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I have what I thought was pink stains on my 2001 Launch vinyl seats, but i have noticed it seems to spread without any accidents on our part. I have been talking with other boat owners and apparently this is a fungus that grows from under the vinyl in the cushion. Both Nautique and Mastercraft battled this problem a few years ago and made changes to their product to combat this.
Has anyone else had this problem and figured out a way to solve it?
I had the same problem as you on my 2002 SSV. The pink stain was the size of a pin prick when i picked my boat up. I did not make an issue of it because you could barely see it. Eventually the stain grew and covered the rear hatches. I brought it back to the dealer and the factory shipped out new covers for the rear hatches.
They originally thought it may be mold, but my boat is only used on daytrips and is stored in a garage with no cover on and all hatches open. They sent the old covers back to the factory, but am unaware of what they figured the pink stuff was.
I had it too...I had to replace my upholstery to get rid of it. The people who replaced the upholstery used the same foam but I haven't seen it coming back yet.
I've had my SSV for over a year with no problems. One day last week I noticed the pink spots on the rear seat back. Was this covered under your warranty?
As a follow up to this discussion...
This was not covered by the warranty. I had to order new seats skins for the entire back seat. Cost = $300. Installation will cost $175. Delivery will take 3-4 months, due to Skiers Choice recent move into a new facility.
"The two best days in a boat owners life..."
Good thing this doesn't affect the wake! 1 more month!
For those of you that have it, how often do you clean your vinyl? What do you clean it with? And do you use 303 protectant after every cleaning?
I'm curious if cleaning methods make a difference for prevention.
Unfortunatley, I don't think it has anything to do with cleaning it. I use the 303 product and wipe down the seats after every day on the lake.
According to the experts, the pink stains come from fungal organisms. As part of their digestive process, they produce colored (pink) by-products. This situation can occur as long as 4 things are present: Spores, water, warmth, and food. I've heard that the vinyl adhesive may serve as the food source for the fungus.
New technology has produced adhesive with mildew retardant additives to prevent this from occurring in the newer models. Your '04 should be OK.
As far as prevention goes, proper air circulation is probably the key. There are many days in the summer where my SSV is "rode hard and put up wet." I would recommend removing all seat cushions and using a chamois to remove as much water from the vinyl as possible. Dehumidification devices would probably help too.
Well, bad news. The pink fungus is back and it has spread to other cushions and the driver's seat. Is the only option to replace all of the vinyl? Any idea on how much this would cost me?
azcummins - as a follow up, how has the new vinyl held up to this point?