Vinyl Conditioner?

[M&M]

2000 20ci, Mo. Ozarks. I went to a winter boat restoration workshop last weekend and a presenter talked about the need for vinyl conditioner. Lady said these products help vinyl to last longer and protect against the sun. I have always just used soap and water and my chamois. She stressed to use non alcohol products. Cleaning with diluted Dawn and conditioner will remove suntan oil and all the other stuff that gets on vinyl. If I can make my vinyl last longer I am game. What products do you use? M&MW6M_6529.jpg

[ChrisBarnes05-12-84]

I use boat bling products. They have a full line of vinyl cleaner and conditioner.

[Yojax10]

From my own research, I found that Boat Candy, Hula Boat Care, and Boat Bling are generally the most popular. After going back and forth I went with Boat Candy and went with a kit that had most of their popular products in it.

As far as cleaning old gunk on the seats I found the cleaner underwhelming. Nothing beats the Totatally Awesome Degreaser, which can be found at the dollar stores and a medium bristle brush. My seats looked pretty clean until I used this stuff on one. Then I had to use it on all of them so they matched...

[JoeG]

I like 303 it works great

[hcooperrn]

You'll get a ton of different responses and opinions. I've used 303 in the past, works good, no deterioration or fading over the course of a few years, though it was a bit slippery when wet for my taste.

My current routine:
--Bimini, mooring cover, and other covers get 303 marine AP monthly
--Interior vinyl gets Condition Sauce once a month, Vinyl Sauce every trip
--Gelcoat gets Meguiars Flagship Marine twice a year, Quickie Sauce once a month, Hot Sauce every trip; powder coat gets the same except no Meguiars, too hard to get off the texture
--Exposed metal (engine bay) gets WD40 once a month or more (I just don't like the sticky residue of specific corrosion protectants)

[chpthril]

For general cleaning and conditioning, I use Meguiars #57 here in the shop to wipe down boats. For mildew, I like Dura-Gloss marine rv #541. For deep stains, diluted simple green followed with a good rinsing and then conditioning.

[BCRider]

Malco to clean the vinyl and 303 to protect. Have never tried any of the other products as 303 is really the only thing I can get locally. Even the Malco I had to order online in bulk as no one in Canada carries it.

[25cents]

303 sprayed on and then scrubbed with a commercial steamer. Seats look like new and then for routine care I use Babes conditioner. Like was said before there will be a ton of opinions on here. Avoid the alcohol and harsh stuff and you should be in great shape.

[Wagonhound]

My personal favorite is Zep Citrus Cleaner diluted about 15:1 and scrub using a Magic Eraser. Works awesome, especially on my white vinyl, followed by Mother's VLR.

[hcooperrn]

As many have said before, be careful with the Magic Eraser; it is an abrasive and can take away the surface layer of vinyl. My wife's Jeep is a testament -- she tried it and saw great results, so decided to use it religiously last summer. The seats are now dull, drab, and look way older than they are. None of the chemicals I've tried to restore it will bring back the luster, and they will probably start cracking this summer. Your mileage will vary of course; in my experience, it's honestly worse than some of the Armor All cars I've seen.

[Ewok]

I would definitely avoid the magic eraser at all costs. I second the Totally Awesome! It's only found at the dollar store and I use it for stuff all over the house. I saw a recommendation for it here on TO as a vinyl seat cleaner and its great for that. Then I tried it on the other stuff on the label and the next best thing is for stainless steel appliances in the kitchen. It does way better than other stainless cleaners and leaves a nice protective layer on the SS to minimize the little kids fingerprints.

I use Boat Bling Vinyl Conditioner to put down a layer of protectant about once a month in the summer. My seats (and boat) still look like new.