Interior stains - what are they and how to clean?

[rachelcarr08]

I've had my 2003 Glastron sx175 for 2 years now and these stains just started showing up on the white interior. I thought it was just from grease and work being done under the hatch but I also have stains on the front seats. The coloring and patterns are different so maybe from something different?

Either way, what is a safe product I can use to remove it without damaging the material? It won't come out with regular boat soap/water and scrubbing. Is there anything I can use on the material to prevent this?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[crazy charlie]

rachelcarr08 ,I have had same in the past and here is what you need to do.Take a rag or facecloth.Saturate it with some good old fashioned bleach.Not spillproof or extra strength,just regular bleach.Avoiding any stitching,put the saturated cloth on a section of the dirty area and leave it there for 1-2 minutes.Dont rub or scrub just let it sit there.Take the cloth away and rinse thoroughly .The spot should be much better.Dont sweat the bleach thing as a lot of pansies here on this forum will warn you as if you were playing with fire.Marine vinyl is tough and will have no ill effects from a few minutes of bleach.I know this from first hand experience.Dont forget to rinse thoroughly.If your vinyl is still not cleaner than when you started this test then you can try a few things.first I would recommend a product that you can actually get at a dollar store or Lowes.It is a spray bottle cleaner named "simply awesome" .Its an amber colored liquid in a 16-24 ounce bottle.Spray your vinyl liberally and let it sit for a few minutes and then give a wipe and a rinse.this is a very strong cleaner and will not harm the vinyl or stitching. see if this helps your issue.Lastly you can try a quality magic eraser.They work great however they are an abrasive so dont rub too hard.Post back results,what I see looks like the bleach test will work.If it does post back results and i will tell you what I have done numerous times to clean entirely.Charlie​

 

[JimS123]

Was the boat shrink wrapped over winter, or was it stored in a very damp place?

 

[rachelcarr08]

Was the boat shrink wrapped over winter, or was it stored in a very damp place?

No the boat is stored in my driveway, I live in San Diego so no winter storage. I have a cover from walmart.

Not sure if this is the exact cover, but something similar to this

Robot or human?

 

[JimS123]

Its a 19 year old boat, so you don't know how the previous owner(s) stored it. Looks like a mold / mildew issue, simply based on the pictures. One pic shows that the vinyl has water beads on it and that's not a good testament on the cover.

Yeah, bleach, yada, yada, 303, Maguires, etc. Many swear by one brand or another, but once its deep in the fabric, my personal findings are that its hopeless. Even if you get rid of it, it will come back.

Put it in direct sunlight for a week. Protect it from dew at night. Cover it if it rains. Try the bleach thing and hope for the best.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Vinyl is only expected to live for 3-5 years from the vinyl manufacturers. What you see is mold/mildew within the seat cushions coming thru the vinyl.

No mater what you do, the staining will ve back. Consider getting the seats redone

 

[crazy charlie]

Vinyl is only expected to live for 3-5 years from the vinyl manufacturers. What you see is mold/mildew within the seat cushions coming thru the vinyl.

No mater what you do, the staining will ve back. Consider getting the seats redone

3-5 years?????? Cookooo....Cookooo. Where the heck did you come up with that crap?

 

[briangcc]

2020 Glastron® Boat Owners Manuals & Other Data

Download your owners manual for your specific model Glastron boat.

www.glastron.com

Open up section 5.3 once you switch to the 2003 model year...it discusses cleaning your interior and also mentions what you should use (and shouldn't).

Or...call the manufacturer as they're still in business to see what they recommend.

Going off the photos, that's alot of mold that I seriously doubt any top treatment is going to cure. I'd be heeding Scott's advice and looking to reupholster.

 

[tpenfield]

It may be discoloration more so than stains, which would be age related and not something that you could clean off.

If the color won't come back with a vinyl cleaner or mild bleach, then you know the discolor is embedded and not on the surface (i.e. stain)

 

[Scott Danforth]

3-5 years?????? Cookooo....Cookooo. Where the heck did you come up with that crap?

from the vinyl manufacturers themselves. dont believe me, call them yourself. anything beyond the warranty period is considered a bonus.

since vinyl and foam manufacturers are no longer allowed to use arsenic as a fungicide any more, the warranty periods have dropped.

 

[Commander_47]

I will tell you that bleach on marine vinyl is a tricky proposition. There is a very very good chance that even if you do remove the mold, it will discolor and damage your vinyl. I'm not a shill for any product, but there are several sights that will give their top ten cleaners and such. I find Star bright works pretty good.

The 12 Best Boat Vinyl Cleaner Reviews for 2024

Learn everything you need to know about the best boat vinyl cleaner in this comprehensive guide so you can take your pick.

www.ridetheducksofseattle.com

One thing I feel worth mentioning is the way you keep your boat in winter. San Diego may be dry and hot, but under that cover is a solar still. Moisture will form on the inside of your cover and cause mold. Make sure that you are able to let air circulate through.

 

[Commander_47]

Vinyl is only expected to live for 3-5 years from the vinyl manufacturers. What you see is mold/mildew within the seat cushions coming thru the vinyl.

No mater what you do, the staining will ve back. Consider getting the seats redone

Vinyl is expected, and will, last much longer than 3-5 years. 10 years out in weather is the norm. Well cared for vinyl is much longer.

Everything You Need to Know About Marine Vinyl - All Vinyl Fabrics

Vinyl fabric has come a long way since its inception in the 1800s. Here's everything you need to know about this fabric before your next vinyl project.

www.allvinylfabrics.com

Quote from that article:
Durable
The longevity of vinyl fabric is unmatched. If properly installed and maintained, it can last to anywhere from ten to twenty years. Although it’s not as durable as leather, it can withstand dents and scratches for several years.

 

[Scott Danforth]

if you want, I can supply you the phone numbers of the vinyl manufacturers.

Sincerely
Scott Danforth
Engineering Manager
Taco Seating

 

[crazy charlie]

I will tell you that bleach on marine vinyl is a tricky proposition. There is a very very good chance that even if you do remove the mold, it will discolor and damage your vinyl. .

Opinion ,not factual, from someone that has zero experience with the product on marine vinyl.Is that correct Commander? My advice is from 30+ years experience.My current cockpit vinyl is 20 years old and still looking excellent.I wipe it down with bleach once a season.Charlie

 

[briangcc]

Opinion ,not factual, from someone that has zero experience with the product on marine vinyl.Is that correct Commander? My advice is from 30+ years experience.My current cockpit vinyl is 20 years old and still looking excellent.I wipe it down with bleach once a season.Charlie

Just so you're aware, you're advising exactly what my manufacturer recommends AGAINST doing - no bleach or harsh chemicals.

Page 62 of my Chap owners manual...

Follow manufacturer’s instructions closely. NEVER use steel wool,
powdered abrasive cleaners, or bleaches. They will mar the surface and
leave an unsightly appearance.


I'll place a beer on the other two, Bayliner and FourWinns, saying the same thing in their manuals - I'm too lazy to go digging for it.

While you may get away with it in your particular instance, it's not recommended for others. Which is why it is advisable to contact the manufacturer for cleaning instructions.

 

[dingbat]

Just so you're aware, you're advising exactly what my manufacturer recommends AGAINST doing - no bleach or harsh chemicals.

Page 62 of my Chap owners manual...

Follow manufacturer’s instructions closely. NEVER use steel wool,
powdered abrasive cleaners, or bleaches. They will mar the surface and
leave an unsightly appearance.

CYA sentence.... who would use steel wool or powdered abrasive cleaners (comet) on vinyl?

Used to be you didn’t use bleach to protect the “stitching” from rot,

I could see it being a problem on colored vinyl, but have used Clorox cleaner on white vinyl for years. Mr. Clean Erasers work well for stains

My manufacturer makes no such statement. “Mild household” cleaners and fresh water

 

[Commander_47]

Opinion ,not factual, from someone that has zero experience with the product on marine vinyl.Is that correct Commander? My advice is from 30+ years experience.My current cockpit vinyl is 20 years old and still looking excellent.I wipe it down with bleach once a season.Charlie

Why would you make such a gross mis-statement about my experience with vinyl? Seriously, you know nothing about me and kind of demonstrated a certain lack of knowledge.

Here is a picture of some seats I made for my boat over five years ago. I made them from scratch. They fold out and make a raised double sun lounger my girls love. Not only have I built, reupholsterd and designed many boat seatings, I do antique cars. All the buying, cutting and sewing of the vinyl in my workshop,

Care of vinyl is not hard. It is extremely robust and durable. And with reasonable care will last many many years.

Like I said in the post above. Using straight bleach is a tricky proposition. You risk damaging the stitching and marring the finish of the vinyl. Straight bleach will literally eat away a thin layer of vinyl like acid. It can change the color, mar the surface, make it rough, and eat up stitching.

BTW, I also built and stitched the fold up cover you see on the boat. I built the fold up aluminum frame, and then covered it.
All the major, reputable, marine vinyl manufacturers have a 5 year warranty on their products. Most have a 3 year unconditional replacement warranty.

There are two major destroyers of vinyl, UV rays from the sun, and moisture. Most quality marine vinyl is made to resist UV rays, and is water proof. But not all. Some are merely water "resistant". This vinyl is more susceptible to, over time, having water soak into the vinyl and cause mildew.

If the water gets into the foam underneath, it can be more problematic, but is not a catastrophe. If the vinyl isn't torn or rotted, then you need to dry it out, treat it with a mildew killer that will soak into the vinyl without affecting it. IF the foam underneath is kept dry, it will kill the mildew underneath.

 

[Commander_47]

BTW: I also built the aluminum frame for the full fold up cover and did all the cutting, stitching, and fabricating of the top. You can see, that after 5 years the vinyl is still as new.

 

[JimS123]

Personally, I would never own white upholstery because its too hard to keep it clean. Also, I would never put bleach on a non-white vinyl, but that's just me. At any rate, with my care and storage I don't get problems.

Regardless, since the pics look like some severe problems, why not go ahead and bleach the crap out of it. Maybe it will be a temporary fix, or maybe it won't help, but it certainly can't make it worse since a re-upholstery is probably in the future anyway.

 

[stormulus]

Nice seats Commander_47