BOAT DOCTOR /// BOAT DOC SPECIALfrom designed for
attacking mildew stains.
You can also try cleaning
with a 50/50 home-brew
mix of white vinegar
and water. But virtually
every vinyl manufac-
turer cautions against
using harsh chemicals
like bleach, which may
damage both the vinyl
and the thread stitching
it together.
Plan B is to have
new cushions, seats orcoaming pads made.
The boatbuilder may
sell replacements. You
also may be able to
fi nd replacements at
an online upholstery
shop that has your boat
pre-patterned, and you
can also fi nd a surpris-
ing number of boat
cushions on eBay. The
more common remedy
involves hiring a local
upholstery shop (or
shipping the cushionsto one if there aren’t
any in your area) to
make what you need.
So that mildew isn’t a
problem in the future,ask for a replacement
material that has an
anti-fungal or anti-
microbial treatment.
Ideally, it should meet
American Society for
Testing and Materials
G21 standards, which
rate the resistance of
synthetic polymeric
materials to fungi.
You’ll also want to
make sure you get
heavy-duty vinyl. Theterm “marine-grade”
gets abused a bit, so
don’t take it at face
value. As a rule of
thumb, you want vinyl
with a minimum rating
of 28 ounces (vinyl
is ranked by ounces
per square foot), and
expect heavier vinyls
to cost more but last
longer and have better
puncture resistance.
—Lenny Rudow- Pull tubes, wakeboarders, waterskiers— virtually all water toys.
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PREVENTING
MILDEW GROWTH
Preventative maintenance prevents mildew. Keep vinyl as clean as
possible and treated at least twice a season with a vinyl protectant. Not
only will this help prevent mildew growth, but most vinyl protectants
will also shield against UV rays and restore the vinyl’s soft feel.SCAN
ME!
Besides mildew, pinking is another vinyl malady
that creates unsightly stains. To fi nd out about a
new process from Gestalt Scientifi c Corp. called
PinkAway, which is said to permanently cure
pinking, that our West Coast and electronics editor
Jim Hendricks is testing, scan this tag or visit
boatingmag.com/pinking.