TOPIC: Marine vinyl "paint"

Has anyone used a version of the marine vinyl spray "paint" such as the SEM product? I have used the SEM stuff on my plastic interior car trim with great success, but have not tried it on something more pliable like a vinyl seat. The online reviews are positive, but all are from people who have just applied it, promising to come back after a season or two with an update, but they never do...

Wondering if we can use this on my daughter's seats to keep the vintage patterns and look, but with fresh color.

I have used this same product on several boats that I brought to market and it is fantastic, use judiciously. It will not fix rips, tears, or other degradation of the material. Works really well on scratches, mars and abrasions. Must clean area around repair then repair form center to outside. Once its dry wash the entire area like you were trying to clean the vinyl.

Well, based on my previous experience with SEM, I ordered $120 worth of their marine product last night to give this a try. It's not easy to match color on the computer, but there weren't a lot of options close to what we need. So, we will see how it looks in person, and I will take picture of the process for you all.

Seems like a lot of paint are you reupholstering your boat?

The boat is a total restoration. The original seats were in great shape, but one had a hole through it like it was hit with a spear!
We just bought an identical boat, really just for the seats and windshield. Plus, hey, another boat!

So now we have 7 out of 8 seats in really good condition, but faded and worn. The vinyl is in really good shape, and if the SEM product works, we will be pleased to have kept the original vintage look.

For the $120 we got three cans of blue, one of white (for the beading), SEM soap and prep. The paint is $20 a can.

Still WAY cheaper than having the seats reupholstered!

I agree. Paint is expensive but done right it will really make a bid difference to your project. Unfortunately vinyl is usually exposed to the UV which dries it out and makes it very hard and easily cracked.

Yes, the exposure to sun, water, sunscreen, etc will be a real test to this product.

Fortunately, this will be a well kept boat, stored in a heated garage, not on the water.

I am skeptical that this product will last more than a season or two, but the maker claims it is made for exposure to UV rays and boating life in general. Most of the reviews I can find are from pontoon owners, and those boats usually get weathered pretty badly.

We will see.

Any up dates using this paint ? Would a lite spray of armour all keep it from drying out ? I have two boats I would like to try this on.

I got the paint, but didn't use it. It is just not the right color. I will be sending it back. I will kep you posted on what product I find and use.

Although I have not tried this if you used a conditioner not Amoral but an actual conditioner on the material several times to make it more pliable then clean as directed then paint it might hold up better. I will try this approach in the near future on one of my boats just to see if it works.
Jack

My neighbor used it on his very weathered pontoon seats, and sold it. We still see it go by, and it appears they've held up for 3-4 years. The seats were solid, with no cracks, etc. Just the color was bleached out, with mildew spots, blue and white. They were mostly white, with white piping, so not too hard to mask off for the colors. It specifically said to clean it very well with the prep, so I'm thinking any "Amour" products or conditioning would defeat the cleaning step. It'd be like painting over hand lotion residue. I've used it myself on our hot tub pillows, which are a very dense foam with a smooth outside finish. They lasted 2 years, and the chlorine and heat sort of eventually makes the coating wear away. I just resprayed them with two coats this season, takes one can, so pretty reasonable. Beats paying $45 to $55 a pillow. The coating is made marine specific, with UV protectant and made for seats, so I would think it'd stand up to sitting/flexing as long as the underneath fabric did so also. If you're on a "Hold$$" budget, it's less expensive than having one seat upholstered. It is a very thin coating, so any "pattern" in the original upholstery shows thru. We've used similar dye/paint for vinyl dashboards in cars and trucks and it's lasted a good 10 years or more.