The PO PAINTED the vinyl seats!!!

F

FiremistSLK_old

Member
Feb 18, 2012
71
Rhode Island - USA
Boat Info
240 Dancer (1997)
Engines
Merc 5.7L, carborated, 250 HP, Alpha Drive
I purchased a 1997 240 DA in March and have been working on it ever since. Today is launch minus 2 days so I started the cleaning process. When suddenly....Can you believe it? The idiot PO actually used that vinyl spray paint to paint every seat in the boat:smt021. I discovered this today while trying to remove a greasy finger print from the helm seat.... Nothing would take out the grease, so I tried some Acetone..... The finger print came off along with the paint that was on the seat :wow:. I noticed at this point that All of the seats had a dull gray/white appearance and no amount of scrubbing with Spray Nine, 409, Clorox or any other vinyl cleaner would bring back the white/white color of the new vinyl seats. I was stumped... So now, after a gallon of Acetone, over 2 dozen white terrycloth rags, and 6 hours of elbow grease, the seats look AMAZING... The white/white color is back:smt038. Only thing is the seats are totally unprotected and they look dull (no shine at all) and they seem to pick up dirt very easily. I need to apply a leather conditioner of some kind. I know not to use Armor-All, so does anyone have a suggestion for a vinyl protection product that will bring back the semi-shine of new vinyl??? Has anyone else come across anything like this??? What did you do if you did? .....Unbelievable.........
 
Painting the vinyl can be a fine way to resurrect old, dingy vinyl. Note, I said "can" as it all depends on how it's done - especially the prep. Which, it sounds like that step may have been overlooked.

I'm glad you got it looking good, but I fear you may have severely shortened the life of your vinyl. Acetone, especially in the amount that you used, removes the top (protective) layer of the vinyl. Basically, it melts it away. I hope that using the 303 can get you by, but it's likely only a matter of (short) time until you'll need to completely replace it.
 
I agree with Lazy Daze, these seats are likely done. After being painted and then having the paint removed with acetone it is difficult to imagine the vinyl or the stitching lasting more than this season. Use 303 to provide a sheen and save your allowance for an upholstery job.
 
Thanks Dennis and Phlorida for your comments and suggestions! I was afraid I did some damage to the vinyl by using such a harsh chemical because of the "feel" of the vinyl after I was done. But I HAD to do something! The seats were pretty much ruined by the paint and poor prep job performed on the vinyl before the paint was applied. I'll be appling the 303 tomorrow. Darn it all... the seats really do look good. I hope the 303 can save them for more than just one more season...... Maybe it's time for me to learn how to reupholster like a pro (ha ha)?? The lounge and helm seats (front and rear) look pretty easy to get out of the boat. Same for the transom seat. Just the side cushion above the lounge looks like it might be tricky to remove. I do not see where or how it is attached to the port side of the boat. Any ideas or tricks on how to remove this side pad?? The plywood base of this pad is rotted pretty bad and I would like to replace the piece of plywood if I can. Thanks again in advance..... John
 
I'd start applying the 303 every time you visit the boat - at least for about 5-10 times.

For future reference, Naptha is a safer alternative to acetone.

For the side cushion - possibilities:

-- Held in place with plastic "Christmas trees" like automotive interior door panels
-- Through bolted with access gained by... speaker removal, other nearby panel removal, removing panels from mid cabin, accessing backside of cushion via engine bay (depending on how far aft the cushion goes).
-- Any combination of the above.
 
On our helm seats the vinyl was very stained but the back vinyl was toast so we did replace that with new but on the two helm seats I used a spray vinyl I picked up at the auto parts store. They look perfectly new and after several uses they seem to be holding up very well. While its not a replacement for new material it does give one another option and it is much cheaper than all new.
 
Thanks again, Dennis.... I will check through the speaker hole for the fasteners for the side pad tomorrow. ......WishtoFish, No, i didn't notice the painted seats. The boat had been in storage in a warehouse for about 8 months and it was stored uncovered! The marina just took a hose to the entire cockpit to wash off the 1/4 inch of black soot on the seats just minutes before I got there to inspect the boat. The seats were all wet when I first saw it and the lighting inside the warehouse was not very good. I had to use a flashlight in the cabin, but I saw the potential for this boat and the price was very right! After going over every screw, light and system from bow to stern for the last two months, it was easy to see that there was absolutely NO PM done to this boat over the last few years. Every screw that could have possibly loosened up was loose! The instrument panel was faded, gauges fogged, loose switches. The head and Porta-Potty was well...... Never mind. The cabin door was stuck half open and the outdrive and SS prop were a mess. The lower unit had some serious galvanic corrosion, but four days of sanding and metal prep got it back in proper condition. The engine was checked but Mercruiser and was approved. It's been a fun project for me having just recently retired. I will post before and after pics in a day or two.
 
Sorry but i have to disagree. 303 protectant is great stuff for protecting vinyl but at this point you need to get oils back into the vinyl and 303 won't do that. I'd use Collonite Saphire or Mequires vinyl conditioner every few days for a week or two. These will replenish the oils and still offer sun & stain protection. If after a few weeks the luster returns to the vinyl then you switch to 303. This is the same mistake people make when overdoing it with Magic Erasers and then not treating the vinyl correctly.
 
Yeah Steve, That makes sense to me, too. I did a small corner of one seat this morning with the 303 and I felt like it was just treating the surface of the vinyl, not going deep into the vinyl. I'll try the Mequires conditioner first then switch to the 303 as you suggested. Thanks....
 
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