Update on Sharkhide protective coating application

Having read all of Dave Nelson's research on Sharkhide, we decided to use the product on our Raindrop. After talking with the owner, Clint at Sharkhide and getting specific instructions, to be perfectly honest I was still nervous. But what a product! It went on very quickly and easily and it was beautiful. I missed a few spots and you could tell, so today after two days of curing, I hit those spots and they blended right in. I will be applying a second coat next week. Now that I know the procedure it won't be stressful. The aluminum is no longer oxidizing. It will look new for a long time and will be basically maintenance free. We will be the guinea pig for anyone wanting to use Sharkhide and I'll be happy to make updated reports and answer any questions once I'm back online- using my Iphone now and it's not easy typing!

 

Can you pass on the specific instructions Clint gave you? I'm already sold, I have my sharkhide and diaper ready and packed for my trip to pick up our 560 in less than three weeks. I'm hoping to apply the first coat before leaving the mothership or at least shortly thereafter.

 

Mewton,
Go to www.sharkhide.com, get Clint's phone # and CALL HIM! I can tell you and will be glad to, but even though it's not hard, you need to hear the details from him if at all possible. He emphasized several things and I took him very literally.

I am SO HAPPY with this product. I missed a few spots on the first go round but didn't want to go back over it till the 1st coat had cured (2 days). At that time it needed to be washed again, but since we can't do that in this campground, I spot washed those areas, rinsed, let them air dry for about 10 mins. and then reapplied. I was thinking that the missed spots (being darker) would be protected but remain darker when I applied the product to those missed spots...WRONG! The product gets it all to blend! It's amazing!

We have let those spots age 2 days and this next week we'll be taking it to a car wash and since we have 1 coat of protectant on it we'll use the brush with suds, rinse, chamois it off, let it air dry and I'll put a second coat on it. That should take care of it for 2-3 yrs. or more. Be sure it's CLEAN, wear gloves (buy several pair and throw them away when done.) DO NOT use a towel to dry it - it leaves lint. Only a chamois - and we bought a cheap one that works, but will buy a better one.

Ok, here's what he told me:

1. Cut the diaper to fit your hand
2. When you open the can DO NOT take the metal inside tab off - punch holes in it and dribble it on the diaper from corner to corner, leaving NOTHING dry, but not dripping. I soaked it and if I thought it was a bit full I squeezed it out a bit, but not much.

3. On a clean, dry Raindrop, I started on a fender (bad choice cause I couldn't stand on it to do the roof.) But I wanted to get the feel of it. We're short, so I needed a ladder to reach the roof - reach as far as you can into the center and swipe once in one direction - not back and forth. The info. in the Sharkhide shows you the directions.

4. Do the roof, then around all the little places (don't let your diaper get dry and move QUICKLY). Bill held the can for me and pointed out places I had missed.

5. After you apply the first coat it will dry in about 2 mins. but DO NOT put a cover on it till it cures.

6. There is some over lapping to do but you need to talk to Clint - you don't want to do this wrong cause if you do you'll have to remove it with Lacquer thinner in the areas you're not happy with - I didn't have that problem at all, but again, I talked to Clint!

If you pick it up, "do the do" and then drive it back to Washington hit the missed spots when you get back. This product is awesome and will take care of anything you missed. It took me about 20 mins. to apply the product and a bag of nervousness for a week or so. One thing Clint said - "Don't overthink it!"

He did say one thing: If he sold paint, I bought it and the room turned out bad, it's not because he sold me bad paint - it's because I don't know how to paint. It's the HOW TO that's important and made me nervous, but it wasn't bad at all. BUT CALL HIM! He is so nice and has his cell phone listed and will answer 24/7 unless he's asleep! Great customer service.

I can't wait to take ours to the factory and let Cary see it in Sept. or next year if we can't make it this Sept. I want him to see how it's doing.

 

I would like to hear Cary or Craig's opinion on the product once they have seen a trailer that has it. If it is as good as people say, perhaps it could become an option that can be requested from the factory.

 

Evan,
It's a time issue and also I think an application issue. If a person's sloppy it will probably show...gotta do it right! Since I'm the guinea pig I'll be posting pics from time to time and hopefully be able to take it home to it's nest in Necedah at some point for Show & Tell...

 

So, where are all the before and after pics of this wonder product?

Just curious.

 

OK, it's now August!! How's the Sharkhide holding up?

(thanks for being the guinea pig!!)

 

Aj - I'm not good at posting pictures here for some dumb reason - it's takes an act of God and Congress to get them up (and you know how slow Congress is!) I will definately try to work on getting some pics up tho!

Alcat - How's it holding up in all this Texas heat stored outdoors? BEE-U-TI-FUL!

We just took it out to show Pat & Karen who came to see if they wanted to purchase one and it looks brand spanking new like it came off the showroom floor.

We live in an RV in a campground and have it stored "out back" with a cover over it that we purchased from CI. No garage and HOT Texas sun.

When we pulled it out several "weekenders" that was here wanted to see it as well (it does that to people)so we had a huge show and tell the day before Pat & Karen came. One of those men works with sheet metal and couldn't believe how great it looked. He said that he does handrails for schools and other stainless work and was always being called back to repolish it due to fingerprints. I told him about the Sharkhide and he said he'd remember that because he hunted Sharks!

We hope to go to the Camp Inn/Camp Outt in Wisconsin in Sept. just to show it off (plus meet and greet the folks and see 'homebase.' We had ours delivered and so have never been to Necedah. I can't wait to show it to Cary & Craig!

 

Linda,

Looking forward to seeing your trailer and meeting you and Bill at the CICO. Maybe someone will bring a Woody Waxed trailer and we could do a side by side comparison.

My photo comment wasn't directed specifically toward you and I apologize if it came off that way. A few others have touted their miracle wax/cleaner but haven't shared their results either.

I feel your pain about adding pics. I have an Apple and don't have a clue how to convert Evan's Windows based procedure to MACeeze. I think it would be so much easier if there was a "add attachment" button on the Full Reply Screen somewhere. Of course, once again I have no clue how to make that happen... or if it's Evan possible.

aj

 

I agree on the pics AJ...I love the KISS system...

Bill and I really want to come to the Camp Outt in Sept. but aren't fully committed yet due to several reasons:

Our house in Arkansas is being vacated on Sept. 1st and we're got to get it re-leased and/or sold or both. We have to go to Ark. and get the last bit of our furniture out of it and haul it back to Texas around the 1st. All of this will affect our finances of course and the drive to Wis. is LONG and will take us several days because I do all the driving. 5-6 hrs. a day is my limit and we both have a doc's appt. on Sept. 19th! So IF we can make it, which is something we really want to do I agree on the comparison.

The thing about Sharkhide is, it's NOT a wax. Somehow it reacts with the aluminum and seals it but it's not a plastic coating. But if you miss a spot and see it several days later because it's darker than the area you didn't miss, when you go back over that area, it changes color from the dark to the lighter site - it blends it all together. It's REALLY cool. It's awesome to take it out and have all the stares and once you've got it sealed, you can run it through a car wash with brushes and it's no biggy to clean. And it's good for 2 yrs.! Then I just reapply again in 2 yrs. I think I can handle that...I bought this trailer to USE, NOT to work on!

 

Bull.

AJ, if you will kindly explain what your knowledge and experience have contributed to this site, I will consider posting another photo of what wax looks like on aluminum. There are even photos here of what Sharkhide looks like on aluminum.

Hilditch, 1%er

 

Hildicth,

A few of us on this forum don’t have the knowledge and experience that you seem to possess. But to answer your question. As someone just getting into camping and potential teardrop ownership, my contribution to this site is more on the lines of asking questions or asking for pictures because the words don’t clearly describe the topic for we less knowledgeable and experienced members... well for me anyway. I shouldn’t answer for others, but I’m sure they benefit as I benefit from their questions.

There’s no need to post additional pictures for me. I’ve read and reread all your posts several times... I even saw the pictures. I appreciate the information that you and all the other members provide. It will prove to be invaluable when it’s my turn to sit down with Cary.

In the future I will try to choose my words more carefully as not to offend anyone.

But in closing I must say just kidding!!!

...this time

 

I don't think photos are going to tell us much wrt whether the Sharkhide or the WoodyWax (after Walberizing) is the better approach.

 

Well whoever's going to be at the Camp Outt can see our "Sharkhide Applied" and compare them. I'm bringing my Sharkhide and some aluminum foil to give a demo if anyone's interested.

 

It seems the SharkHide must be a more durable coating than a wax would be. I would think that the question then is, how does it hold up to lengthy UV exposure. Does it yellow or does it just wear off the way a wax would? If it starts yellowing, then just adding another coat won't do it and the yellowing will add up. I think it will take some lengthy sun exposure to answer that question.

 

Whoops, just saw Dave's testing post. Wow. Looks like a settled matter to me.

 

Make sure you look for the full string. CI is not recommending the SharkHide, at least the last time I read through the multiple strings. Check with Cary at the factory for the latest.

 

When we picked ours up in Oct. Cary was not recommending Sharkhide.

 

Linda,
How's the Sharkhide holding up? We haven't done a thing and its starting to show...

 

I don't remember if I replied to this via PM or not, so here's my verdict:

After over 1 year of applied Sharkhide protection, she looks great! I highly recommend anyone interested go to sharkhide.com, contact the owner, talk to him and follow his implicit instructions if you think it's for you. But follow instructions to the T! Not hard, just gotta listen.