Best Vinyl for Upholstery?

[Fever Mike]

I am getting quotes to reupholster my Fountain 38TE. I am seeing all different types and brands of vinyl and I do not know how to tell a good or bad piece of vinyl.

What should I look for and what are some of the better brands of vinyl for boat seats?

Also just so you all know....I had my boat detailed at the Fountain dealer and they used Magic Eracer on the seats and it removed the thin protective coating on the vinyl. So now when I cover my boat seats up they get this blackish blue orange splotchy thing happening. Leave it in the sun for a day and it's gone. I always just used sopa and water and 303 protectant. After this detail is when this issue with the seats started to happen.

[Jassman]

Mike, what they should have done at the factory is used Leverage cleaner and then wiped off.. If that didnt work use it again..lather it up then wipe back and forth with the Magic erasor..the two work together excellent..but you need the Leverage as a lubricant with out taking the finish off the seats. Any product that contains any amount of bleach will harm stitching over time. What you see now is.. forms of mold.

My suggestion is go with vinyls that are not carbon fiber..they are made better now..but still are not as good as some of the others. Get with PPI..they will steer you right. Jeff

[Fever Mike]

Thanks Jeff, I will call PPI and hopefully they can tell how to tell good and bad vinyl from the samples I am being shown from my local upholstry guys.

The Fountain factory did not mess up my seats the detailer at the local Fountain dealer....whom did nothing but agrue with me and is now out of business due to lack of customer service. That is a whole other topic though.

[Team Tsunami]

I have never had a problem with Magic Erasers and have been using them for years. Will be trying some leverage this year if I can get a good deal on some!:D:D

[38fountainSC]

I use magic eraser too with no problems love em.

[MarineClean]

I use them too, but Jeff's right about the lubrication.

MEs will cause damage to aged or 'dried' out Vinyl. You can use them on newer, softer vinyl by themselves, but I don't chance it with a customer's boat. I always spray a little vinyl cleaner down first then go to work. I usually don't need them to often just on stained vinyl or heavy mildew. Unless you're battling stains use something mild. The majority of time my Vinyl Cleaner will take care of the stain w/o having to use a harsh product or shorten the life of your vinyl.