VINYL DETAILING

Keeping your boat’s upholstery sparkling is as much process as product.

Like most maintenance formulas for marine applications, there’s a great deal of mystery to the chemistry inside the bottle. What are the distinctions between a vinyl cleaner, a cleaner/restorer and a vinyl protectant?

Further, there’s more than a little mystery to the manufacturing of the vinyl itself. Some are made with protective coatings that seal the pores and stop stains on the surface, making them relatively easy to wipe off. Some vinyl fabrics have more porous surfaces, nodding, perhaps, to comfort on a hot, sticky day. sprays. And, to be blunt, on our heavily soiled beanbag chairs they didn’t fare as well as first-line cleaners. So, we made a couple of calls, the first to Star brite, one of the world’s largest brands and bottlers of marine maintenance chemicals. They guided us toward a series of products ranging from an all-purpose marine cleaner to vinyl protectant. Next, we called Meguiar’s, a prominent manufacturer of car, RV and marine maintenance products, for its advice about cleaning vinyl.

We were doing it wrong. Vinyl care is a combination of process and products. The theory is to use the mildest product that works. Detailers and cleaner/restorers are usually best on well-maintained vinyl. If your boat’s vinyl has been weathering for weeks or months, you’ll need moreaggressive vinyl cleaners or all-purpose marine cleaners.