Cleaning Bimini

Eddie B

Eddie B

Member
Jun 21, 2021
61
Stamford CT
Boat Info
2003 Sea Ray Sundancer 240
Engines
Mercury 5.0 MPI
Hey guys. Getting excited for this season. I have the Bimini off my 2003 240DA and plan to give it some love. The frame is pitted or oxidized and I want to do what I can to keep the canvas looking great since it’s black sunbrella and up all the time.

Main question: is the Bimini frame anodized aluminum? Do you have any recommendations for cleaning products to get rid of the pitting/oxidation?

Secondary: tips/products to clean/protect the sunbrela fabric?

Finally: the eisenglass. I have the front and side curtains and man, they are rough. Not foggy as much as scratched, swirled. I have the star bright 2 step stuff but open to other suggestions.

thanks,
Ed
 
Ed, first of all there are no cleaning products that will remove pitting and yes, your bimini frame is most likely anodized aluminum but I ain't no metallurgist so if I'm wrong, someone please correct me.

For cleaning the Sunbrella try going onto Youtube and entering that into the search bar. It's been a looooong time since I had any Sunbrella on a boat I owned so there may be new products that I'm not aware of. The recommended product used to be a light mix of Dawn, hand washing in a large tub, rinse a couple of times and lay it out to dry, but not in the sun.

For cleaning the Eisenglass I'd recommend the same Youtube search.
 
The glass is the part which will be disappointing. You can try or polish it with various snake oils made for the purpose but it’s short lived solution.
 
Gofirstclass said:
Ed, first of all there are no cleaning products that will remove pitting and yes, your bimini frame is most likely anodized aluminum but I ain't no metallurgist so if I'm wrong, someone please correct me.

For cleaning the Sunbrella try going onto Youtube and entering that into the search bar. It's been a looooong time since I had any Sunbrella on a boat I owned so there may be new products that I'm not aware of. The recommended product used to be a light mix of Dawn, hand washing in a large tub, rinse a couple of times and lay it out to dry, but not in the sun.

For cleaning the Eisenglass I'd recommend the same Youtube search.
Click to expand...

thanks for confirming the metal. I have researched. Was just looking for what people found to work well.
 
Yes, your aluminum bimini frame is anodized. Only way to remove that pitting, is to sand it smooth and polish it. At that point you will have removed the anodizing - put with the pitting it was damaged anyway. My frames looked terrible, so I did the sanding and polishing and replaced the nylon fittings at the same time. Since I know the anodizing is gone, I apply a coat of wax to the frame periodically - usaully just a spray wax - something like Shark Hide might work better. I didn't think this was going to hold up very well, but several years later it still looks good - good enough that I don't want to invest the $$ in a new bimini frame. If you do replace the frame, stainless steal is the only way to go.

Here is the thread from when I did the work a few years ago.
Bimini Frame - anyone painted it? | Club Sea Ray

As far as cleaning the sunbrella - goto their website and there are instructions. Basically a mild detergent with bleach for cleaning, then treat with 303 Fabric Protector. I have cleaned mine by hand with Woolite and have run it through a commercial washer with a mild Tide detergent. Sunbrella cleans up very well.
 
Last edited:
For cleaning it depends and how bad it is. You can actually machine wash it BUT ALWAYS air dry or you will be ordering new.

If there is mildew or staining you can soak in a bleach water mixture:

This is Subrella's recommended method:
Prepare a solution of 1 cup of bleach and 1/4 cup mild soap per gallon of water.
Spray on entire area and allow to soak into the fabric for 15 minutes.
Clean entire surface area with a sponge, clean towel or very soft bristle brush.
Rinse thoroughly to remove all soap residue.
Air dry.

Sunbrella actually has some pretty good instructions: https://www.sunbrella.com/clean-sunbrella-upholstery

As far as the eisenglass goes. Once it goes from being a surface issue to being in the material it is pretty much a lost cause. In that case you can replace the eisenglass or order new visors or side curtains.

As mentioned above Great Lakes should have you factory patterns. We are distributors for GLBT and offer discounts to all the CSR members - and we also sponsor this site.

If you would like to get a quote send me your info here and I would be happy to assist:
https://www.covemarine.com

-Kevin

PS: Just a note on a comment above Ginger and Ashley are both great people over at GLBT - I deal with them almost on a daily basis.
 
I forgot to comment on the frames. Unfortunately, once the frames are pitted there is not much you can do. New frame sets/parts can be ordered from the factory but that is a separate discussion.

If you want to try to clean them up I would try something like buff magic to try to remove the outer oxidation. You can also try to use some cleaning vinegar or barkeepers friend (grocery store/walmart items) - the acid will help to remove "some" of the oxidation. Unfortunately the pitting will be left behind.

-Kevin
 
All great suggestions. The frame really is not that bad so I am going to try a mild cleaning before is sand or take other measures. Black shows no mildew so I don’t know if any is there but will clean the canvas non the less. Really appreciate the input here guys. Best forum out there.
 
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