Upholstery Cleaning

[northernoak]

I'm in discussion with an owner about purchasing his 01 Air Nautique. I'm doing everything I can to get photos and information on the boat as if I go for it it'll be a 1700 mile drive. Wish I was able to find something closer to me but there just hasn't been anything to meet my requirements or price range. The exterior of the boat is immaculate. He sent over some more photos last night on the upholstery and I'm wondering if others can chime in here on the "cleanability" of them to bring them back to life. He says he's not done anything to clean them in the last few years. Can others give me an opinion on if the discoloration reversible, or is this just the color they're going to be? Obviously I wont know until I try, but just looking for opinions if others have had a similar experience.

[srock]

They don't look too bad. I would say it's better to clean it yourself than someone else who may use a heavy cleaner that is a short answer solution but harsh on the vinyl. I use Spray Nine Marine followed up with a lot of water, a day or 2 in the sun, and finally 303 protectant. Then I will put the cover on with a fan in the boat to move air. Any mildew or staining magically disappears in a few days.

[SilentSeven]

agree with srock. That should clean up.

Prior to purchase, what you really want to understand is to what extent the upholstery is soft and compliant. As the upholstery ages, the vinyl hardens, the first step prior to cracking. Typically the first areas hardening will occur is where the cushions meet - aka between the seats - and on top of flat surfaces. Closely inspect seams for signs of cracking and feel for obvious hardening where cushions meet. There is no product that will restore the lost compliance....

If the entire boat's upholstery is getting crusty, it's in the latter stages of it's life and you can expect to start to having replace skins at some point in the not too distant future. This of course is not cheap. You may be able to use this as a negotiating point.

[shag]

Srock is right on with spray nine. It seems to work very good - I use the Spray nine marine (not sure if there is much difference from the regular version)...
For real hard tough mold I have a process that has worked well for me for the 30+ years I have owned Nautique boats. I use a 60/40 mix Tilex and distilled water. (60% tilex). Now, before I get chastised for harshness with Tilex/bleach, the important thing is that you flood the area with copious amounts of fresh water after. After spraying the tilex, you might need to let it sit for several minutes, then use a clean rag or towel to lightly scrub. You might have to do this a couple times depending on the condition. I don't use anything very stiff bristled and no magic eraser for me.
Then, I literally take the freshwater hose nozzle off and put the hose end right on the surface of all seams and thread points so that it forces water in and around, and run it along them several times to flush. Back of the seats too so if anything runs around it gets flushed. I flush at least twice and flush the whole seat. If you are doing this in the boat then pull the plug if you can or run the bildge occasionally. Don't leave any water in the bilge = source of moisture/mold.
If weather is nice then they sit in the sun for a day or two to dry, or if you can't do that, then a good volume fan should be placed and let them thoroughly dry. Once dry, I take some Maguires leather conditioner (yes leather conditioner) and hand massage it into all the cleaned surface. This has worked well for me for a long time, and I have not any issues with threads or seems degrading from the the 60% Tilex solution. This is a time consuming process but my seats have always remained soft and supple like they were new.
Cheers!

[Scooter G]

Some might cringe at this, but for carpet and really tainted upholstery, this stuff is amazing. Spray it, let it sit and foam, scrub it off. There are a million best thing since sliced bread products out there, I discovered this one by pure accident. As with anything, whatever you use, I would do an inconspicuous test run 1st. Like srock mentioned, follow it up with a good protectant.
Good luck on the boat, and (dang) the 1700 miles...

[northernoak]

Thanks srock, SilentSeven, and shag for your responses. Looking at it I felt fairly confident that it would clean up (with a good bit of work) but wanted to get a few other opinions. All the upholstery looks like this from the photos. Good point on checking those various locations for the vinyl hardening. That'll be something I'll need to physically check for myself I imagine. Any other things to look out for?

[biacs]

I bought a steam cleaner. It did great on seats and with no chemicals, it's gentle on old boat seats.

I used the scrubber brush tips and just keep wiping seats w clean towels as you get the grime up. Then 303 protectant.

Mine was a McCullough- like $250 on Amazon. Turns out I use it around the house for a lot of different things :-)

[Scooter G]

Wow, never thought of a steam machine for the boat, that's a great idea biacs.

One day a steam machine shows up on our door step from Amazon. What's that for, I said?

"Cleaning the house!".

Oh.

[FMSKI]

The vinyl used in 2022 is far, far superior to that mid-grade stuff 20 years ago. I would drop it at your fave upholstery shop and pick colors and let them have at it. eg The comfort and aesthetics my resto-mod project boat makes our 2015 200 look like a cheap Bayliner.