How do I maintain my pontoons after applying Alumetron?

Skipper January 4, 2021 Ask The Skipper

Steve Giammalva Asked:

I used Alumabuff with the linear buffer (numerous times) then applied 4 coats+ in places of the Alumatron. What do I need to do year to year to maintain? Can I clean and wash and reapply another coat or 2 at the end of each season.

ANSWER:

For your convenience, I’ve highlighted the hyperlinks in case you want more information about the products.

Hi Steve,

Sorry, I never got your original post.

Four coats of Alumetron are ideal and will last you a minimum of 3 years, but could last 5 to 6 years, before your need to strip and re-apply it. Adding more coats of Alumetron will not help and could actually cause degradation of the coating and shorten its useful life.

Annual maintenance consists of washing the pontoons with Boat Clean Plus or if you have algae build-up, you can remove that with Algex, providing that it’s not calcified algae.

I strongly recommend applying VS721 over the Alumetron. That will extend the life of the coating to 5 years and could last you up to 10 years. VS721 is an annual application and because it’s a clear, low surface energy, foul release coating will make clean up much easier. Most pontoon boat owners just wipe the slime off the bottom of their pontoons from time to time while they’re swimming and the pontoons stay clean all summer long. The other benefits of using VS721 over Alumetron is: it reduces the drag which gives your boat better performance and reduces fuel consumption, it adds durability to reduce scuffing abrasion, zebra mussels can’t stick to it, it extends the warranty on the finish to 5 years and adds value to your boat.

Thanks for your question,

Captain Aurora
Richard Kittar