Re-waterproofing Sharkskin

The original Sharkskin cover on my 2005 Centurion is starting to leach some water through the material itself as well as through the stitching. Overall it appears to be in really good structural shape. The boat cover (and boat) is in the sun maybe 20 days out of the year and in my garage the rest of the time.

Is there something available to rejuvenate this material?

I'd like to ask this same question of the manufacturer but I've not been able to determine who that may be. Does anyone know who makes this material?

I have a 05 Tige 22v with the factory cover which is sharksin. I bought boat used and the cover leaked bad.
I cleaned the cover with simply green and stiff bristle brush. Then using a 24 oz spray bottle I applied star brite waterproofing with PTEF. I used all but 20oz of the gallon container.
I washed the cover spread out in my driveway. The hung the cover on long railing I have in back yard and used chairs to get the cover spread out and off ground. It didn't take long to dry. Finally put cover on boat and applied waterproof. I did need a ladder to get to the hard to reach spots. I adjusted the spray nozzle such that it sprayed narrow without making puddles but not so much mist that it didn't apply to cover (don't get a face full waterproofing). I would spray circling the boat and by time I got to my starting point it was dry. I did that till I used all but 20oz of the gallon. It was a sunny 95+°
Results: the water beads and rolls off cover like a new coat of wax on car. Unfortunately I still have water getting into my boat but not as much as before. I haven't got inside during the rain to see where but I suspect it's from some seams in bow area. A new good quality cover is ~$800-900 and so I would suggest spending $50 (Amazon) first. Several forums and manufacture sites stress the cleaning so don't skimp that step. Good luck!

So while not directly related to what you asked it might help... If water is pooling in your cover the weight of the water might be pushing the water through. I had that problem on my Supreme and this fixed it all up.

http://hangtyte.com

Just an idea!

If your cover is 10 years old just pony up for a new sunbrella cover. Easily one of the best investment's you can make for your boat.

For my last boat, I was getting little moisture. I took the cover down to a laundry mat that had a really large washer, basically like an extractor. Washed it, then put it back on the boat. I then put a couple cans of Kiwi Camp Dry water proofing on just the stitching, inside and out. And about 3-4 cans on the rest of the cover. Worked awesome. I put the Kiwi on with the cover on the boat. http://www.amazon.com/Kiwi-Camp-Heav.../dp/B00QVL2L5E

CaptainKurk - I'll look into the Star Brite product. Did it seem to soak into the Sharkskin or kind of create an extra layer? The material, I believe, has an acrylic layer and as such I wasn't sure just how well any type of waterproofer would adhere.

rasorjb - Nope, water is definitely not pooling. I keep the cover tight and use poles to prevent this.


hco - Thanks for the advice, hadn't thought about that option.

wakedirt - thanks for the tip. I was actually going to look around for something a little more substantial to use on the seams due to to the larger pores caused by the stitching.

Check this out, I doubt you will be disappointed. I use this on my backpacking gear, boots and pretty much anything I want to be waterproof. Used it on an old boat cover last year and works awesome. No need to worry about water pooling because it is so hydrophobic that it beads right off. The original can leave a little bit of an opaque film but the fabric specific product drys clear.

http://www.rustoleum.com/product-cat...t/neverwet-kit

I use 303 fabric guard on my covers:
http://www.goldeagle.com/product/303-fabric-guard

Originally Posted by viking

I use 303 fabric guard on my covers:
http://www.goldeagle.com/product/303-fabric-guard

http://www.rustoleum.com/en/product-...outdoor-fabric
This looks interesting, may be the route I go on the new boat, the 303 stuff looks good too, been very happy with 303 products.

Originally Posted by viking

I use 303 fabric guard on my covers:
http://www.goldeagle.com/product/303-fabric-guard

What materials were your covers made of?

Fish6942 - it does soak into the cover but will pool and run if you overspray in a particular spot. I sprayed a light layer evenly working my way around. I would bet I went around the boat cover 3-4 times. I did have it on the boat, with pole and strapped down so it was tight.

For the sake of actually contributing something useful to my own thread, here is what I found out. The Sharkskin material is manufactured by a company called Marlen Textiles. I contacted them and they recommended two products for my needs... The first is a product that they produce called Aqua-Tite Green, the second is 303 Fabric Guard.

I'll do a little more investigation but I'll probably end up choosing between these two.

Thanks again for all the responses!