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rather well
I recently became the proud owner of a Zodiac Mark 1 and cleaned it up, around the bump rail and logos, with Lacquer thinner and it worked rather well. Acetone dries too fast and has a tendencey to dry out plastics and related surfaces.
I recently became the proud owner of a Zodiac Mark 1 and cleaned it up, around the bump rail and logos, with Lacquer thinner and it worked rather well. Acetone dries too fast and has a tendencey to dry out plastics and related surfaces.
hypalon or PVC ?
I have an Avon hypalon inflatable. They are owned by Zodiac. When I bought it a few months ago, I was told that Zodiac makes most of their models with PVC now. The dealer suggested using a cleaner that was specific to hypalon or PVC to prevent damage. PVC is sensitive to gas, oil and other chemicals, whereas the hypalon is not bothered by these as much. They advised using a product "303" after cleaning to condition the material and make it more UV resistant.
I have an Avon hypalon inflatable. They are owned by Zodiac. When I bought it a few months ago, I was told that Zodiac makes most of their models with PVC now. The dealer suggested using a cleaner that was specific to hypalon or PVC to prevent damage. PVC is sensitive to gas, oil and other chemicals, whereas the hypalon is not bothered by these as much. They advised using a product "303" after cleaning to condition the material and make it more UV resistant.
seams
while hypalon stands up well to solvents, the glue on the seams might not. (That's the one area where PVC boats have an advantage over hypalon boats: better seams.) You're better off using a cleanser like simple green and/or bon ami on the boat whenever you can get away with it, especially if you've patched anything with contact cement.
while hypalon stands up well to solvents, the glue on the seams might not. (That's the one area where PVC boats have an advantage over hypalon boats: better seams.) You're better off using a cleanser like simple green and/or bon ami on the boat whenever you can get away with it, especially if you've patched anything with contact cement.
Cleaning PVC or Hypalon
The preferred solvent/cleaner for both materials is MEK. Methyl-Ethyl-Keytone.
The preferred solvent/cleaner for both materials is MEK. Methyl-Ethyl-Keytone.
Tilex
I have had very good luck using a product called Tilex. It's available in all grocery stores or hardwares and works great. First scrub the slime off with Simple Green, rinse and spray the Tilex on. Let is soak/sit a few minutes and scrub with a stiff brush. Reapply until all stains are gone. The stuff is basically a powerful bleaching agent intended to get mildew from shower grout so it works great on marine growth stains. Chemically it's a dilute form of toilet bowl cleaner so it shouldn't (hasn't) affected the seams or the PVC of my Zodiac. Give it a try, I think you'll like it. MIke
I have had very good luck using a product called Tilex. It's available in all grocery stores or hardwares and works great. First scrub the slime off with Simple Green, rinse and spray the Tilex on. Let is soak/sit a few minutes and scrub with a stiff brush. Reapply until all stains are gone. The stuff is basically a powerful bleaching agent intended to get mildew from shower grout so it works great on marine growth stains. Chemically it's a dilute form of toilet bowl cleaner so it shouldn't (hasn't) affected the seams or the PVC of my Zodiac. Give it a try, I think you'll like it. MIke
Check the manufacturers!
While many boats are referred to as "Hypalon" boats, they are not all alike. Hypalon is registered trademark of DuPont for the chemical chlorosolfonated polyethylene. Fabrics are coated with it to make them airtight. Usually, fabrics used for boat construction that are referred to as Hypalon are relatively complex multi-layer laminated fabrics. http://www.dupontelastomers.com/products/hypalon/hypalon.asp?redirect=hypalondotcom http://www.pennel.fr/Pages/orca_infla_boat_home.htm My boat is made of Orca fabric, a product of PENNEL & FLIPO in France. Maintenance instructions from their web site: "MAINTENANCE In all cases, it is best to wash the material with soapy water, or with diluted bleach (hypochlorite) or ORCA® nautical finish Exceptionally, a cleaning with a solvent of Methyl Ethyl Keton can be tried, on boats used daily for example, but it is relatively sensitive because it must be homogeneous and must respect the regulations (toxicology, environmental protection) in force. Finishing products, such as silicons or others, are not suggested." My recommendation is to check with the boat maker, fabric maker before using anything stronger than detergent on these things, and that goes for waxes and coatings, too, especially silicone-based stuff.
While many boats are referred to as "Hypalon" boats, they are not all alike. Hypalon is registered trademark of DuPont for the chemical chlorosolfonated polyethylene. Fabrics are coated with it to make them airtight. Usually, fabrics used for boat construction that are referred to as Hypalon are relatively complex multi-layer laminated fabrics. http://www.dupontelastomers.com/products/hypalon/hypalon.asp?redirect=hypalondotcom http://www.pennel.fr/Pages/orca_infla_boat_home.htm My boat is made of Orca fabric, a product of PENNEL & FLIPO in France. Maintenance instructions from their web site: "MAINTENANCE In all cases, it is best to wash the material with soapy water, or with diluted bleach (hypochlorite) or ORCA® nautical finish Exceptionally, a cleaning with a solvent of Methyl Ethyl Keton can be tried, on boats used daily for example, but it is relatively sensitive because it must be homogeneous and must respect the regulations (toxicology, environmental protection) in force. Finishing products, such as silicons or others, are not suggested." My recommendation is to check with the boat maker, fabric maker before using anything stronger than detergent on these things, and that goes for waxes and coatings, too, especially silicone-based stuff.
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