What type of damage is this?

Hey everyone,

I have discovered this stain/burn on my rear seat. No other similar marks anywhere on the boat. Boat is covered when not in use. Used for less than a month this summer in Canada.

There's some real boat veterans here, what would cause something like this?

What color is your boat cover ? Also what kind of boat and where is the damage located ?

Boat cover is black, no signs of wear or damage to the cover in the area where this stain/burn is found.

The damage is to the very back corner of the rear locker...the sunpad... on a '09 Sanger.


I discovered the damage after getting my boat back from being serviced at a local boat shop. They are arguing it is sun damage, did not happen at their shop, and not their fault. I can't imagine it is sun damage as the shape is distinct, the surrounding vinyl is perfect, and there is no sun damage on any part of the boat. I'm thinking something has been leaned against it that may have burned the vinyl.

Thoughts?

Hard to tell what's going on there exactly from a pic. If the texture and softness is still there, it may be caused by a bacteria which may be covered under warranty. There's a thread about it right now on planetnautique. If your upholstery feels crunchy, stiff or baked in that discolored area, the damage was probably caused by heat transferring through your black cover. If anyone wants to have a black cover, they need to place a towel or two down wherever the cover and upholstery touches. I learned this the hard way 12 years ago with black Sunbrella cover on a brand new boat.

PS, the byproduct of that bacteria is pink.

If it's out of warranty, most people have success by leaving it out in the sun and letting it "bake off" on it's own.

It's definitely doesn't feel crunchy or stiff, but the texture is a bit slicker than before, as if it had been scrubbed smooth.

I used the boat since I discovered the stain for about 2 weeks, so it got a decent amount of sun. I will have to look up more on this thread you're mentioning. I also tried multiple cleaners on it, but came out looking almost exactly the same.

https://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/f...-to-get-it-out

I say it"s the cover too. I just bought a new sunbrella cover that's black but I had them add some fabric to the under side of the cover right where it touches the sun pad.

Leave it out in the sun and it will fade away.

I am pretty confident that is from the cover. Many boats, especially Malibu had been dealing with this mysterious staining also and I think they nailed it down to black covers sitting in the sun creating it. You are noticing most new boat covers are gray now.
Was this area in the sun much of the summer?

It wouldn't have been any more in the sun than the rest of the boat, but the shape of it does make me think you're right that it could be due to the cover.

So this mark should fade over time? Anything special I can do to speed up the process?

But I should also mention... I've had this boat since 2009 with the same black cover.

Did you park it different this summer where it got more sun or rain than it did other summers.

It was rainier at the start of this summer, that's for sure.

If it is a bacteria, which some companies have done warranty replacements on, does this mean if that is in fact my problem that it isn't something that can be fully fixed without replacing the vinyl/cushioning?

That's a classic 99.9% sure it's a Chemical Burn. Products like simple green and direct sunlight give your that Exact Dammage!

I can't tell if it's more pink or brown. You don't notice any difference in texture on the spot?

It's brown. And the texture feels slicker/smoother than the unaffected vinyl.

Grant: the boat shop I'm dealing with is telling me it is a sunburn.. Although I can't imagine how if the boat was barely used this summer, and covered when not in use. I'm trying to figure out if it was damaged by them by some chemical, or if it is that bacteria, or if after 6 years that cover finally gave me an issue.

Mastercraft had this very same issue with their vinyl. The company simple green actuality payed out to replace many master craft interiors for this very same Dammage. They then later included on their cleaning instructions to NOT use on vinyl interiors and warned people of chemical burns or damage.


The Dammage happens when Simple Green is used and then NOT wiped down or diluted with water. The remaing simple green chemical reacts with the sun to "orange" and burn the vinyl.

If the dealer left something wet, like a life jacket or tool on the vinyl it could do that. I had that happen before to me and it looked very similar. Either way, you are going to be the guy to pay to fix it.

My guess is sun damage. A friends boat sat for a whole summer without a cover from the previous owner and all the exposed parts on tops of seat backs and sun pad all look like that. It's a malibu. Good thing is it hasn't got worse now that it's covered and cared for properly, but it doesn't stand out as much as the interior is beige.

After owning a boat for 8 years that had interior issues from a previous owner I would suggest get it fixed and bite the bullet. Otherwise it will always bug you when you're putting in time to make all the rest of the boat look nice and dialed.

And could have been a reflection off another boat or shop window when it was there that magnified the sun in that perfect spot. Double pane windows can create some crazy intense beams of reflection that are very concentrated in small areas