could get in touch with him? I'm going to be polishing a pontoon boat in the not to distant future and I hope he would be willing to share a couple tips.
Clint

[bluebackbil]

Clint:
I went down to riverview marine and bought a can of sharkhide. The salesman didn't know how much surface area one can would cover and it didn't say on the can. will one can work for my boat? also, they said to wash the boat down with an acid based aluminum cleaner. what type of cleaner do you reccomend? the boat is 2 years old and has only been in fresh water
thanks
Bill

[Bait O' Eggs]

bluebackbil - The boat in the first pic is 23 feet and I covered the entire outside of the boat including the cabin, and the insides of boat behind the cabin and used a can and a half for 2 full coats. I had problems trying to figure out how much to buy so I bought 2 cans and could have probably done it with one can.

Wish I would have used boat bumpers :depressed:

And the other side of the boat is all yellow where the gasoline has burped over the side of the boat as mentioned above. :depressed:

[bluebackbil]

Bait O' Eggs
Thanks- one can should be enough. any rec's for an acid based aluminum cleaner?
bluebackbil

[t_birder]

Hey Bill,
The coverage varries a bit with SHARKHIDE, but under normal application conditions, one can should be enough. Two cans however, should give you enough for two (or more) good coats on your boat with moore than enough left over to do touch ups for years down the road. I've not mentioned in any other post's, but SHARKHIDE will keep forever in it's can. As long as you keep the lid on it will never go bad.
As far as the cleaner goes, if your boats current finish isn't worth saving, meaning streaks, stains, etc., I would acid clean it to bring the hull back to one uniform finish, then apply (at least two)coats of SHARKHIDE aluminum hull protectant. If you would, go back to the first page of this topic and you will see what SHARKHIDE aluminum hull cleaner does to the finish. If this is what your'e after, let me know (IM me) and I'll tell you how to find it.
Hope this helps,
Clint

[bluebackbil]

Cint:
After viewing the pics of the pontoon, I noticed that the boat looks white. Does the acid wash do this?

[t_birder]

Hey blueback,
You're correct. Any (good)acid based aluminum cleaner will leave the aluminum an off white like you saw in the pictures I posted. If you'll notice what it looked like before, the owner was tickled to death to get it back to any kind of uniform finish. We coated the boat with SHARKHIDE metal protectant after the acid wash and thats the way the boat looks today. This type of finish (acid washed) is also a lot easier to polish than one thats not been cleaned before.
Clint

[hetchy]

Hi Clint
I'm new on this site,just recieved my acceptance email,and I'm happy to see this forum on Sharkhide going on since I have had two cans of it and a can of the alumimum cleaner in my garage now for a few months but wasn't sure how to do it. I have a 05 Duckworth that is really stained from lots of use at Pyramid Lake in Nevada. The water there is salty with a high mineral content and the dry desert heat really bakes it on. There is also no where to wash your boat off there. I like the highly polished look so I tried some Mothers Mag Wheel polish and with a fair amount of elbow grease and lots of rags I can acheive pretty close to the factory polish. My question is, after I polish it with the Mothers how do I get the Mothers residue off before using the Sharkhide. I am hesitant to use the cleaner because I don't want that off white look. Any ideas?
I'm new to this site so I know I need to do a fish story. I'm going to Lake Tahoe this weekend if its not snowing to bad so I'll report on that. I know most of the fisherman here are from the Northwest but most people like Tahoe for a variety of reasons.
Thanks Bob

[t_birder]

Hey hetchy,
Good questions. I don't think we hit on thess yet.
Before you start polishing, Hit a small area of your boat with the SHARKHIDE aluminum hull cleaner. I know this will etch it white, but I've found that if I do this step first, I have a lot easier time with the polish. It may not hold true on the alloys used in your boat, but it's worth a try.
After you're done polishing your boat, this next step is A MUST! It's NOT an option. Get a few rolls of the blue automotive type paper towels and a can of either LACQUER THINNER or ACETONE. No substitutes! Pull off two or three towels, loosly ball them up and saturate them with your thinner or acetone. Start SCRUBBING in large circular motions. As soon as the towels turn black, flip them over and keep scrubbing. When that side turns black, throw them away and grab a few new ones. Repeat this process all the way around the boat untill no more black comes off any where. Once this is done, buff off any haze or chaulky residue thats left and you're ready to apply your SHARKHIDE.
The reason we do this is although your hull looks clean, all that black goo and grime you were pushing around when you were polishing gets packed into the pore's of the metal. There's also a layer of polish residue left on the surface. Then when you apply your SHARKHIDE, the solvents used in the formula actually disolve and try to lift the grime, but instead of wiping it away on the towels, it is suspended in the layer of SHARKHIDE and makes it look streaky and milky. In some cases you may not notice the streaks, but the SHARKHIDE has attached itself to the poolish residue and not the aluminum. When this happens, the SHARKHIDE will come off in patches as the film (wax,polish,oils,etc.)breaks down and desolves.
Stick to these steps and your SHARKHIDE hull protectant WILL NOT come out streaky,or flake off.
Good luck,
Clint

[hetchy]

Thanks Clint for that much needed advice. One other thing, I'm sure its on the can but since I'm on here. What about the temperatures during application? Once I find that out all I need to do is keep my boat out of the water long enough to do the project. January for sure.
Take care Bob

[t_birder]

Hey Bob,
When it comes to applying, the cooler the better. If you can handle 30 or 40 degrees, you'll find that you get a smoother finish than at 80 deg. SHARKHIDE dries to the touch in 60 to 90 seconds @ 70+ deg. So if you have any ridges in the finish do to a fold in the cloth or something like that, it has a chance of drying into the finish. At cooler temps, the SHARKHIDE has lots of time to flow out flat before it dries. Now the dry time may be 2 or 3 minutes. Not that you can't apply it during the summer months, it just takes a little bit of practice to get it as smooth as when it's applied in cooler weather.
Hope this helps,
Clint

[hetchy]

Morning Clint

Thats good new about the cooler temp. So it will be a good Jan. project. I'll take before and after photos and post them on this forum. Also I found some really good terry cloth rags at Target. You get a whole bunch of them for a decent price. Make good general boat rags to. I always keep a few of them under the seat. They are rough so would not be good for the actual application of the product I don't think but are great for polishing. From the experimenting I have done so far it takes a whole bunch of rags to polish since they turn black quickly and at that point just start pushing the stuff around. What is the best sort of cloth for the application of the Sharkhide?

Thanks Bob

[t_birder]

Hey hetchey,
You will want to use a "WHITE COTTON BABY DIAPER" (you can still find them at Wally World) and fold into a nice thick pad (sharp square edges) about the size of a dish sponge. Completely satureate the cloth before you start, ALMOST to the point of dripping. Then off you go! Just follow the instruction sheet I put in your packing slip envelope. What ever you do, DON'T use any thing with a texture, dyed colors or lint. It really messes up your job.
Clint

[BrianH]

Clint,
Sent you a PM - your e-mail address bounced.

BrianH.

[t_birder]

willtofish posted this question,

My sled has 2 years on the 2 coat original sharkhide
application. Still looks good except for some rub marks.
Can I wash boat and apply 2 more coats on the whole boat without stripping the old sharkhide off?

Thanks!

[t_birder]

Hey willtofish,
Thats the exact method to re-coating your boat.
Use a hot soapy water solution and scrub it down. Make shure the boat is completely dry before you apply the SHARKHIDE. Since SHARKHIDE is self etching (melts into the previous coat) you don't have to do any sanding or blending. Just be shure to use a white cotton baby diaper folded into a nice square pad, saturate it completely with SHARKHIDE and swipe it on per the instructions. Remember, the cooler the day, the better the finish will be when you're done.
It's a good idea to keep your extra SHARKHIDE (SHARKHIDE will keep forever in the can) and a couple of cloth's in a gallon ziplock bag under the seat. That way if you ever find that you've rubed up against a dock or something and you suspect you've groung the SHARKHIDE off, you simply swipe another coat on right there without letting the hull darken in that spot.
Good luck on the new coats.
Clint

[Eaglecap]

Hey Clint:

Just bought a new North River boat and plan on putting SHARKHIDE on it after reading all of the articals.
This boat has only seen water once by the factory for a brief test run.
My first question is in regards to cleaning. Would you use soap and water or accetone if you were doing it?
If accetone is used i am assuming to not touch the paint at all? How close would you get? If a small area is left next to the paint un cleaned will it look different or do i need to worry about it sticking as well?
Once cleaned it sounds as if it's ok to put sharkhide over the paint also?
Also how long between coats?

Sounds like great stuff. Glad i got a tip from Bait o eggs.

Thanks again,

Jack

[t_birder]

Hey Jack,
First of all, I'm sorry for the slow response. I have both parents in the hospital and computer time is kind of hard to come by.
You have a good question here. A hot soap and water mixture is perfect to prep your boat. Just be shure it's bone dry when you apply your SHARKHIDE. It also helps to do it in very cool weather. You will end up with a smoother finish that way. We only need to use Acitone or Lacquer Thinner to clean off any polish residue, wax, or oils that may be on the hull. In your case I don't think you should worrie.
You should be able to wipe right up to the paint without a problem. Some goys wipe over paint and all when they apply. If you're going to do this, I would test a small spot first.
And as far as time between coats, the longer you let it set and cure, the better your second coat will go on. SHARKHIDE dries to the touch in just a few seconds, but let it set for at least a day before the second coat. That should work fine for you.
Good luck on the new boat.
Clint

[Eaglecap]

Thanks Clint,

I appreciate the information.

Sorry to hear your parrents are in the hospital. Hope they are ok!!!

I will let you know how my sharkhide project turns out.
Thanks again,
Jack

[t_birder]

Hey Jack,
It's my pleasure, and thanks for your concern about my parents.
Clint

[toddsnorthriver]

Hey Clint,
I've been looking for some advice on how to clean up my boat so that it will look like it did when I first brought it home. I bought a North River last year and had every entention on putting a protective covering on it like the Sharkhide talked about on this thread. My problem is that I was too ancious to take the time to do it and rushed it right into the water, salt water at that. This is where my problems is. I've tried Toon Brite and all the other aluminum cleaners and haven't found a product that cleans and polishes. I even have a 8" variable speed car buffer, still no walk in the park. Can you recomend a product to bring the shine back to the aluminum so that I can put the sharkskin on. Thanks, Todd

[GSD]

(Non sponsor link removed

OOPS! I thought he was a sponsor? :redface:
My Bad.
:bowdown:

William

[t_birder]

Hey Todd,
This is a bad situation to be in. Unfortunatly, there's not a product in the world (to my knowledge) that you just spray on and get a shine. If you want a shine, there's one thing and one thing only, and thats a TON of elbow grease!In a case like yours, I'ld first clean the hull with my aluminum cleaner. This will remove all the old stains and oxydation and leave it a bleached, off white look. That will be that much less crud to remove when you start the next step. Oh and this step is a dandy! Get youself a high quality polish, plenty of pads for your buffer and go at it. The shiny mill finish that you had when the boat was new is gone forever. And to get any kind of decent shine you have to polish it. Once you're done, Scub the hull down real good with Lacquer thinner or Acitone before you apply the SHARKHIDE. this step is very easy, but it's a must before you apply your SHARKHIDE. Its a lot of work, but well worth it in the end.
Best of luck on the polish job,
Clint

[t_birder]

Non sponsor link removed

[toddsnorthriver]

Hi Clint,
I was afraid of that. I used the aluminum cleaner that come with the toon brite. It turned the hull completely white like you mentioned. The polish that came with it wasn't very impressive. I purchased some polish from my North River dealer and it worked prety well but like you said lots of elbow grease. I'm still considering a elbow replacment. What polish would you recomend at this point? I'm going to use an aluminum cleaner again. I'm really considering paying someone to do it this time. Thanks, Todd

[gksportsnut]

Hi Clint, I own a 2003 Hewescraft and have successfully applied sharkhide to the outside hull. The inside is Zolotone with no clear coat. I was wondering if sharkhide would be an effectice clearcoat substitute to reduce the staining of the zolotone paint and also provide a little sheen. Please let me know what you think. George

[BARCHASER]

I put Sharkhide on my new NR last year. I put it on before I ever put it in the water. But I'm going to moor it for Springers so I thought I'd add another coat. But I went to Three Rivers Marine in Woodinville, and they dont have any Sharkhide.

Their story is that Sharkhide isnt going to ship any more product until after the Portland Boat Show.

Say what? What gives? I'd like to apply it and give the new coat a little time to cure before I put it in the water.

[t_birder]

Hey George,
I have to "fess up" and say I don't know any thing about Zolotone paint. I can tell you we often use SHARKHIDE over old dead chalky paint to give it a shine as well as keeping the "ckalk" from rubbing off on you. It does a great job for that, but I would tell you to try a very small out of the way spot first since I'm not farmiliar with what you have on your boat. Sorry for the vague answer.
Clint

[toddsnorthriver]

Hi Clint,
Well I finally got my boat all polished up, I'm sure my airbuffer is glad I'm done also, and I'm ready to put on the sharkhide. My question is do I just wipe the bare aluminum down with a cloth rag and paint thinner or is there going to be more buffing involved (please say no). Also will one can (quart)be enough to put a full coat on my 21 boat? Or should I put two coats on, I'm guessing two cans for two coats? Thanks. Todd

[t_birder]

Hey Todd,
Relax guy, the worst is over! LOL.
You will need to "scrub" the boat down with either Lacquer Thinner or Acitone. PLEASE don't try any thing else. Get a couple of rolls of the blue atomotive type paper towels from Wally World, ball up a couple at a time and soak them in thinner. Then scrub in a area untill they turn black, flip em over and keek scrubbing untill it turns black again, then throw them down and grab a few new ones. Repeat this all the way around the boat untill you get no more black off the hull. once this is done, lightly buff the haze off and apply your SHARKHIDE.
One quart should be enough, but two will be enough to put two real good coats on and still leave enough to do touch ups for years to come. SHARKHIDE keeps forever in the can, so you don't have to use it all up right away.
Best of luck ,
Clint

[Chrome Bumper]

T-birder, drop me a line, I have a 32' kvichek that needs some work

[t_birder]

Hey there C.B.,
I have to admit I don't know what that is, but at 32'I do know you have a lot of it!
What exactly do you need to do to it?
I'll be more than happy to help if I can.
Clint

[Chrome Bumper]

Its a 3 year old boat, twin diesels, v hull personnel launch. We want to clean it and preserve the finish. We do not want to set a precedent of using an acidic cleaner, as the operators tend to be, forgive me, ham fisted. It spends maybe two weeks total a year in the water but still gets weathered, water spotted and stained hanging on the side of our ship in the salt spray and diesel exhaust.

Looking for a cleaner or cleaner wax to buff it with and maybe a coating of sharkhide. I emailed you my phone #.

The boat operators have a low speed anlge buffer thing and would be doing the work. Doesn't need a mirror shine but needs to look presentable when we haul guests.

We have had it buffed clean a couple of times, but would like to reduce the labor involved. Any ideas?? And yes it does have a lot of surface area. The boat is in NW Portland. We want a 25 year minimum service life on the boat, but no paint.

[t_birder]

Hey C.B.,
Since the boat is only a few years old, I'm going to assume there is still might be a nice enough finish left that you wouldn't want to completely acid etch (look at the Play Craft pontoon we did on the first page of this thread)the hull. With a good "High Quality" aluminum cleaner, you can dilute it way down to 30 or 40 to 1 and get the hull to a uniform finish without the "bleaching effect" that a strong cleaner will leave. It will be slightly flatter than a new mill finish but it still maintains a bit of a natural shine without having to polish. This may better suit your taste in a finish. Once I get your phone number, I'll call you for more details on what you want the completed job to look like.
But once you have it looking correct, apply a couple of good coats of SHARKHIDE and you won't be getting those spots and streaks you get now when in use. Your maintainance from now on will consist of wipeing off water spots and streaks with a wet towell and every couple of years, re applying a new coat of SHARKHIDE. It's self etching so you won't have to strip or sand off any previous coats.
I hope this helps, and I'll be in touch.
Clint

[Chrome Bumper]

Please use my personal cell ##########. The boat manufacture (architect) recommended your product. I am thinking weak acid wash, polish, solvent wash, sharkhide. Who sells the consumable products for this evolution??? Have heard many horror stories of al hulls ruined by work gone bad. Having spent over 1/2 a mill on this launch, and expecting to look at it for a quarter of a century, your experience will be appreciated.

[t_birder]

Hey CB,
That combination should work well. It's time consuming and a little touchy doing a mild etch rather than a stong mixture and bleaching it. But it's worth a try first. If you can't get the finish you want with a mild mixture of cleaner, then I've had good luck with a strong mixture, etch the hull white, and then try the polish. I've had a easyer time polishing an etched finish than non etched. For some reason, the polish seems to cut faster.
Then your right in scrubbing the boat down with Lacquer thinner or Acitone before the SHARKHIDE metal protectant goes on.
I would love to see a picture of this project.
Best of luck,
Clint

[Dave White]

I just had a clear 9mm bra applied to the first 5ft (back to the scuppers)of bow, from the gunnel down to the chine on a new Seahawk. Do you think Sharkhide will harm this material? I'm told the bra material has been applied to helicopter blades to reduce abrasion in sand abrasive conditions. I do not know the brand of the clear film as of this note.

[greenbuttskunk]

I supply the clear hull protectant film and do custom applications. I would not recommend applying sharkhide over this. It's a flexible vinyl product so the two together may cause problems. Mfg. of sharkhide may know for sure. I would just apply it up to the edge of the clear.
GBS

[t_birder]

Hey Dave,
I'm here in the Mid West, and as of yet, we don't have any of the film coatings you guys use out west. If I were you I would still SHARKHIDE the boat, but try not to wipe over the film you have on the bow. I wouldn't think you would benefit from coating over it any way.
You can safely apply SHARKHIDE over just about any high quality vinal decals or stripes without any problems, but over the years I have run into some cheaper stuff that the color wants to smear. When I encounter this kind of thing, I first wipe about a six inch wide swipe of SHARKHIDE right up against the edge of the vinal stripe. Then I go back to the normal application pattern. But instead of wiping onto the vinal, I terminate each swipe on the six inch border I've put down next to the stripe.
Sorry if this doesn't make any sense. I wrote it and I can't understand it! I'll also IM you with my phone#. Give me a ring any time if I can help clerify this response.LOL.
Clint

[t_birder]

Hey there GBS,
I agree with you 100% about not applying over the film. SHARKHIDE is a "Metal Protectant" and a person would not benefit by applying over a "film" coating.
But just to clerify a bit on the "Flexibility" of SHARKHIDE.
For the "technical" types out there, SHARKHIDE was tested at "1/8 mandrell,no fracture". For the rest of us, if you want to check how flexible SHARKHIDE is, take a piece of aluminum foil, swipe a coat of SHARKHIDE on then let it dry.
Next, wadd up the foil in a loose ball (not too tight or you'll tear it during the next step), then slowly flatten it back out. You will not find a single crack or flake. Can't get much more flexible than that!
Hope this helps.
Clint

[Dave White]

Thanks for the feedback and wisdom on applying the Sharkhide.

Where can I obtain the Sharkhide in the Portland, OR area?

Regards, Dave

[t_birder]

Hey Dave,
My pleasure. Hope I was of some assistance.
Clint

[fish_on]

What about applying it to polished chrome trim? Also can it be applied using a air paint sprayer?

[t_birder]

Hey there fish_on,
Yes you can apply SHARKHIDE over chrome. We've been putting it on big truck bumpers and such for a long while now to keep the chiped spots from rusting. It might help if you give me a bit more information on what you have in mind.
As far as spraying goes, I don't have the hands on with the gun like you may have so I can't give you much detail, but we do have lots and lots of guys spraying it on. Remember, the cooler the temperature, the slower it dries, and the better finish you will get.
Hope this helps,
Clint

[ripthevolcano]

Hey T_Birder, I am planning on having my boat hull polished and then do the laquer thinner thing then 2 coats of sharkhide. I live in Central Oregon and wish to do the first coat at the detail shop outside. Let dry for a few hours then drag home on a dry day. If I wait 5 days for the next coat in the driveway it will probably have a lot of dust collected. What do you recomend to get the dust off for the second coat? It's pretty dusty over here and will probably have some precipitation between as well. Ideas?

[t_birder]

Hey rip,
Remember to do a very thorough job when you scrub the boat with thinner. If you don't, it can leave streaks in the finish and even worse, the SHARKHIDE can't penetrate the residue film and it could come off in patches.
It's fine to apply the SHARKHIDE outside, but don't apply when it's too windy or raining. And the COOLER the temp the better the finish. You can apply when it's twenty or thirty deg if you want. SHARKHIDE can some times leave a slight rainbow effect over polished finishes, but it's a lot less noticable if you use a cotton baby diaper (folded very neatly to about 4"x6") to apply, and do it on a cool day. It will all but vanish with your second coat.
When you're ready for your second coat, just rinse the dirt and dust off with the hose and wipe it down with a chamoise. After its completely dry, wipe on your last coat. Be sure your cloth stays very wet and swipe the SHARKHIDE on at a pretty quick rate and that should leave a nice smooth finish.
You don't have to worrie about rain or any thing during the week at all.
You have the right idea on coating your boat. Just be sure to follow these basic steps and you'll end up with a great job.
Best of luck to you,
Clint

[troutfinder]

t-birder, I was directed to this thread from a boating forum because I was asking questions there about your product. I took my 2004 24' CustomWeld to the ocean for a week last fall and now I have salt deposits on the bare aluminum below the paint. I bought a container of the acid wash and planned on washing the boat with a diluted mixture (40:1) or so and then applying the protectant. I still have some of the mill finish look and hate to loose what I have left that is why I was thinking of dilluting it so much. Does this sound like a good plan of attack or would you just wash the boat with good hot soapy water and then protect with sharkhide? Thank you in advance for your comments.

[t_birder]

Hey troutfinder,
Good question. This should make your day! The Midwest is a hot bed for pontoon boat manufacturers. They ship all winter long and that exposes the boats to salt spray from the roads. By the time they get to the customers, they are covered with tons of little white chalky spots from the salt. In 90% of the cases, all we have to do is scrub the hull down with hot soapy water, rinse, (be sure the boat is bone dry) and apply a couple of good coats of SHARKHIDE. This does a great job of hideing those spots. I would strongly recomend this before trying the acid. Once you acid etch the hull, no matter how slight, you can never turn back. Like it or not, that's the finish you'll be left with. If you want, try the first method on a small spot of hull and if you don't like the results, simply scrub off the SHARKHIDE with Lacquer Thinner and then use the diluted acid method you were going to use. Either way, it sounds like you'll get good results.
Best of luck,
Clint

[comefishy]

T-Birder, I have a 3-year old boat that I put sharkhide on when it was new. I have been very happy with it, and the boat still looks great even though it's been in salt water several times. How do I decide when to re-apply, and when I do, do I have to remove the sharkhide that's on it now and start over, or can I just put a coat or 2 over what's on it now if I'm happy with how it looks?

You've got a great product, I've gotten several friends to put it on their boats as well.

[t_birder]

Hey there comefishy,
You brought up a huge point. The object is not to coat your boat once and let it go forever. You should recoat BEFORE it ever wears through. Question is when. SHARKHIDE has lasted as many as eight or more years per coat, but because its so cheap and easy to apply I would never gamble on how long before it wears through. Once it does expose your hull and the staining and streaking begins, you can never go back.
To answer your question, I recoat my boats every one or two years if I think it needs it or not. Unlike paint, you cant get the coats of SHARKHIDE to thick. They are constantly wearing away with time. When you re coat, just make certain the boat is clean and dry, then simply swipe another coat or two on and your good to go. SHARKHIDE is self etching so it will melt right in to the previous coats. No need to strip or sand before you apply.
Thanks for your kind words, and good luck on re coating.
Clint

[troutfinder]

t_birder,
As a follow up I tried the acid wash on a small spot on the transom and I didn't really care for the look of the finished product. So I changed my plan and took about 5 hours to scrub all the unpainted alluminum with Cameo, an aluminum and stainless steel cleaner. Once that was completed I washed with hot soapy water and then put on a coat of the protectant. I can now hardly type on this keyboard from the continued scrubbing.Have you ever had anyone do this before? Also how many coats of the protectant should I put on and can I put too many on? I was thinking three. Thank you in advance
Troutfinder

[t_birder]

Hey Troutfinder,
First of all, I am very sorry for the terrible response time. I have two very ill parents in facilities located in two different states. I've had to pretty much put my life on hold for a while to help them.
To get to your question, I've never heard of the cleaner (Cameo) you mentioned, but if it leaves a finish you like then that's not a problem. Since I don't know what's in Cameo, I would suggest scrubbing the surface down after your done with Lacquer Thinner to remove any possible residue before you apply SHARKHIDE. As far as applying "too much" SHARKHIDE, there's no such thing. You could apply fifty coats if you wanted to spend the time, but the three you mentioned will be more than enough to keep you protected for years to come.Then every few years (strictly as a precaution) wipe another coat of SHARKHIDE on your boat if you think you need it or not. The object is to never let it wear through so you never have to scrub the hull again like you did this time.
Again, sorry for the slow response.
Best of luck to you,
Clint

[ripthevolcano]

0

[t_birder]

Hey there Rip,
Thanks for posting your questions. I've been tied up with family health matters and have a bit of a problem answering in a timley maner.
Lets see if I can answer your questions.

1. If the streaks aren't too bad, a second coat will get rid of them. Be sure the cloth is saturated with plenty of SHARKHIDE and move slowly over the streaks. In most cases, that will do the trick. If this won't work, let me know and we will dig a little deeper into what and where these streaks came from. Just remember no matter how bad they are, we can still fix them.
2. As long as the metal was perfectly clean when your base (first) coat was applied, you won't have any problems at all. Just be sure to avoid acid washes at truck bays.
3. To remove SHARKHIDE in small areas, just wet a ball of paper towels with Lacquer Thinner and scrub off the SHARKHIDE. When done polishing, rescrub with thinner again to remove any polish residue and recoat with SHARKHIDE. It will blend right in when you wipe it on to the old SHARKHIDE.
4. You can apply SHARKHIDE in 15 degree weather, it will just take longer to dry. The cold weather will give it plenty time to flatten out before it dries, so the finish will be smoother.
5. A chamoise works best, but you can use a beach towell. Just be sure after the boat's dry, to go over it again with a dry towell just before you apply the SHARKHIDE. this should get rid of any lint left behind from the wet towell.

Good luck and keep us informred on how it comes out,
Clint

[ripthevolcano]

T-Birder, you know your product very well. The second coat did get rid of the majority of the streaks. They came from overlapping each run down the boat. I do recomend using a chamois if drying though, I had a few spots the collected lint I could not see. Nothing that a quick laquer clean and reapply didn't cure. I am very happy w/ the finished product but I think I have some more detail work to do to get it where I want the shine. I am pretty anal and the hull was really bad after a few years in the salt. Anyway, thanks for all the tips. Also, there have been some questions on how much to use. I used less than half a quart to do my 20' North river hull all that can be seen while in the water. Nothing on the bottom though. Thanks again...Rip out. :wave:

[fireguy]

T-Birder,
Is the sharkhide applied to the bottom of the boat also ? if so will it be rubed off by the bunks on the trailer sooner then the wear of the product on the rest of the boat ? Also after sharkhide is applied will salt-away affect the finish ? what do you feel is the best soap to clean saltwater from the boat ?

Thanks in advance

[t_birder]

Hey Rip,
Glad we could get those streaks repaired without stripping the old coat off.
Look forward to hearing back back from you in a few years to see what you think.
Clint

[t_birder]

Hey Fireguy,
To tell you the truth, you might as well save your money and don't worrie about the very bottom of your boat. You are exactly right when you ask about the bunks rubbing it off. SHARKHIDE won't last long at all between the hull and the bunks. Just be sure to get as much of the bottom of the boat as you can reach when it's on the trailer. As far as the rest, well you can't see those spots when it's on the trailer, and you can't and you can't see them (lets hope not any way)when your in the water.
I'm not farmiliar with "Salt Away", but after you have a couple of good coats of SHARKHIDE on your boat, the salt residue will just wash off with a mild soap and water solution. Your fine with what ever you wash your car or truck with. Just never use petrolium based polishes, waxes, or any other cleaners. That will damage/remove SHARKHIDE.
Best of luck,
Clint

[South Paw]

Clint,

I purchased some Metalwax and while talking to Austin at Metalwax.com he said his polish was so clean that after you use the polish that you don't have to further prep the aluminium before you apply the SHARKHIDE, which he speaks very highly of I might add, if you do so immediatly after polishing. Is that true and have you had any experience with this product?

Also about the SHARKHIDE I am primarly interested in the bottom. What I've been told is a clean and polished bottom will increase your speed by 3 to 7 miles an hour but more importantly will decrease fuel usage. If you can shed any light in this subject please do. :bowdown: :bowdown:

Thanks

Houston

[t_birder]

Hey there South Paw,
Thanks for posting your question.
First bit of business is to thank Austin at Metalwax for the kind words. Too many of the guys I've run into selling polishes and waxes do every thing in their power to discredit this product. If they've used it or not!
Now to your questions.
I'm not "hands on" farmiliar with the "Metalwax" product, So with all due respect to Austin, I would feel a little safer if you were to scrub the hull down with Lacquer Thinner any way. Not that I think he's wrong, but unless myself or a customer knows FOR SURE it will adhere, I'ld rather be safe than sorry. How would you feel if after all the hard work you put in to polishing you hull, you applied SHARKHIDE without cleaning it with thinner first, and then the SHARKHIDE starts to peel and detach in spots. It's too late then. It's strip the finish, re polish, THEN LACQUER THINNER, then re coat with SHARKHIDE. I myself (being lazy) wouldn't want to chance it.
As far as doing just the bottom goes, I would pay more attention to the parts of hull you can see on the trailer and in the watter. That's where you'll benifit the most by preserving your polish job.
Since I don't know anything about your rig, I cant say for sure what speed increase you might see. I know that if you leave your boat in the water all season and it gets covered with moss and other marine growth, then scrub and polish you might see speed gains like you mentioned. But to polish or wax an already smooth bottom, I would be supprized to see a gain at all. I have a 28'CAT Hull with a 425hp I.O. and with a fresh polish job on the bottom, I don't see one single mph gain (per GPS) after all my work!
Best of luck with your polish job. I would love to have you send me some pic's when you're done.
Clint

[South Paw]

Clint,

What kind of polish do you use and do you have a catalog for your products?

Again thanks for your time.

Houston

[t_birder]

Hey South Paw,
I believe I need to PM you with that information. You're able to post that information, but since I own the company, (per the posting rules), I can't post them here.
I'll be in touch.
Clint

[backtroller]

I have a couple of cans of sharkhide and one sharkwash in my garage waiting to be used.

After reading your threads (which were super helpfull), I have come to the conclusion that I need to polish my 3yr old aluminum boat, before doing the sharkshide thing. For a dummy who has never polished his boat or anything else before...can you give me some step by step fool-proof polishing instructions? Do I need to keep the polish away from the paint line?

Will you PM me the type of polish and polisher you would recommend?

Thanks

[t_birder]

Hey backtroller,
You're about to attack a monster of a job, but when your done, it will be a show piece.
Just one suggestion before you start to polish, take your SHARKHIDE Aluminum Hull Cleaner and mix it pretty strong. About one part cleaner to two or three parts water. Then clean your hull per the instruction sheet (PM me if you don't have one and I'll send it). This will bleach your hull a uniform "off white" color. Some folks prefer this finish over the polished. If you like this look then you just saved your self a TON of work and grief. Just apply the SHARKHIDE Aluminum Hull Protectant and your done. If you don't like it and still want to polish, I've found that it's easier to polish the acid washed finish than one thats not been done.
As far as a "Fool Proof" method goes, I'm still looking! No two aloys seem to act the same when I try to polish them so I'm allways changing my methods to get the best job. These are the general steps I use. I acid wash the boat first, then with a good variable speed buffer (I have a Makita) and a coarse foam pad, I make the first "polishing cut". This is the most time consuming and the hardest process. (I'll PM you with the Aluminum Polish I use). This will leave a good shine and if your lucky, you won't have any "swirl marks". If you do have the swirls, I take a new wool pad (dry, no compound) and go back over the hull. This usualy gets rid of them.
It's best to tape of ant decals or painted areas. Also cover anything that you don't want to get filthy! You;ll look like a "Kentucky Coal Miner" when your done, but it's worth it.
Best of luck to you!,
Clint

[wdlfbio]

T_Birder -

I applied two coats of SHARKHIDE to my 22' North River before it ever got wet, trailer included (two year ago). The boat is pretty much painted down to the chines. So, I only had to put it onto the swim deck (diamond plate), rub rail, and chine. But, I did the entire aluminum trailer. Now, the trailer looks a little dull and I was wanting to shine it up a little. I started applying the tongue area with a little Mothers mag polish (or something like it) and noticed it looked very streaky when I wiped it off (but definitely shinier). Then I realized I probably shouldn't have done that over the SHARKHIDE. But, it did confirm that the trailer has dulled (it sees lots of saltwater).

So, will I need to laquer thinner the entire thing, shine it up, then reapply a couple new coats of SHARKHIDE?

BTW, I too have a little spot underneath the boat where I missed applying SHARKHIDE. Damn, I'm glad the rest of the boat and trailer doesn't look that terrible!!! Great stuff.

Thanks -

[t_birder]

Hey there wdlfbio,
First of all, I'm sooo sory for the slow response. I'll try to keep up a little better.
First, before you do anything to your trailer,try washing an area with warm soap and water, rinse, dry, then try wiping another coat of SHARKHIDE in that area and see if that won't shine up your finish.
If that won't work, you can take an old Windex bottle with Lacquer thinner and keep spraying a mist on the SHARKHIDE. It will soon turn milky and liquify. Then just swipe it away with a ball of paper towels. Once you have the old coat gone, you can acid clean or polish your trailer and recoat. If you do use a polish, remember to scrub the trailer down with Lacquer thinner again before you recoat with SHARKHIDE.
Again, sorry for not getting back sooner.
Clint

Oh, BTW, thanks a ton for the kind words. Thats the stuff that keeps me going!

[Go_Getter]

t_birder,

Ok this one will be a little different. 1 I have a new NR Seahawk and we will be putting on sharkhide in the next day or two. Also I will be putting some on my Galvanized trailer to keep it from chalking. Here is where the new comes in!

I have a large aluminum living quarters horse trailer and I'm planning on cleaning and polishing it this summer then maybe applying SH to it? It sits out and is exposed to the elements all year and the salt air is starting to get to it a little. My question is, the trailer has vinyl striping on it, what do you think the Sharkhide will do to the stripes? Other than that I think this will be an awesome application for your product. Maybe a new place to market it all together? Aluminum horse trailers are a huge market and everyone is always looking for a way to keep them looking good from the road chemicals and just weather and there really is nothing that I'm aware of to date. What do you think?

Thanks for a great product!

G_G

[t_birder]

Hey G_G,
First of all, thanks for the kind words. I'm so glad your satisfied with SHARKHIDE.
As far as the trailer goes, SHARKHIDE won't hurt your vinal at all. As a mater of fact, it will darken and richen the color of faded vinal, as well as help protect it from UV rays. We all ready sell our aluminum cleaner, polish and protectant for just the application your thinking about. Just remember to clean the surface with lacquer thinner (if you polish) before you apply the SHARKHIDE.
Best of luck,
Clint

[SnowDog]

Hi T_Birder

I love your product and have been very pleased with its ability to protect my aluminum boat. I am planning a second coat and would like to polish the previously coated surface prior to the new application. Can I polish it just as if it was not previously coated with SHARKHIDE and then reapply?

[t_birder]

Hey there SnowDog,
Man, you guys keep saying all this nice stuff and people will think that my moms been wrighting in.
Oh and by the way, those are some killer pictures. We don't get to see stuff like that here in the midwest.
Now to the bad news. If you want to polish your aluminum, you'll have to remove the old SHARKHIDE coat. This isn't hard, but a little time consuming. If your not going to polish, just scrub and dry the boat, then wipe another coat or two on and your done.
Let me know if you do want to polish, and I'll explain the process to remove athe old SHARKHIDE.
Clint

[Wif]

Question on Polishing prior to Sharkhide. When the boat factories make a boat welded aluminum boat, the aluminum sides have a very consistent color. Not polished, not white like a acid cleaner. Areas of my boat then got scratched (up against brush or whatever) and those scratches go below the surface coat, whatever it is, and they are white. I have been told that if I polish my boat then I'll remove the protective top layer of the aluminum and that will cause me even more problems. Is this true? Any recommendations on the right polish to use before Sharkhide?

[t_birder]

Hey there Wif,
The shiney silver finish you see on most new boats is known as the "Mill Finish". It's not realy a protective finish, but it is a little tougher than a raw aluminum finish. This finish is a by product of how aluminum sheets are formed. Aluminum in its raw form is a white color. But it's then rolled back and forth through huge rollers with hundreds of thousands of pounds of pressure. This rolls the aluminum bars into sheets of various thickness. Just like rolling out pie dough. These rollers leave that shine that we all like so much. That's why when this finish is messed up at all, there's no way in the world to spot match it to the rest of the hull. That's why it's so important to apply, and maintain your SHARKHIDE correctly. Once we let this finish go bad, there's no fixing it.
Raw aluminum (the off white finish) under a microscope is very pourous and rough. Think of it as a bunch of peaks and valleys. When you polish aluminum, all your doing is smoothing off all the peaks, so the surface (microscopicly) is more flat, and that makes it reflect light back at you, and there's your polished shine.
As long as you put a couple of good coats of SHARKHIDE on when your done, this finish is no harder to maintain than any other. And on the plus side, unlike a mill finish,if you do get a bad spot, you can spot match it to the rest of the hull.
Sory for the long winded answer.
Clint

[Caspac]

Question about Sharkhide application. I have a North river boat I purchased new a month ago. I have had the boat in the water five times and it has not been exposed to saltwater. The boat does not appear to have any discolored areas to the mill finish. Additionally, I have a aluminum trailer I would also like to protect. Should I clean with soap and water or should I use a solvent before applying Sharkhide? I also want to keep the diamond plate on the boat and trailer looking new. Should I apply Sharkhide to those areas as well?

Thanks

[t_birder]

Hey there Fry,
As long as your happy with the finish of your boat, you're good to go. All you have to do to your boat (and trailer) is a good soap and water scrub, rinse, dry, and apply a couple of good coats of SHARKHIDE.
And on your diamond plate, use the same process you did on the boat. It's a little more difficult to swipe on because of the diamond pattern, but we use SHARKHIDE on Fire and Rescue equipment as well as tread plate truck bodies and tool boxes. Remember the cooler the temprature, the better the finish.
Best of luck to you,
Clint

[Caspac]

Thanks T_birder! I appreciate the input. I will give Sharkhide a try. At our current temps in the valley I will have to apply a coat at 5:00Am otherwise I don't know when it will be cool enough.

[t_birder]

Hey Fry,
Just a quick note, the cooler the temp, the better the finish only means try to find the coolest place and time to do it. I've done jobs in the direct sun when it was in the 90's. It's just a lot easier to deal with when its not as hot.
Clint

[BARCHASER]

I've had Sharkhide on for a year now and I'm glad I put it on my Seahawk. I've got a little problem though. I moored it for 2 1/2 months at Freds on the lower Willy. As soon as I took it out of the water I cleaned it with Slimey Grimey. The green slime was pretty thick and on the starboard side I used a brush. I realized that I didnt need the brush and just used a wash mitt on the port side which was enough to take off the slime. The side where I used the brush messed up the finish on the side below the water line with brush marks. I tried to treat the damaged area by just re-applying Sharkhide. Didnt work, I still have the brushmarks. Should I apply lacquer thinner on the damaged area and reapply Sharkhide? Or just live with it as is.

Thank you

[t_birder]

Hey BARCHASER,
Is there just brush damage to the SHARKHIDE, or was the SHARKHIDE damaged, then the boat put back in the water and the hull started to oxydize and streak?
If all you've done is scrape the SHARKHIDE off, just remove the bad finish with Lacquer thinner and re apply another couple of coats of SHARKHIDE.
If the SHARKHIDE finish was dammaged, then the bare hull exposed to the elements, you may have to strip off the SHARKHIDE, then acid wash or polish the hull to get rid of the bad spots. There's realy no way to spot match a mill finish.
I hope this answers your question. If not you might want to shoot me a picture or two for me to look at.
Good luck,
Clint

[Blue Seaduction]

Does this stuff work on painted sides ? I'm taking delivery of a new N/R Seahawk with painted sides. What if anything should be done before delivery to the water ?

[t_birder]

Hey Scott,
Sorry for not getting back sooner.
On a new painted boat, as long as there's no exposed bare aluminum, I wouldn't use SHARKHIDE right now. Just keep a constant coat of good quality wax on it and it should last quite a long time.
I use SHARKHIDE to revive old dead chaulky paint. It brings it back from the dead and makes it wet and shiney looking.
Have fun with the new boat!
Clint

[elk003]

I am stuck between a rock and a hard place! I bought a Customweld 3 years ago and placed it in saltwater last year for a week. When I pulled it out, it had a slight discolorization but it was bearley noticeable. A few weeks ago I place the boat in a lake of full bloomage and high acidicy unbeknownst to me. When I pulled it out the waterline and below was black. I was in shock and in a panick. Without proper reasearch, I ordered some Aluminum hull cleaner and sprayed it on the left side of the pump and, (you guessed it) it turned white. The rest of the boat only has a dark waterline and hate to lose the rest of the boats milled milled finish.
My question is, can I lightly buff the dark waterline on the sides to lighten up and then coat the whole boat with Sharkhide. Will the oxidized area that still remains get worse? I can live with a slight discolorization near the bottom of the boat to keep the original milled finish. I will have to wash the rest of the back to match the right side and the swim platform braces but that will at least match the color of the protruding pump. Sharkhide wash and sealer has been ordered and will arrive next Wednesday. Sometimes you live and learn expensive lessons. We were not told and knew nothing about sealing the boat prior to saltwater usage. I wish I could post some pictures, but can't figure out how. :help:

Thanks

ELK

[t_birder]

Hey elk,
This is the worst part of my job, telling a fellow boater he's SOL. Once the mill finish has turned on you, there's nothing we can do so restore it. Your idea is the best one in this case. Once you get your SHARKHIDE aluminum cleaner, follow the instructions and do the rear of your boat. But before you apply the hull protectant, try wet scrubbing the transom with a coarse Scotch-brite pad. This will give it a slight satin shine. Not as good as it was, but better than white.
As far as the sides, you might try a fine Scotch-Brite pad and go in very soft horizontal motions with a trickle of water running over it. This just might lighten the black line before it completely changes the finish. Then just get a couple of good coats of SHARKHIDE Hull protectant on it to stop any further discoloration. Then in a year or two, you can strip it, polish the hull and then recoat it AGAIN! Now doesn't that sound like fun??
Best of luck on salvageing your finish,
Clint

[elk003]

One more question;

If I did decide to wash the whole boat if the back looks good, is there any way to ensure that the wash will come out uniformed. I mean without lighter spots and darker spots? Will I be able to buff the boat for a shiner look prior to coating it with sealer?..

Thanks

Tim

[t_birder]

Hey Tim,
I'm not sure what brand you have now, so I can't speak for them, but I think it was you that said you had some SHARKHIDE Aluminum Hull Cleaner on the way. If that's the case, I can all but promise you, if you follow my instructions that I send with your order, you will be able to clean your boat and leave it a uniform color. Check out a post I did on the first page of this thread. It's a pontoon, but you can see the results with my cleaner.
As far as polishing goes, I allways use my cleaner BEFORE I polish. I've found it makes the polishing process a bit easier. What ever you do, if you do polish your boat, don't forget to scrub your boat with Lacquer Thinner before you apply the SHARKHIDE Aluminum Hull Protectant.
Best of luck,
Clint

[Pacific Pirate]

Clint,

Thanks for being a resource for us on ifish.com.

I have had a Wooldridge boat for two years, and unfortunately I did not know about Sharkhide until well after I bought it. Since I use it quite a bit in saltwater, it was soon looking older than it's age.

I am in the process of prepping it for Sharkhide. I've used the Sharkhide Aluminum Hull Cleaner and now I want to polish it. What polish do you recommend?

Thanks,
Steve

[t_birder]

Hey Steve,
Well I'm sort of partial to my own brand of polish (Sharkhide Aluminum Hull Polish), but to be perfectly honest with you, there must be a thousand good high quality polishes out there on the market today. And any one of them are capable of giving you a good finish.
I've done two things a little different with my polish. It's a one step polish meaning once you make the enitial cut and bring the hull to a good shine, there's no need to go back over it again with a different compound to remove swirls. And the other thing is it's packaged in larger quantities than most polishes. It's available in one and two pound cans instead of small tubes.
Click on the SHARKHIDE link at the top of the page and it should take you to the folks that can set you up. If for some reason you have a problem, let me know and I'll take care of it for you.
Oh and by the way, no matter what brand polish you end up useing, don't forget to SCRUB the boat down with LACQUER THINNER before you put the SHARKHIDE Aluminum Hull Protectant on.
Have fun with the polish job!
Clint

[elk003]

Clint;

I recieved the shark hide and getting ready to apply it. Do I need to cover the painted areas just obove the milled finish in the back, or ie the cleaner safe? Tape it off or cover with plastic and tape it of?


Thanks

Tim

[t_birder]

Hey Tim,
I'm not quite sure I understand the question, so I'll cover both the cleaner and the protectant.
As far as the Sharkhide Cleaner goes, as of today, we haven't heard of any problems with it harming any painted surfaces at all. Just follow the directions to the T, and don't allow it to dry on anything.
Now as far as the SHARKHIDE Aluminum Hull Protectant goes, you don't have to worry about it either. I would just wipe right up to the paint line. If a little gets on the paint,it won't do any harm. However,if the paint is getting old, chalky and faded, you might want to consider applying the protectant to it. This will bring out the color again and keep it from getting chalky.
I hope I hit your question, If not, let me know and I'll try to help.
Clint

[elk003]

It is the hull cleaner I was questioning. I have done the back with a spray bottle and of course could not keep it completly off of the paint but no harm no foul so far. The only problem is there are some streaks and blotchs. Nothing too noticable. Can you just wipe the stuff on with a cloth? It looks so good, it makes the rest of the boat looks bad. I plan on doing the rest tomorrow after a good preasure washing. Is there anything I can do with the streaking or if I get bloches. I took a buffer without any polishe to see if I could get it to blend in. Nada.

Thanks

Tim

[t_birder]

Hey Tim,
Here's how to get rid of your streaks and blotches.
Take my aluminum cleaner and mix it in a quart trigger spray bottle with an ADJUTABLE tip. Set it on the finest mist you can. Then, on a dry hull, apply a very fine mist from the bottom up. It will begin to foam. Now here's the important part. As the foam sets for a bit, it will begin to turn back to a liquid and slide down. As it starts to slide down respray the spot. The object is to keep the hull under a constant thin layer of foam for three or four minutes. Then hit it with a garden hose and rinse it off. This should yeild a streak free finish.
Good luck,
Clint

[tadpoly]

Hi Clint,

Just a quick question on applying Sharkhide to aluminum diamondplate. What is the best application method to avoid streaking? Should the cloth be kept more saturated?

Thanks,

-Weston

[t_birder]

Hey Weston,
Sorry I took so long to get back to you. I've been playing at the lake this weekend.
Diamond plate is kind of trickey to do without spraying. But I still use the old cotton baby diapers with pretty good results.
You are correct about keeping the cloth saturated. I just very slowly wipe my first coat on, and then I wipe the second coat on in the oposite direction. This way you will get both sides of each diamond. You will get a small amount of puddleing or runs, but thats to be expected when we wipe it on, but they will be all but invisible when your done and it's cured.
I hope this helps,
Clint

[FishyBuckSlayer]

t_birder,
Where are you hiding, buddy. I sent a PM requesting location to purchase new SHARKIDE last weekend but have not heard back. Please advise how to reach you. I would really rather buy from a local guy than from the net. Please help. Dad's boat needs new skin ASAP.

[FishyBuckSlayer]

ok, ok,
Before you all point out the obvious...
The answer to my question is "look up" :blush:
SHARKHIDE is a sponsor on this page.

[t_birder]

Hey there Fishy,
I'm so sorry for not catching this sooner. I check several times a day????
I'll PM you with phone numbers.
Again,I'm soooo sorry.
Clint

[FishyBuckSlayer]

t_birder,
I am the Si Material's Engineer that you wrote to this morning.
I picked up 2 quarts of SHARKHIDE from...
Cascade Marine Center
14900 SE Stark st.
Portland, OR 97233
(503)255-8487
Thank you for the prompt response. I cannot wait to get more coats of your product on Dad's North River.
The boat still looks brand new where we have maintained a healthy coat of SHARKHIDE. The biggest problem area is where some gasoline washed the SHARKHIDE off the transom. There is some light oxidation that has developed over the last few months in that spot.
I am so pleased with your product's performance that I plan to polish my little 13 foot Alaskan as bright as possible before application. I will be ordering cleaner and polish from you soon. Cascade did not have the polish or the cleaner in stock or I would have bought them today also.
How long will SHARKHIDE last in its original container? North River sold Dad some SHARKHIDE that they transferred into a 1 gallon plastic jug. The product turned into something like dried Elmer's Glue over the last year. This stuff is not cheap so I wish not to have the same problem again. Please advise.
Richard

[t_birder]

Hey there Richard,
Thanks a ton for the kind words. It means the world to our family that all you guys out there are happy with our plroducts.
As far as storage goes, don't ever store SJARKHIDE in a plastic container any longer than you have to. I can't tell you why it's not good, but my blender says it's a no no. Any way, flammables and plastics should't be mixed.
Keep your sharkhide in a tightly sealed metal can, don't let air get to it accept to pour a little out, and it should last just shy of forever!
Yhanks again for your kind words,
Clint

[troutfinder]

t-birder
Well it is now a year later after applying my first coat of Sharkhide. Over the year there have been spots where the self centering trailer bunks, or boat docks or rocks on the bank have removed small areas of the sharkhide. I originally used Cameo to clean the boat before applying the first coat. I can now see spots where the coat has rubbed off and the boat is oxidizing. Can I just Cameo those spots and apply sharkhide to just those spots and have it look good? By the way I have been very impressed with the performance of your product and wish I would have done it sooner. Thank you in advance for any information that you may be able to provide.

[t_birder]

Hey Fry,
I'm sorry, but I'n not farmiliar with "Cameo". Is it a acid based cleaner? Was it an acid etched finish that you coated with SHARKHIDE? If you can help with these questions, we might be able to get you going with very little effort.
I'll be looking for your post.
Clint

[troutfinder]

t-birder,
Cameo is a aluminum cleaner that can be bought at the local grocery store. It did a heck of job on removing the columbia river black mess from the sides of the boat, I dont have a can here with me now, but I will get one and tell you the ingredients if you think that will help. It is not an acid cleaner, it looks like the Comet cleaner that people use on toilets, a powder that you put on a wash mit and scrub away with. The finish that we applied the sharkhide to was not acid etched it was a mill finish with the black columbia river slime on it, we scrubbed all that off with Cameo and then washed the boat with hot soapy water and applied the sharkhide.

[t_birder]

Hey Troutfinder,
It sounds like "Cameo" is an abrasive (like Comet) type of cleaner. If this is the case, your mill finish should have been some what altered by the clenser. Asuming this guess is correct, all you will have to do, is take some LACQUER THINNER on a cloth and remove the SHARKHIDE from around the bad spot. Give your self about six inches all the way around. Then use your clenser to spot match the blemish back into the rest of the hull, rinse good, then recoat with SHARKHIDE. SHARKHIDE is self etching, so it will melt right into the good finish you have left around the bad spot.
I hope this helps a little. I hate to mislead you and swear to this method, but if I understand what you have, I think this should work.
Best of luck to you,
Clint

[Maddie'sDaddy]

I read that this stuff will accually remove scratches from a plexiglass surface, true? And is it sold in smaller containers if so.
Thanks Shaun MD

[t_birder]

I read that this stuff will accually remove scratches from a plexiglass surface, true? And is it sold in smaller containers if so.
Thanks Shaun MD



Hey there Shaun,
You read correctly. The Sharkhide Aluminum Polish will remove scratches from both Acrylic and lexan windshields.
As a mater of fact, one of the video clips I'll be putting on my new web site shows us taking a piece of 1000 grit sand paper to a motorcycle windshield, then removing all the scratches by hand(takes about twenty seconds)with the polish.
All you need to do is dampen a cloth, ring it out as much as you can so it's barely damp, then rub in a very tiny ammount of the polish, buff when it dries, and you're good as new.
Since most all of our customers are doing boat hulls, a one pound can is the smallest amount we have.
Hope this helps,
Clint

[FishyBuckSlayer]

Hey t_birder,
The 21 foot North River Trapper looks great once again!! Thanks for a great product! :smile:

Some advice to those doing this for the first time. :help:

ADVICE: Read the instructions. Read them again. Read this post from beginning to end. Then begin. :bigshock:

The product is really easy to use IF you follow the instructions and guidance provided from the can and t_birder. Be careful on your second coat. The product is self etching and as a result will get kind of sticky if you are not quick with the application. My experience is that faster is better.

MORE ADVICE: If you put on 2 coats (as we should have done 1 year ago) and you also try to go in 2 directions (vertical and horizontal)... Do yourself a favor and put on the vertical part first. It is easier to do the horizontal part more quickly. Speed is key on the second coat (even after 72 hours of summer time cure and even in relatively cool weather). I did it in reverse and can see some vertical strokes if the sun hits the boat just right. :blush:

MORE ADVICE: One can was more than enough to do 2 coats on the aluminum trailer and boat (top, bottom, and everything in between). :applause:

MORE ADVICE: Listen to t_birder. DON'T SKIP THE CLEANING STEP with LACQUER THINNER on the bare aluminum surfaces. Get it clean the first time and you won't have to run to Home Depot in a panic to get fresh lacquer thinner to remove the black mud that you glued down when you get to one of those dirty spots... Not that I would have done such a thing on September 3, 2006... :shrug:

JUST IN CASE: If you screw it up, lacquer thinner appears to completely remove the SHARKHIDE and any glued down black mud that you may have created. You do get a second chance but it is expensive, time consuming, and makes your wife shake her head in disgust. :whazzup:

Do all of this before you use the boat and you will be VERY happy. Cheat and use the boat for several trips and you won't get a second chance at the mill finish. Cheat and only apply one coat and you will be able to see your mistakes as oxidation steaks in the mill finish 1 year (or less) later. You don't get a second chance at the mill finish. :smile:

I'll take some photos of our successes and mistakes soon for posting. :nerd:

[t_birder]

Well Fishy,
I THINK YOU"VE GOT IT!! It tickles me to no end to know that if a someone bumps into you and wants to know a little something about SHARKHIDE, the knowledge and advice you share will be correct.
Thanks a ton for taking the time to post your experience.
Clint

[FishyBuckSlayer]

Clint,
Any chance I can clean up the veritcal strokes if i am willing to put on a 3rd coat? Only the sides need it. Big flat shiny sides.
Or... should I just leave well enough alone and go use the boat.
My thinking is that the self etching nature of the product might help level things out. However, I don't see that you ever advise 3 coats.
The vertical strokes are not obvious. I am just seeking perfection.
For the record, I was too lazy to put 2 coats on non-visible bottom parts. :smile:

[t_birder]

Hey fishy,
First of all, three coats are better than two and four coats are better than three and so on. You can't put to many coats on. As long as your base coat was put on correctly, you'll never have a problem with multiple coats.
What I would do to even out the finish is make sure I have a nice smoothe cotton baby diaper, fold it up nice and thick with no wrinkles on the surface that touches the boat. Then, don't soak it, but make sure it's got plenty of SHARKHIDE in it, and like you mentioned before, apply it in long FAST horizontal strokes back and fourth never picking the cloth up untill you've finished a section. You don't have to be as carefull to overlap just right because you did that in your first couple coats. And again as you mentioned, do this when it's as cool as possible. This will let the SHARKHIDE set and blend longer before it dries.
Another thing to remember, SHARKHIDE wears from the surface down, and with time, some of those tiny lines you see will flatten out and eventually vanish.
Best of luck to ya,
Clint

[bluebackbil]

Hey,Clint Bill, again! I have a question regrding an application for sharkhide. I am wondering if you can apply the stuff to chrome plated aluminum wheels? I am looking for a product to prevent mag chloride from eating my wheels this winter
Thanks
Bluebackbil

[t_birder]

Hey there,
I am so very sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I can't even think of a decent excuse either.
The answer to your question is YES. We use SHARKHIDE on all types of wheels to prevent corrosion. Be sure to scrub them down with Lacquer Thinner first, then wipe a couple of coats on and your ready to go!
Clint

[FishyBuckSlayer]

bluebackbil (http://www.ifish.net/board/member.php?u=8412)
My Toyota rims (chrome steel) got trashed by deicer this winter (heavy rust in the grooves). I polished them for hours and then rolled the dice with a SHARKHIDE application believing it would protect me forever like it did for the North River. Unfortunately, I think my rims are too far gone. The rust came back within about 3 weeks just as bad as it was originally. If I had applied the SHARKHIDE before the problem started, I probably could have saved myself $1000 in rims and a lot of polishing trouble. For the record, the good chrome looks just as good with SHARKHIDE as without. I probably will buy alloys next time to avoid this. 2 months after the application, I see no negative impacts from the SHARKHIDE but it was not the miracle product I was hoping for on already damaged rims.

The North River aluminum boat still looks great 3 years later. Never polished. SHARKHIDE was applied before we ever put it in the water for anything other than the test ride.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure (imho)

[ripnlips1]

After polishing/Sharkhiding my NR Commander I applied some of the left over sharkhide to my bare copper cupala (the thing on my boat's garage). Three years later it still looks shiny.

http://www.ifish.net/board/attachment.php?attachmentid=2128&d=1173889614

http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/thumbs/Boat_Garage.jpg (http://www.ifish.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/53081/ppuser/10322) http://www.ifish.net/gallery/data/500/thumbs/Cupala.jpg (http://www.ifish.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/53083/ppuser/10322)

[joemomma]

For T-birder, Ok I have cleaned the boat with your cleaner and have removed about 98% of the oxidation spots, the boat a 21' thunderjet looks great. But their are still some very little white spots on the hull and the gunnels, and I have scrubbed the whole thing with oooo extra fine steel wool! My question is my dilution was 4 to 1, whick was what I was told to do where I bought the sharkhide, was that good enough! The big question is, if I apply the sharkhide over it now, because I am happy with the results, will the little spots, which are very little now stay little due to lack of oxygen (sharkhide coating)?

Joe

[t_birder]

Hey there Joe,
Sounds like your ready to coat your boat.
The answer to your question is YES. They will never start to oxidize again as long as you keep SHARKHIDE on the boat.
When you wipe your first cote of SHARKHIDE on, you'll notice that when you look directly at those little spots (90 deg from the surface) you will still be able to barely see them. But when you start to view the boat at a slight angle, they dissapear completly. It's MAJIC I tell ya!
Good luck on your project,
Clint

[joemomma]

Hey there Joe,
Sounds like your ready to coat your boat.
The answer to your question is YES. They will never start to oxidize again as long as you keep SHARKHIDE on the boat.
When you wipe your first cote of SHARKHIDE on, you'll notice that when you look directly at those little spots (90 deg from the surface) you will still be able to barely see them. But when you start to view the boat at a slight angle, they dissapear completly. It's MAJIC I tell ya!
Good luck on your project,
Clint

Allrighty now! Thanks for the quick response! Your cleaner is awesome! I will give a report on the sharkhide!:)

[pta]

After reading this thread, I had a hard time deciiding to sharkhide or not, as I was not convinced about the durability of the product. I finally decided to try sharkhide on my my new NR O/S. I followed all the advice here, and applied two coats about 5 days apart on the boat's sides and transom before it hit the water. First, I must say that it goes on easliy, and does really appear to protect the aluminum from the salt. But I really have an issue with it's durability. Over the last weekend, while loading the boat on the trailer Saterday, the wind pushed the boat up against one of my carpeted side bunks. Well, the carpeted bunk completly removed the protectant in a strip about 4 feet long. I then went out on the water again on Sunday, without having a chance to touch up the removed sharkhide. Well running the boat in the salt one day has now stained the area. In addition, I have noticed other areas that have been scratched by my rubber boat bumpers, while I was rafted up with a buddy for lunch one day. Needless to say, I am not impressed with how easliy the sharkhide seems to be scratched or wiped off. I have retreated the damaged areas, but I am seriously considering removing the protectant, and letting the hull oxidize evenly. I think I would rather have a dull even finish rather than see all the strips and scratches.

[BARCHASER]

I've had my NR Seahawk for two years. I applied Sharkhide when I first got the boat and again one year ago. The product isnt perfect but I've been happy with the way it kept the finish bright and reduced the level of stains. Definately better with it than not.

I knew from this board that even Sharkhide would get stained by gasoline. Sure enough, at the gas dock, the gas filler hole burped big time resulting in a fountain of gas which dripped down and stained the hull and also left a stain along the water line.

Is there anything I can do to get rid of the stain?

[Blackfog]

I've had my NR Seahawk for two years. I applied Sharkhide when I first got the boat and again one year ago. The product isnt perfect but I've been happy with the way it kept the finish bright and reduced the level of stains. Definately better with it than not.

I knew from this board that even Sharkhide would get stained by gasoline. Sure enough, at the gas dock, the gas filler hole burped big time resulting in a fountain of gas which dripped down and stained the hull and also left a stain along the water line.

Is there anything I can do to get rid of the stain?

Sharkhide is an air dry coating (probably laquer) You should be able to carefully wash off the damage area with Laquer thinner. Blending in the edge carefully with clean no-lint rags. Then re-apply the sharkskin in the striped area

[BARCHASER]

I have some lacquer thinner left over from when I first applied the Sharkhide. I still have a little Sharkhide also, so I'll try that. The gas stain is where it ran down the side under the filler hole and also along the wtr line so it isnt over the whole side of the hull. Thank you.

[FishyBuckSlayer]

I unfortunately learned that our NR Trapper loves to burp fuel out the vent if stored with a full tank. The fuel ran out the vent down the transom, caught a seam, flowed down the bottom of the boat and dripped all over the trailer for about a month without me knowing. Gee I was happy when I found the mess :mad:

So, I took it home, stripped the messed up sharkhide off with lacquer thinner, recoated it with sharkhide and let it sit for a week before we went fishing. The boat looks nearly as good as new. However, if you look really closely, you can see that just the exposure to the air has slightly oxidized the mill finish in the areas where the fuel stripped off the sharkhide.

1.5 years and 100 hours on the water later and the new coat is holding just as well as the original coat of sharkhide.

I am not experiencing any streaking or other problems after 3 years. With one exception... on the very first trip we overfilled the fuel tank and wiped off the spilled gas without reapplying shark hide for a few fishing trips. Even though we wiped quickly it was enough to remove some of the original 2 coats of sharkhide. As a result, there is some oxidation streaking in that area.

Once we recoated the area, all oxidation stopped and it has not gotten any worse even 2 years later.