sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

[sbooy42]

OK so last year I clean the the pontoon with toon brite and it did a good job of getting rid of the scum and crap on bottom. But the clean bottom only lasted about a month before it looked like I had never touched it. So this year I have to decide to not do anything or do it right..... SO sharskin and similiar products I assume are used as a clear coat to protect the aluminum from corrosion, barnicales..etc..

So I plan to clean the aluminum with toon brite and then polish it..Then apply the sharskin.

Questions?
Is there an adhesion promoter needed before the sharkskin?
How long did it last? Can you easily re-apply when need?
When bumpers rub through does it peel or feather-edge?
Ever put it over a painted area?
Anything better or easier than sharkskin??

Here are a couple pics

Here is the bottom

Bottom you can see where I have cleaned with toon brite on the left side of boat

Left side clean with toon brite. Need more toon brite to finish.

Spot on right side that quickly polished to see how it would look

polished area

 

[kelise24]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

I am sorry I don't have any of the answers to this, but I am trying to polish an aluminum boat and am lost... Did you have to use a power polisher to do this with the toon brite? Thanks.

 

[sbooy42]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

I am sorry I don't have any of the answers to this, but I am trying to polish an aluminum boat and am lost... Did you have to use a power polisher to do this with the toon brite? Thanks.

The polished spot was not over an area cleaned with toon brite. I will be going over the toon brited area tonight or tomorrow. The compound alone didnt have much affect on the scum line. I am using the same power buffer and 3m coumpounds I use on cars

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

Sharkhide needs no adhesion promotor. If you use a compound to polish the logs, then wipe them down with laquer thinner and let it dry before applying the Sharkhide.
It is easy to reapply at any time after the intial coat drys. I would plan on putting 2 coats on and it's recommended. I did mine 5 years ago and for the most part, it still looks new.
It will not peel at all. If the fenders are allow to constantly rub on the logs, then yes, it can rub through the Sharkhide over time.
I have never used it on a painted area. There is nothing better or easier to apply than Sharkhide hands down...

 

[5150abf]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

Concur, we use it at work and you literally wipe it on with a rag and let it dry, I can tell you it doesn't like abrasion like rubbing a dock or bumpers, it will wear through and you will get a spot, same with the trailer but that is so low you probably won't see it.

But yes, the Sharkhide is great stuff.

 

[sbooy42]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

SharksHIDE..Grrrr been beating my head trying to find clear sharkskin...
WOW $88 a litre... guess thats better than spending hours polishing every year..

thanks

 

[5150abf]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

We use it at work and it comes in a 55 gallon drum, never seen an invoice.

I did a quick Google and found it a bunch of places for $60 a quart.

 

[sbooy42]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

We use it at work and it comes in a 55 gallon drum, never seen an invoice.

I did a quick Google and found it a bunch of places for $60 a quart.

Yeah I did a little more research and found it for the same price.. the price I saw was from an australian site.
Now my problem is every place in town is sold out of toon-brite until thursday.. Oh well guess I'll work on a few other projects.

will post some pics when done

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

Head to an AC/Heating outlet and pick up some pick coil cleaner to clean the logs.

 

[sbooy42]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

Head to an AC/Heating outlet and pick up some pick coil cleaner to clean the logs.

Thanks but I used the coil cleaner 3 years ago and prefer the toon-brite over the pink stuff.. but no denying it works

 

[sbooy42]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

Little update.. pretty much cleaned up with toon brite and started playing around polishing last night...

Wet sanded with 600 and polished with brown rouge bar.. I think I wasted time and money on the toon brite because I think sanding would have removed most of what the toon brite did..

polishing this area took about 2 hrs.. not as long as I thought but my arms were burning much worse than I figured.. probably look like pop-eye when finished

I will be covering with sharkshide when finished

 

[Tallykenj]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

Nice. Keep us posted.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

As has been said, you've first got to use a muriatic acid based aluminum boat cleaner following the directions. Then apply an abrasive aluminum/metal polish with an electric polisher. (It's too labor intensive to polish the boat by hand.)

After that, it's imperative that you use lacquer thinner and a bunch of rags to rub and rub (cleaning) until all the black gunk is removed. THEN, you apply the Sharkhide and do a second coat. You might go through a gallon or two of lacquer thinner.

The stuff lasts 3-5 years, and will keep your boat looking like a mirror.

If someone is buying a new unpainted aluminum boat or a pontoon boat, Sharkhide should be applied prior to putting the boat in the water. Then, the cleaning/polishing can be bypassed.

 

[sbooy42]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

As has been said, you've first got to use a muriatic acid based aluminum boat cleaner following the directions. Then apply an abrasive aluminum/metal polish with an electric polisher. (It's too labor intensive to polish the boat by hand.)

After that, it's imperative that you use lacquer thinner and a bunch of rags to rub and rub (cleaning) until all the black gunk is removed. THEN, you apply the Sharkhide and do a second coat. You might go through a gallon or two of lacquer thinner.

The stuff lasts 3-5 years, and will keep your boat looking like a mirror.

If someone is buying a new unpainted aluminum boat or a pontoon boat, Sharkhide should be applied prior to putting the boat in the water. Then, the cleaning/polishing can be bypassed.

Holy crap I cant even imagine someone trying to do this by hand.LOL..Its labor intensive enough with the machine polisher

I also figured out how to sand and polish scrathes and gouges starting 80grt and stepping up to 600..

Bamaman.. If I get 3 yrs out this stuff I will be very happy.

I will post some pics when done.

 

[5150abf]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

Unless the scratch is super deep don't use anything bigger than 320 on it, the 80 is way to ruff and will remove too much metal, also more work to get the sand marks out.

At work I try to start with 800, 220 for a swcond if it is really bad but normally 320-800- then a super fine Scotch Brite pad to regrain it but if you are buffing no need for that.

 

[sbooy42]

Re: sharkskin, polishing, adhesion??

Well I got the rear and port side polished out and applied the sharkshide... Doesn't look bad.. Still has some swirl marks in it but after getting it in the water you cant even tell... Sorry no pics. It was a big rush to get it the water sunday.. I will try to get some with it in the water..

All in all good experience, came out better than I was expecting but I don't see myself doing it again anytime soon..LOL..
But it has lead me to try my hand at straightening and polishing smaller pieces. (cars, motorcycles etc)..