Shark hide

[1roadking]

I have read a few comments on here saying that sharkhide doesn't work below the water line. I am going to be keeping my boat in fresh water, will sharkhide do the job below the water in freshwater? I am really picky and want to keep my boat looking new. I will be beaching the boat regularly, I am guessing that will remove the sharkhide. If so, are there any other suggestions for sealents. What will the tunes look like if not treated in fresh water? It is a new Bennington 2075 gli if that matters. Thanks for any input.

[GXPWeasel]

I've never heard that Shark Hide wouldn't do anything for protection below the water hell, that's one of the reasons why I took the time to polish, and protect with shark hide. Sure, you're going to scratch the stuff off when you beach from time to time, but I want it to keep the crap off of the toons, from the water. Now I do know it won't work OVER paint on the bottom of toons, but I believe it will work just fine wherever it is applied to bare metal.

[lakerunner]

I have read a few comments on here saying that sharkhide doesn't work below the water line. I am going to be keeping my boat in fresh water, will sharkhide do the job below the water in freshwater? I am really picky and want to keep my boat looking new. I will be beaching the boat regularly, I am guessing that will remove the sharkhide. If so, are there any other suggestions for sealents. What will [/b]the tunes look like if not treated in fresh water? It is a new Bennington 2075 gli if that matters. Thanks for any input.

[1roadking]

YA, THAT LOOK IS NOT WHAT I WANT. THANKS FOR THE RESPONSE. I THINK I WILL NEED MY TUNES SHHARK HIDED ASAP. I WANT THEM LOOKING NEW.

[lakerunner]

Good boy

[OlJim]

If you leave your boat in the slip all season long, from the water line down, it may last
a month, or it may last a couple of years. There are just too many variables such as water conditions and content, as well as severity of marine growth etc.

This is from the Q&A section of the Sharkhide web site.

[WaltF]

Toss on 2 coats, with at least 24 hours in between applications.
Applying it only takes like 20 mins.... Its a breeze...
Then throw er into the slip!

[badmoonrising]

If you leave your boat in the slip all season long, from the water line down, it may last
a month, or it may last a couple of years. There are just too many variables such as water conditions and content, as well as severity of marine growth etc.

This is from the Q&A section of the Sharkhide web site.

Yeah that's why anti-fouling is a better way to protect below the waterline.

[Steveclv]

If you leave your boat in the slip all season long, from the water line down, it may last
a month, or it may last a couple of years. There are just too many variables such as water conditions and content, as well as severity of marine growth etc.

This is from the Q&A section of the Sharkhide web site.

Yeah that's why anti-fouling is a better way to protect below the waterline.

Antifouling is only really of benefit in salt water, not fresh water.

If you do use antifouling then make sure you get one suitable for Aluminum and double check it contains NO copper. Most AF paints are intended for fiberglass and contain high concentrations of copper and that will corrode your aluminum to leaky swiss cheese in about 6 months.

[badmoonrising]

If you leave your boat in the slip all season long, from the water line down, it may last
a month, or it may last a couple of years. There are just too many variables such as water conditions and content, as well as severity of marine growth etc.

This is from the Q&A section of the Sharkhide web site.

Yeah that's why anti-fouling is a better way to protect below the waterline.

Antifouling is only really of benefit in salt water, not fresh water.

If you do use antifouling then make sure you get one suitable for Aluminum and double check it contains NO copper. Most AF paints are intended for fiberglass and contain high concentrations of copper and that will corrode your aluminum to leaky swiss cheese in about 6 months.

True on the copper, already discussed in detail in recent posts here. We all tried to explain to the guy what the problem was, but he left apparently. Hope he returned the boat.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4963


You are dead wrong on anti-fouling in being not needed in fresh and only in saltwater though. Any boat that stays in a slip for more than a few months needs anti-fouling, doesn't matter if it's in fresh or salt. Try cleaning one that doesn't have it, versus one that does. I am in the Upper Chesapeake, which is fresh until late summer when it turns slightly salty. We get freshwater marine growth in the spring and saltwater species like red algae and barnacles in summer. Anti-fouling paints are formulated for both salt and fresh for a reason. I've seen some boat pics posted in online forums from freshwater lakes absolutely covered with vegetative growth, which would have been prevented with anti-fouling. Zebra mussels only occur in fresh and can be prevented with anti-fouling. Come on up to the Upper Chesapeake and take a look at my boat versus boats unpainted in the slips nearby, all covered with algae in 3-4 weeks or less.

http://www.marinepainting.net/anti-foul ... paint.html

[Steveclv]

If you are in brackish water then I'd agree - you refer to 'marine' growth and that means things that come from the sea or ocean and AF paints are 'primarily' intended for that purpose.

For those of us in inland lakes (I'm 1000 miles from the nearest saltwater on the Colorado river) AF paints would serve me no purpose whatsoever. My toon was in the lake/river for over 3 years and had a light covering of algae that was there because the boat hadn't moved in 2 of those 3 years. A high pressure washer removed everything except for the calcium deposits and the black oxidation.

Of more concern is that AF paints are designed to leach into the water over time - as many of our lakes and rivers are used for human water consumption, I'd be less than happy about all those chemicals leaching into the water table from boaters.

It's for the same reason that I don't try and remove the black oxidation from below the waterline - naked Aluminum will leach into the water as it re-oxidizes again. The black oxide protects the aluminum skin from doing so. I'm sure sharkhide does the same. Aluminum is one of the main culprits they believe, in Alzheimers. Whilst it's probably a tiny amount, I feel that if we all did a little it would mount up to being a lot - that's certainly how we screwed up in the first place

[badmoonrising]

It's possible the lake you are on doesn't have problems like most do, still if you had problems with freshwater vegetative growth (more common in southern, warmer areas than in areas with short winters) anti-fouling always benefits. Where I boat isn't considered brackish, it's fresh. We don't have harsh winters, so all that stuff grows year round. These days paint is a lot less toxic than it used to be (but still is because that's how it prevents algae, barnacles, zebra mussels or other nasties from adhering to the hull.) I'd rather paint than deal with several days of cleaning at the end of the season and the possibility of severe corrosion damage. Hell, my crab traps look like they are made of red fur at the end of the year.

[1roadking]

I am in freshwater only in NH. It freezes here in the winter. My boat will probably be in the water from mid may to October. Will sharkhide get er done? I dont think marine growth will be an issuance, my concern is staining and oxidation. My boat is new and I want to keep it looking that way.

[badmoonrising]

From the Sharkhide website:

Q: Will SHARKHIDE keep Moss and Algae from growing on my boat hull?
A: NO!!! SHARKHIDE is a metal protectant, NOT an "Anti Fouling" bottom paint.

Q: How long will the average application last?
A: On things like Motorcycles, Street Rods, Aircraft and other things that see limited fair weather use, it's not uncommon to get 6 or more years of protection
between coats. On heavily used things like Big rigs, Dump trailers, Fire and Rescue equipment, you may need to re coat every 1 to 4 years. On boats that are kept
on the trailer, or on a lift, it's not uncommon to get 3 to 5 years of protection. If you leave your boat in the slip all season long, from the water line down, it may last
a month, or it may last a couple of years. There are just too many variables such as water conditions and content, as well as severity of marine growth etc.
But from the water line up, you can expect the same protection as any other boat.