Dis colored top of seat cushions

eramae

Recently bought a 2005 SD 237 OB. All cushions are in great shape except for a fade/mold/discolor only on top of seat backs?  Any idea of origin?  Remedy?  Thx !

cvascel

I had the same problem with my '04 SD 187.  It seemed to get considerably worse when the cover was on.  No matter what I did it got progressively worse to the point where it became so dried out that it began cracking.  I tried putting all kinds of cleaners/protection products on it which would lighten it up for a short while. It finally got to the point where I had to have the seats re-upholstered about 6 months ago.  

I now put 303 on it every couple of months.  The shop that did the upholstery used marine grade vinyl with UV stitching.  He suggested never using bleach, mold or mildew cleaners on the seats.  He also recommended that I not use any of the commercial boat/car wash cleaners.  He suggested using 303 as a protectant and a simple solution of Dawn and water to clean the seats.  Now I just use Dawn/water to clean the interior while I maintain a traditional boat wash on the outside.  

I always thought that maybe it had something to do with the cover because it seemed to be mostly in the areas where the cover touched the top of the back.  I too am curious what others do.

cjjjdeck

Welcome to the Owners Forum, eramae!

I agree with cvascel's advice. 

Also, you may want to look closer at the boat cover.  Boat covers should be cleaned and 303 Protectant applied (at least every 2 to 3 years) to keep the covers water shedding properties.  If your cover looses it's water repellancy, it will act like a sponge and absorb the elements and deposit them on the interior of the fabric and discolor where ever it touches (like seat back tops!).

Without seeing them, its hard to tell how far you should go with the cleaning attempt.  If they are deeply stained, replacement is probably your only real solution.  There are a number of threads in this forum on cleaning recommendations, just put "cleaning" in the search box.

eramae

Thanks all. Good advice

cvascel

Good point cjjdeck.  Based upon what you said, I'm guessing my cover is shot out.  I notice that it really isn't keeping my boat dry anymore.  When I look under the cover after it rains, my seats and interior is pretty wet.  I guess the only thing its doing at this point is keeping the sun off it.  I guess it's time to start shopping for a new cover.  I currently have the factory cover that comes in two parts and snaps on the boat.  Does anybody know of a place where I could get a replacement?  I saw iboats sells covers but they look like generic one piece covers. 

cjjjdeck

You're correct, if your seats are all wet, the cover has more than likely become porous.  Your Hurricane came with what is equivalent to a custom mooring cover, so an off-the-shelf cover may or may not fit well and certainly will not take advantage of the snap locations already in place.  Over the years I have found that its hard to beat the quality, fit and longevity of a cover made by a reliable marine upholsterer.

geno

I also had the same problem with my 226SDRE what I found that works great was to purchase a couple of cans of vinyl coat paint. This is made just for your problem and bonds with your cushions and remains flexible. It comes in a large list of boat mfg.colors.there are 2 mfg,s on the web or lookup west marine.