Advice for cleaning shore power cables?

on a different note--I took my old bimini, canvas storage boot, ran it thru the sewing machine so it was a smaller diameter and then covered both power cords and the fresh water hose all together. Looks great, keeps them in a neat bundle, and the canvas protects the boat from any scuffs. Much easier to handle the connections as a package.
 
I’m always looking for better cleaning products and would love to give “Marine Strip” a try but the shipping is nuts.
There are a couple of local dealers here on Long Island that are a little off the normal beaten path for me. Next rainy day that I find myself with nothing to do I’ll have to take a ride.
 
Jack380AC said:
Not an issue for me as my boat is old school. No roll up. I have one set of cables to lay out semi-permanent at the slip and one to carry with me when cruising.
Click to expand...
That’s what I do.
 
JVM225 said:
That’s what I do.
Click to expand...
Yep, easiest way to travel. Quick disconnect and go plus it's all ready for your return.

I also carry two sets of cables. Never know if you get to a dock with a bad pedistal and have to extend or if I have to run both 30A circuits.

-Kevin
 
Last edited:
KevinC said:
Yep, easiest way to travel. Quick disconnect and go plus it's all ready for your return.

I also carry two sets of cables. Never know if you get to a dock with a bad pedistal and have to extend or if I have to run both 30A circuits.

-Kevin
Click to expand...

I also keep a nice collection of pigtails and adapters on board to try to cover any situation I may encounter. Probably have a small fortune invested in all that stuff.
 
JVM225 said:
I also keep a nice collection of pigtails and adapters on board to try to cover any situation I may encounter. Probably have a small fortune invested in all that stuff.
Click to expand...

Especially the "watch hill" adapter.

-Kevin
 
I received my Marine Strip last week and cleaned my power cord yesterday. One word....amazing! A few of my dock neighbors will be purchasing it too.
 
I took a ride today to pick up a can of Marine Strip. Even a new closed can seems to have a very strong solvent smell. Like turpentine or paint thinner. I had to keep the car windows open to keep from getting a buzz from the stuff.
Haven’t tried it yet.
Is this stuff safe for vinyl cockpit seats? Will it make the vinyl gummy? Do you rinse afterwards?
I called the 800 number but the nice lady who answered pretty much just read the label to me. She mentioned it worked well on her sneakers, but didn’t sound like she had real world experience using it on vinyl boat seats.
 
Last edited:
Didn't have the smell issue with my can. It says it's safe for vinyl with no rinsing. I tried it on a small spot on my captain's chair and it worked good but did turn the vinyl and power cord sticky at first but that went away after a few minutes.
 
quality time said:
Didn't have the smell issue with my can. It says it's safe for vinyl with no rinsing. I tried it on a small spot on my captain's chair and it worked good but did turn the vinyl and power cord sticky at first but that went away after a few minutes.
Click to expand...

If it is making the vinyl sticky, even for a short time, I would not use it on the seats. The solvents are likely affecting the plasticizers in the vinyl and I would think there is high risk it will dry out and crack over time or not be UV stable any more.
 
JVM225 said:
I took a ride today to pick up a can of Marine Strip. Even a new closed can seems to have a very strong solvent smell. Like turpentine or paint thinner. I had to keep the car windows open to keep from getting a buzz from the stuff.
Haven’t tried it yet.
Is this stuff safe for vinyl cockpit seats? Will it make the vinyl gummy? Do you rinse afterwards?
I called the 800 number but the nice lady who answered pretty much just read the label to me. She mentioned it worked well on her sneakers, but didn’t sound like she had real world experience using it on vinyl boat seats.
Click to expand...
It works well on seats and vinyl. Almost too well. My seats were previously repainted and it took off the dirty paint with ease. Only problem for me was it turned into doing all the seats instead of spot cleaning.

-Kevin
 
Creekwood said:
If it is making the vinyl sticky, even for a short time, I would not use it on the seats. The solvents are likely affecting the plasticizers in the vinyl and I would think there is high risk it will dry out and crack over time or not be UV stable any more.
Click to expand...

I am highly critical about solvents on vinyl especially when I did my own upholstery on my old boat. I can report that seats are still good after using it two years ago on my current boat.

-Kevin
 
JVM225 said:
I also keep a nice collection of pigtails and adapters on board to try to cover any situation I may encounter. Probably have a small fortune invested in all that stuff.
Click to expand...

You got it, "A small fortune" (over $2k)
 
Thanks Kevin!
Just tried it out on the cushion that goes on top of my removable step filler in the cockpit. It was easy to take that one home for the test and it was dirtier than the rest.
I did the sides and bottom where the vinyl wraps around (most inconspicuous places) with the Marine Strip, and the top (visible) part of the cushion with LA’s Totally Awesome Cleaner. I have the better part of a gallon of that stuff left in the garage from another cleaning project. Cushion was thoroughly rinsed after cleaning and dried with my Master Blaster.
Verdict:
Marine Strip with a rag made very short work of it, but like any petroleum based product, it felt like it was breaking down the vinyl and left it feeling a little gummy.
LA’s Totally Awesome Cleaner and some scrubbing with the green side of a kitchen scour sponge cleaned just as well and didn’t leave the vinyl gummy, but it did require more work which took more time.
I’m going to wait until tomorrow to let the cushion bottom completely dry and see if the gummy parts firm up. Then I’ll put a vinyl protectant (probably 303 because I have it handy) on it to see what it looks like.
Next test piece will either be an old shorepower cord or the filler cushion that goes on the cockpit table when it drops down.
 
My Marine Strip came in the mail today. I wanted to check it out at home before going to the boat tomorrow evening. Like others have said, the vapor pressure is pretty stout. To keep the can from leaking after I had opened it, I had to put a seal over the mouth of the can before putting the cap back on.

My plan is to try it on my shore cables. That will happen Friday morning. I can't wait to read others' experiences tomorrow!

Jaybeaux
 
JVM225 said:
Thanks Kevin!
Just tried it out on the cushion that goes on top of my removable step filler in the cockpit. It was easy to take that one home for the test and it was dirtier than the rest.
I did the sides and bottom where the vinyl wraps around (most inconspicuous places) with the Marine Strip, and the top (visible) part of the cushion with LA’s Totally Awesome Cleaner. I have the better part of a gallon of that stuff left in the garage from another cleaning project. Cushion was thoroughly rinsed after cleaning and dried with my Master Blaster.
Verdict:
Marine Strip with a rag made very short work of it, but like any petroleum based product, it felt like it was breaking down the vinyl and left it feeling a little gummy.
LA’s Totally Awesome Cleaner and some scrubbing with the green side of a kitchen scour sponge cleaned just as well and didn’t leave the vinyl gummy, but it did require more work which took more time.
I’m going to wait until tomorrow to let the cushion bottom completely dry and see if the gummy parts firm up. Then I’ll put a vinyl protectant (probably 303 because I have it handy) on it to see what it looks like.
Next test piece will either be an old shorepower cord or the filler cushion that goes on the cockpit table when it drops down.
Click to expand...

+1 on 303 for the UV protection. Been using it for years.

-Kevin
 
Jaybeaux said:
My Marine Strip came in the mail today. I wanted to check it out at home before going to the boat tomorrow evening. Like others have said, the vapor pressure is pretty stout. To keep the can from leaking after I had opened it, I had to put a seal over the mouth of the can before putting the cap back on.

My plan is to try it on my shore cables. That will happen Friday morning. I can't wait to read others' experiences tomorrow!

Jaybeaux
Click to expand...

The trick with marine strip is to keep the towel wet to clean. As the towel dries from evaporation it becomes less effective.

Then clean with any basic soapy water soaked towel and dry.

My cables are are quite bright now. Not new looking because one has many surface scratches and was almost black when I got it.

-Kevin
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,171
Messages
1,427,825
Members
61,083
Latest member
wavespestcontrol
Back
Top