[Markwesti]

How do you keep yours clean ?

 

[PaulinVictoria]

Magic eraser.

 

[outbound]

Fender covers in black. Never let them touch salt water.

 

[RichH]

The goo that eventually rises to the surface of soft vinyl (fenders, dockside extension cords, etc.) is a corn-oil derivative - di-octylpthalate; its slowly soluble in light weight mineral oil.

Soak in 'PB-Blaster' or any light weight mineral oil. The sticky 'goo' (a vinyl molding enhancement compound) that comes to the surface and then turns black on most soft vinyl fenders, etc. is slowly soluble in mineral oil. After soaking so that the goo 'softens', use a plastic mesh scrubby pad to remove.
If you use any ketone based, etc. 'solvent' that removes the 'skin' of the vinyl, you will greatly enhance the 'release' of that molding-aid compound to come to the surface.

 

[aeventyr60]

Well, my fenders had not seen the light of day for nine months and were sticky with, what I will call lazzerete goo....since i was preparing to go into "gods waiting room", a marina, I tried some solvent, then a bit of thinner, then some acetone, all failing....Resorted to an old shopping carry bag and a flourescent workers safety vest to protect my freshly waxed hull...in the absence of PB blaster what might work? My number two pencil eraser is just about gone too, maybe a pint of wd-40?

 

[RichH]

...in the absence of PB blaster what might work?

Any light weight machine oil or penetrating oil should work ... the higher the 'weight' (viscosity) of the oil, the longer it takes. When I state 'soak' Im referring to 'many hours to days'.

Rx: wrap the item in a layer of paper toweling, apply the oil to toweling, cover with plastic wrap.
Note: paper (or cotton cloth) and oil is vulnerable to spontaneous combustion under the 'right' conditions ... so let soak OFF the boat; or, inside of an air tight metal bucket/container .... eg.: something that would also be suitable for 'hot wood ashes'. Little air = no spontaneous combustion. ;-)

 

[Stu Jackson]

Those suggestions involve a lot of work.

Buy some paint brush and roller cleaner, use an old towel.

I'd used acetone for years until a friend told me about this. Much easier.

 

[travlin-easy]

LA Totally Awesome Cleaner, which can be found in the Dollar Store and Dollar General. This stuff cleans everything and does it very well. Just spray it on, allow it to soak for about 1 minute, then wipe it off. For the really nasty spots, I let the cleaner stay on two minutes, then used a scrubbing pad, but the results were those fenders looked brand new and stayed that way all summer.

Gary

 

[Markwesti]

Thanks guys , I had been using Lacquer thinner with a soap and water bath after . But they remain a little tacky and then go back to black goo after a few months . Thanks again .

 

[RichH]

If you use any ketone-based etc. solvent and remove the tightly spaced molecularly aligned 'surface skin' that forms during the molding process .... you WILL be cleaning that 'goo' which continually migrates to the surface much more often - promise!!!!

 

[capt jgwinks]

Yup. Solvents work, but the stuff comes back quicker. The same with vinyl covered lifelines, rub rails and power cords.
Haven't tried the Awesome cleaner yet, but I will, we go to the dollar store all the time.

 

[single2coil]

take them home and wash them with soap and water. Come on.

 

[TakeFive]

My fenders did not get goo on them. They would get a black graphite-looking material that came off the black plastic dock floats, and upon rolling along the hull they would transfer the material to the hull. It would all come off with fiberglass polish, which I would use on both the hull and the fenders to take the color off.

To proactively prevent it, I made my own fender covers with old T-shirts. I call them my "trailer trash" fender covers. By the end of the season they look disgusting, but my fenders and hull look pristine. Each year I remove the old one and put a new one on:

Note the great shine on my freshly polished hull:

 

[Sailormon6]

Darn! All my Tees are V neck!

 

[Markwesti]

My fenders did not get goo on them. They would get a black graphite-looking material that came off the black plastic dock floats, and upon rolling along the hull they would transfer the material to the hull. It would all come off with fiberglass polish, which I would use on both the hull and the fenders to take the color off.

To proactively prevent it, I made my own fender covers with old T-shirts. I call them my "trailer trash" fender covers. By the end of the season they look disgusting, but my fenders and hull look pristine. Each year I remove the old one and put a new one on:

Note the great shine on my freshly polished hull:

[/QUOTE

That's funny . I did that once, put t shirts on them . My friend came by with a felt marker and put eyeballs on them . Lil' ghosties .

 

[Barquito]

I sewed some covers out of a fleece material. My daughter thinks it is funny that I made 'sweaters' for the fenders.

 

[MarkSF]

I bought Sunbrella fender covers on Ebay last year. $20 each, no more cleaning fenders, and no more marks on my Flag Blue topsides.

 

[SHNOOL]

TakeFive I think that one would have been perfect for the Low buck projects thread.

 

[TakeFive]

TakeFive I think that one would have been perfect for the Low buck projects thread.

I think I posted it there already - a few years ago.

 

[MikeGuyver]

The dollar store Toally Awsome cleaner is the best all around cleaner I've ever used. I cleaned my nasty West marine dinghy and it looks new. It might make your babies be born naked or something, but it works great on boat grime.