UHMW TEFLON BOTTOM
SJX Black Ice and Point and Shoot Bottom
Years of “Hard Core” testing and development resulted in the ultimate bottom protection for a shallow water jet boat. SJX uses a highly technical process to adhere the unique and patented material to the bottom of their boats, without drilling 244 holes through it as some of our competitors do.
The "Point n Shoot"
The Point and Shoot, which consists of a center “skid” of 3/8″ thick UHMW bonded to the most vulnerable part of the boat. This level of protection runs from the bow area of the boat all the way down the center (lowest portion in the water), and on both sides of the rear tunnel, ending at the very back of the hull. The Point and Shoot is a great upgrade to the standard aluminum bottom and is ideal for boaters that occasionally find themselves in a situation where they want to continue exploring up a marginal river, shoal, etc., but are afraid they will not be able to slide over any obstructions without getting hung up. Point and shoot generally be about half of the cost of the Full Black Ice bottom.
The "Black Ice"
The Black Ice bottom is the absolute ultimate in hull protection, especially from a “strength to weight” ratio. Rather than building the hull out of much thicker and heavier aluminum, or installing an even heavier steel plate under the boat, consider the Black Ice bottom. While generally costlier, this incredible system does not sacrifice performance and does not jeopardize the integrity of the hull by “swiss cheesing” it with holes that eventually leak. Not only does the Black Ice bottom cover 100% of the wet surface of the bottom, it even protects the side of the boat from impact near the waterline. There simply is not a better form of protection, abrasion resistance, weight, and buoyancy, all the while giving you the uncanny ability to slide over gravel bars, logs, and whatever else is keeping you from getting further up that river.
How the UHMW bottoms are installed, and why it’s so important
The way this patented product is installed is a very technical and labor intensive process. It would be much easier and less expensive to use a spray on product. We have tested spray on bottoms on our boats that have been hyped by the manufacturer to never come off, and to be just as slippery and impact resistant as the UHMW material. The photo to the right shows how that worked out on a competitor’s boat at less than 20 hours. Needless to say, SJX does not offer a spray on bottom option.
Why SJX doesn’t use the spray on method
The process we use involves 10 steps that take our UHMW installation crew 3 full days to prep and install. It involves etching, priming, adhesion, plastic welding, compression, fitting, sealing, vacuum bagging, curing and edge beveling. The adhesive material used is the same product that a major truck builder now uses to attach their cab components to the frame of their rigs vs the old method of welding. The UHMW is not stock material, but a patented product produced in Germany that has a bonded mesh fabric that is molded into one side of the 3/8″ thick sheets and offers millions of contact points for the material to adhere to. Standard UHMW does not have the properties to make a secure bond, which is why several competitors simply go bolt crazy attaching the standard UHMW.