Vinyl cleaner recommendations?

[Tdub]

I have a 2004 SN 196. The best boat ever. Never a problem. I maintain it well but we do use it. 786 hours. The vinyl is getting that yellowish look, not bright white like when it was new. I have tried many cleaners but haven't found the one that really works. Any favorites?

[keithh2oskier]

I used totally awesome (dollar tree) with a upholstery brush on a dual action polisher (harbor freight) and it did an awesome job and giving the seats a good deep clean. Totally awesome is pretty caustic so I followed up with a liberal amount of 303 aerospace.

 

Been happy with that setup.

[oldjeep]

303 cleaner has always worked fine for me, followed by a ton of the protectant.

[bbruzzese]

Spray-Nine

[DmaxJC_ski]

Spray nine then a good treatment of mothers

[Garn]

Malco - hands down the best.

[LeonL]

At that time I believe the CC recommended Fantastic spray cleaner. But if your vinyl is turning yellow I'm afraid that no cleaner will help. It may be that cleaning isn't the problem. Once vinyl turns yellow, due to whatever cause it may be, it just may not be able to be brought back. I haven't used Totally Awsome on my boat, but my wife raves about for household cleaning.. It's also available at Dollar General.

[keithh2oskier]

I heard a lot of great things about malco but never used it myself.

[Tdub]

Thanks for the ideas. I am going to give Totally Awesome and Spray Nine a shot ( pardon the pun ). I will let you folks know how it goes. Thanks again.

[BlueSki]

@LeonL, a few years ago there were threads here or on others that Fantastic had changed their formula and was no longer safe for marine vinyl. If I recall correctly, Correct Craft had a press release or manual insert to indicate that Fantastic was no longer considered safe.

[keithh2oskier]

For what it's worth when I use Awesome with the method I mention above i immediately wipe it off with clean water soaked rag to get that stuff off the vinyl. After doing a seat or two my hands instantly feel dried out. I won't use it for a everyday seat cleaner. At least not at full strength.

[ALPJr]

Try a little light scrubbing with a Mr Clean white sponge. Then 303 Protectant

[skierjp]

Guys, has everyone lost their manuals? Nautique specifically states, DO NOT USE Formula 409 or Fantastic, or any other silicon-based products.

Nautique recommends Meguiar's Vinly & Rubber Cleaner / Conditioner #57.

They also list using ammonia and hydrogen peroxide mixed, or denatured alcohol for ink stains and permanent markers.

 

[ScottScott]

Marine 31 makes a marine vinyl cleaner and protectant kit that works well. they have a kit comes with a brush and microfiber towels.marine 31

[Jordan]

Those magic eraser white sponges are abrasive and can remove the finish layer of the vinyl opening up pores for mould to form....only use them as a last resort.

[LeonL]

@Jordan amen to that. I see people use them and the vinyl is dulled, so it's removing something as well as dirt.

[ALPJr]

True... Recommended light use for bad stains only.

[Andre]

Magic Eraser = fine sand paper...

[Chad_Scott]

Babes seat soap followed by babes seat saver. Let seat soap soak on the vinyl then use a sponge with a scrub pad. Will get the vinyl as clean as ever. Also Babes supports many water ski events unlike any of the other companies mentioned above. They are really good people to deal with.

[Tdub]

Thanks to all. I have used Babe's products before. You are correct. great products and great company. That is the route I will take. Thanks to all. Cheers. Tom

 

[Tdub]

Mother's VLR works great too. I love Babe's stuff but shipping costs are a problem. Cannot find any around these parts.

[Tdub]

Purchased some Spray Nine. It worked VERY well. Then some Mothers VLR. Vinyl looks new.

[mikegile]

+1 for Babes. Not the cheapest, but it works well, they support skiing, and it smells kinda cool

[kingshredd]

We uses Babes and it works really well!

 

[Michaelparayno]

you should try 303 multi surface cleaner. It brings every thing back to it’s original color. Does not have a particular glossy surface but looks original. If you want the glossy look then buy the 303 protectant ( without or reduced cleaners )

[ironhorse]

Malco followed by 303 protectant. Its the best I have found.

[Edmund]

I have been using Babe's products the past four or five years and they work great, interior and exterior. In fact, this past weekend I used Babe's Boat Bright to clean and wax the hull. Went around the boat several times. And I cannot say enough about the excellent vinyl seat cleaner and protectant.

[Minelickskier]

Have had good response using boat bling vinyl sauce cleaner and the conditioner is great too...its just kinda pricey

[Chad_Scott]

Babes is the way to go. They make a great product. They support BOS and they support waterskiing events. The seat soap and seat saver will keep the vinyl clean and protected from the elements

[oldjeep]

I tried a few products other than the 303 and couldn't stand the stink of most of them. Not sure why everything needs to smell like Pina Colada. 4 years later still using the 303 cleaner and protectant on the vinyl. The hull gets collinite fleet wax a couple times a year and wipedowns with Eagle One wax as you dry to keep the water spots at bay (black boats - jeeze)

[Zman]

What @Chad_Scott and others said about Babe's. I keep a bottle of seat soap in the boat for quick clean ups. And, go over all the vinyl a couple times a year with the seat saver.

Also, I bought a used car that had heal marks on the plastic trim on the two front doors. Nothing was working to clean it up and remove the marks. I grabbed the Babes Seat Soap, and the marks came off fairly easy. Good stuff.

[Garn]

I use Babes for a quick clean. But if you really want CLEAN upholstery, nothing beats Malco.

[bananaron]

Babes have great products and I have been using them a long time.@Chad_Scott is right really good stuff and they do a lot.I like the Babes boat bright.I just used it on my carbon pro and its easy to use.

 

[Jerry44]

I'll second the use of Awesome and a scrub brush. I get it at Dollar General.

 

Also agree with rinsing with clean water after.

[Wish]

+2 for Totally Awesome at the dollar store. Use only occasionally and for obvious dirty "can't clean it with anything else" situations. It will NOT be affective on mold but extremely affective on dirt. The dirt will run down the vinyl faster than you can keep up so have towels along the carpet to catch it. DO rinse very generously after (towels on floor come in handy again) and get a vinyl conditioner and UV protectant on it ASAP. If you are looking at a new to you boat and vinyl looks so bad you think it needs to be replaced, try a spot with the Awesome. You will know right away if the vinyl is salvageable. I've had 2 buddy's, both with 2008 SN, recently use this process and they went from gross too knew looking vinyl. Both had tried everything to get it clean.

[oldjeep]

For me - I would never use that totally awesome stuff on vinyl. The reason it works is that the main ingredient that actually does something is Butyl Carbitol (acetate), which is a solvent.

 

[Wish]

@oldjeep as mentioned. This is for dirt you cannot get clean with anything else. Live with dirty uncleanable vinyl or use Awesome, rinse and condition. Your vinyl probably looks great and does not need a heavy cleaner. It's a choice. And it's an option added to the many options suggested in this thread. You can also dilute it and still be affective.