Boating USA — January 2018

PHOTOS: BILL DOSTER

CHECK OUT MORE BOATINGLAB TESTS AT BOATINGMAG.COM.

FABRIC WATERPROOFING SPRAY

303

FABRIC GUARD

Now is the time to beef up the water repellency of your boat canvas

and especially the storage cover. Endorsed by

Sunbrella, 303 Fabric Guard is another Gold Eagle product that has

proven itself popular and effective over time. Our tests reinforced

that and showed it to be the strongest

contender in this category. The fast-drying water-based

polymer features UV protection and waterproofi ng that bonds to

the fabric fi bers to restore canvas to its original protective qualities.

TESTING: Our test canvas was a polyester product in service for

seven years without retreatment. It was time. We marked off the

canvas in equal portions and treated each patch with a different treat-

ment. Our fi rst test was to see if it beaded up — and 303 did that the best

of all. In our second test, we sealed it to the bottom of a cylinder and

fi lled it from the top until water seeped through the fi bers. The 303 held

the most water the longest, taking top honors.

TOP OF ITS CLASS:The 303 treatment offered both an advantage

in effi cacy and price. Polyester boat canvas treated with it supported a

3-inch-diameter, 14-inch-tall column of water in our cylinder test, and

water beaded off of it well, decisively besting the competitors.

Coverage per container: 75 to 100 sq. ft. @ $19.99 for 16 oz.

Cost per square-foot coverage: $0.10 (gal.); $0.16 (16 oz.)

More online: boatingmag.com/boatinglab-test-fabric-waterproofi ng-spray

Water

repellancy

and breathability

rule.

CLEAR PLASTIC SCRATCH REMOVERS

3M

HEADLIGHT RESTORATION SYSTEM AND FINESSE-IT II

Acrylic windscreens are light and

sporty-looking but vulnerable to

scratches that can impede visibility.

This kit included a drill-mounting

buffer pad with a Velcro surface

that accepts progressively fi ner-grit

sanding pads. A foam polish pad

and a packet of polishing compound

prep the surface for the fi nal glaze.

Finesse-it II by itself was exemplary

at removing fi ne scratches in one

pass. For the 600-grit scratch test,

the kit was the most aggressive and

effective system tested, and it got the

grit scratches out. But it’s the last re-

sort before windshield replacement.

Everything you need but a power drill

is in the kit. The mohair foam pad

was gentle and thorough in the fi nal

polish.

TESTING: By 3M’s recommendation,

we partnered these two products

in our test. First, we created a test

patch using dry terry cloth to abrade

the acrylic in one spot and 600-grit

sandpaper in the other. We used the

least aggressive Finesse-it II fi rst

— always a good plan — and if we

weren’t satisfi ed, we used more-ag-

gressive steps.

TOP OF ITS CLASS:For light

scratches, Finesse-it II by itself

handled the job and left a sheen

that resisted water spots. The 3M

kit was tops at removing deeper

scratches. Star brite’s Clear Plastic

Restorer was a close competitor to

Finesse-it II.

Kit: $14.37; amazon.com

Finesse-it II: $38.99; jamestown

distributors.com

More online: boatingmag.com/gear/

boatinglab-tests-windshield-

restoration-products#page-3

BOATINGMAG.COM | JANUARY 2018| 37