Stained Seats - Total Disappointment

T

TJM0901

New Member
Jun 29, 2009
51
East Greenwich, RI
Boat Info
340 Sundancer (2007)
"Gabagoo"
Engines
Twin 375HP
V-Drives
I could kill myself (not really). Every issue I have had with my "new" boat has been self inflicted by "user" error. Should I feel better or worse about that? I guess i have to learn this boating thing some how??

So I washed my rugs the other day on the docks. And because they were not fully dried by the time I had to lock the boat up I laid 2 of the smaller rugs over the helm seats (rubber side down). Now I have these tan / brown dimple spots / stains all over the top of my seats. WTF!!!

What is the STRONGEST cleaner I can put on the seats? Someone told me to try Soft Scrub with Bleach? I also have been told the stuff made to clean the white walls on cars could work but is strong. I don’t want to do more damage.

Any advice is GREATLY appericated.

Thanks
 
Try Spray 9 first. It's a simple detergent and won't harm anything. If that doesn't work, wash with diluted household bleach and detergent. If that doesn't work, wet some towels with the diluted bleach and place them over the stains for a while. Remove and rinse. Also, the sun does a good job of bleaching stains. Remove the canvas and leave the seats exposed.

Best regards,
Frank
 
I agree with Frank, let the sun do it's magic. I have also used Fantastik with excellent success. It is quite mild, just like the Spray Nine.
 
TJ, first try "Tuff Stuff". You can purchase it from any auto parts store. It's in a red and yellow spray can, I think it's made by Simoniz. Spray it on heavy and let it sit for a few seconds, then take a finger nail brush and scrub lightly to moderately. Before this have a bucket filled with VERY HOT WATER with a terry towel or Microfiber towel soaking. When you're finished scrubbing, wipe up the mess with the hot towel.(Wring it out first). You should see SOME type of result. Repeat if necessary. If you don't get any results from this, you're gonna have to use a big gun. In the auto parts stores you can also purchase some type of "Purple Power Degreaser". Spray on lightly and let it sit for a few seconds then scrub with the nail brush. You should sprinkle some of the HOT WATER on the seats as well to cut down the strength of the degreaser. Then when finished scrubbing, repeat as said above with the wrung out hot towel. Be careful with the degreaser and you might want to wear some rubber dish washing gloves cause it will make your hands feel rough. Good luck and let me know how you make out.:thumbsup:
 
I can't thank you all enough. On my birthday and all - I went down to the boat for a nice dinner and had to deal with that. I just beat myself up because if I actually knew what the heck I was doing, I would have no probelms at all the the boat and would still be a 10 like the day I bought it.

I will try a combo of the suggestions above. Thanks again. This site is amazing.

T.J.
 
Scott - I actually did... :lol: (laugh out loud)!

All good advice above - always start on the mild side. Be sure to rinse off whatever cleaner you use real well.
 
TJM0901 said:
I can't thank you all enough. On my birthday and all - I went down to the boat for a nice dinner and had to deal with that. I just beat myself up because if I actually knew what the heck I was doing, I would have no probelms at all the the boat and would still be a 10 like the day I bought it.

I will try a combo of the suggestions above. Thanks again. This site is amazing.

T.J.
Click to expand...

T.J. - I use the "Magic Eraser" on my seats and it works AWESOME. Don't use it dry, spray the seat first w/ a marine cleaner. You'll be amazed how well it works.

btw. You can get the Magic Eraser at most grocery stores. I believe it's made by Mr. Clean.
 
Read the product ingredients or MSDS on the web before you use it. Some cleaners and degreasers have solvents (listed as petroleum distillates) which will strip some of the plasticizers from the vinyl. The plasticizers are what makes it soft and flexible. When the plasticizers are gone, the vinyl dries and cracks. It takes a long time for that to occur, but using solvent based cleaners will accelerate the aging process.

Mr. Clean Eraser is an abrasive. Think about using 2400 grit (or whatever) emory cloth to clean your seats. Stick with the detergent based cleaners and / or diluted bleach.

Best regards,
Frank
 
the guys that put the shrink wrap on our boat last winter put the carpet on the seats as you described and because the boat was in CT, we didn't go "visit" it until January and we had the same issue. I tried to cleam them to no avail. There was white shrink wrap on the boat and when I went back in March armed to the teeth with cleaners, the marks were gone. Let the sun at it. good luck
 
Last edited:
fc3 said:
Try Spray 9 first. It's a simple detergent and won't harm anything. If that doesn't work, wash with diluted household bleach and detergent. If that doesn't work, wet some towels with the diluted bleach and place them over the stains for a while. Remove and rinse. Also, the sun does a good job of bleaching stains. Remove the canvas and leave the seats exposed.

Best regards,
Frank
Click to expand...

After Spray 9 use a household bathroom mold spray. It is more diluted than straight bleach and works great. If that doesn't work proceed with Frank's list. BTW, make sure to wash off the bleach or whatever cleaner you use. Sit in sun to "bleach" out and then put 303 protectant on to keep it looking good.

While you are at it, my dry cleaner said to use lysol disinfectant on your cushions to protect against mold in your interior boat cushions. If you look closely you can see little spots then you know you have mold. In Florida this is pretty common and I don't think most people know they have it. Sleep on the cushions and when you nose plugs up is another good test.
 
fc3 said:
Read the product ingredients or MSDS on the web before you use it. Some cleaners and degreasers have solvents (listed as petroleum distillates) which will strip some of the plasticizers from the vinyl. The plasticizers are what makes it soft and flexible. When the plasticizers are gone, the vinyl dries and cracks. It takes a long time for that to occur, but using solvent based cleaners will accelerate the aging process.

Mr. Clean Eraser is an abrasive. Think about using 2400 grit (or whatever) emory cloth to clean your seats. Stick with the detergent based cleaners and / or diluted bleach.

Best regards,
Frank
Click to expand...

This is the best advice on the subject. I will only add one additional caution about using bleach or bleach-containing products. Bleach will slowly but surely deteriorate the thread that holds the seams together. Probably OK to use on a broad surface but be cautious about letting it seep into the seams.

.
 
TJM0901 said:
I could kill myself (not really). Every issue I have had with my "new" boat has been self inflicted by "user" error. Should I feel better or worse about that? I guess i have to learn this boating thing some how??

So I washed my rugs the other day on the docks. And because they were not fully dried by the time I had to lock the boat up I laid 2 of the smaller rugs over the helm seats (rubber side down). Now I have these tan / brown dimple spots / stains all over the top of my seats. WTF!!!

What is the STRONGEST cleaner I can put on the seats? Someone told me to try Soft Scrub with Bleach? I also have been told the stuff made to clean the white walls on cars could work but is strong. I don’t want to do more damage.

Any advice is GREATLY appericated.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Wait until you see what a simple logo on a plastic grocery sack does :)

I use simple green followed by vinyl protectant. Then I let the sun do it's job. It'll make quick work of the stains.
 
Don't get hard on those stains with cleaner!! I have done this too and it doesn't take much for the rubber to stain the white vinyl. If you leave the seats in bright sunlight the stain will disappear after a few days. trust me! If you get down on the seats with cleaner you will just damage them and they will NOT remove the rubber stains!!
 
Flitz polish and stain/spot remover has gotten off every rust spot and stain that I have tried it on.
 
If all else fails, get some vinly spray paint from a car paint suplier. Worked great for me .
 
TJM0901 said:
I could kill myself (not really). Every issue I have had with my "new" boat has been self inflicted by "user" error.
Click to expand...


Hey!!!! I didn't do it! LoL... but on a real note are the stains uniform or splotchy? I assume from your post these are stains simply from the rubber but some of the advise is more based on mildew... Don't know if they are bringing up that fact for preventitive or trying to help you with what they think are mildew stains which are the most common when reffered to as stains on seats... I am 100% on the purple power but the theory it could dry out the seats down the line could deffinatly be true... so keep that in mind...
 
Magic Eraser is the product of choice. Used them this w/e to clean all my vinyl. Like new color. Finished off with Mcguiars vinyl protectant. Pretty! Sounds squeeky clean too.
 
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