Boat cover causing discoloration on vinyl

[casey on allatoona]

Bought an 06' VLX. Previous owner never used the Malibu cover that came with boat. Fortunately the inside just needed some TLC to bring back. Started using the cover and noticed a slight discoloration at the top of the vinly seats. Mainly in the open-bow area. So I visited the Malibu Dealer and they said that we have one of the old, much heavier covers and that it doesnt let the heat out of the boat and the heat is affecting the glue inside of the vinyl and the color is starting to show thru the vinyl itself. Sounds kind of crazy but had another friend have the same issue. We do use the 3 poles to make sure its venting at least some in our current hot summer.

They have a newer cover that is a different material and not as heavy, but it is $999.00.

Another option is to spend $200 and have some vents added to the existing cover.

Any help is appreciated,

RC

[obski]

Give Cory a call at Evolution Covers.

Great product.

Great service.

[85 Barefoot]

...from what I have been told...it has nothing to do with heat...anyone who has climbed under a covered boat in the summer knows, there's only one temp. What is happening is some dyes in the cover are reacting with the vinyl (which is why you see it on the top, not throughout) BUT when you take the cover off and sun hits the vinyl it will go away. And yes I have a boat that this happens to and my cover is 3 months old, it has nothing to do with the age of the cover.

[Earmark Marine]

A couple of items to consider are,

A lighter color of cover (wondering about the darker pigments).

A thick insulator between the cover and seat cushions.

Vents in the cover.

An empty bilge.

Could sun tan lotion be a catalyst.

[windy1]

My origanal cover has perminently damaged my seats. stains will not come out. gets a bit better in sun. I quit using it and I am having a new custom cover made right now for $600. new cover will not touch seats.

[srab]

...from what I have been told...it has nothing to do with heat...anyone who has climbed under a covered boat in the summer knows, there's only one temp. What is happening is some dyes in the cover are reacting with the vinyl (which is why you see it on the top, not throughout) BUT when you take the cover off and sun hits the vinyl it will go away. And yes I have a boat that this happens to and my cover is 3 months old, it has nothing to do with the age of the cover.

This has also been my impression. I have a cover that extends down around the edge of the swim platform, and the only place I get the discoloration is on the very back edge of the vinyl upholstery over the engine cover and port and starboard storage covers (v-drive), exactly where the cover contacts them (poles, grab rails, and ski pylon otherwise tent cover off of the upholstery everywhere else on my boat). And, I, too, have realized that, after a full day in the sun, it fades considerably, though not really completely.

I've been placing diaper-changing pads on the affected areas to keep the cover from further staining. I slide an edge underneath the backside of the storage covers (open inside-out on my boat) and fold them up and over the back edges. I then slide a third one under the edges of those folded forward to cover the middle (hinge on engine cover prevents me from sliding this one under the edge). It does help, but it has not completely eliminated my problem.

Edited September 5, 2011 by srab

[casey on allatoona]

Great information everyone, thank you.

I have ordered 3 vents from Overtons and plan to install those in the place of where the poles snap to the cover. Will also place some towels around. Wish the cover werent black!

Great forum, thanks for replys,

RC

[wakebrdr94]

My dealer told me this was a defect in the vinyl. He put in a warranty work order and will replace the vinyl at the end of the season.

[wakebrdr94]

Oh yeah, only happens when the cover is on and in the sun. If the cover is on and the boat is inside, there is never an issue

[Bozboat]

I have an evolution towing cover and a sunbrella type cover with three poles. Hot days and both covers cause the vinyl to change colors as described. Regardless, the vinyl returns to its old self after a few days with no cover.

[jackson]

I'd recommend having your dealer start the warranty process now. Malibu is not covering this as a warranty item as they don't agree it is a vinyl defect.

The problem is indeed caused by the heat from the cover transferring to the vinyl and discoloring the glue. Its a known issue but one Malibu has been more and more difficult about warranty about.

Good luck. I had the same problem and after fighting with Malibu for almost 6 months, my dealer ended up eating the cost.

[Tking]

This has also been my impression. I have a cover that extends down around the edge of the swim platform, and the only place I get the discoloration

is on the very back edge of the vinyl upholstery over the engine cover and port and starboard storage covers (v-drive), exactly where the cover contacts

them (poles, grab rails, and ski pylon otherwise tent cover off of the upholstery everywhere else on my boat). And, I, too, have realized that, after a

full day in the sun, it fades considerably, though not really completely.

I've been placing diaper-changing pads on the affected areas to keep the cover from further staining. I slide an edge underneath the backside of the

storage covers (open inside-out on my boat) and fold them up and over the back edges. I then slide a third one under the edges of those folded

forward to cover the middle (hinge on engine cover prevents me from sliding this one under the edge). It does help, but it has not completely

eliminated my problem.

I get discoloration in the very same spots from my cover as well and my wife thought I spilled a drink and discolored the vinyl because I didn't wipe it up right away.

[JoeMama]

When I bought my boat from Paradise Watersports in Southern California, I saw a 2-3 yr old boat with discoloration everywhere. Crazy since the boat was originially about $70K new. Dealer said it is a known issue due to excessive heat. Especially when you have black cover and store outside in sun in western states like California, Arizona etc as the temps get too hot. He said if it was not covered it probably would not have happened. They said there's a dispute between who covers the damage.

I was also told Malibu does not keep the original vinyl for more than 5 years or so. So I realized I better take excellent care of our seats, especially since its over $5-7K to replace everything.

So I keep my boat stored inside and covered with very light cloth which is gray.

Edited June 14, 2012 by JoeMama

[MaddMaxx]

Same thing happened to me when I had my '08 VLX for a steering cable warranty replacement. The boat came back with pinkish/reddish splotches on the top of the vinyl in the bow area. Dealer said it was a known issue and covered under warranty. He wanted to start the process right away but I told him I wanted the boat for the rest of the summer and we could do it in the winter. After several days in the sun, it faded some but not entirely.

[85 Barefoot]

I'd recommend having your dealer start the warranty process now. Malibu is not covering this as a warranty item as they don't agree it is a vinyl defect.

The problem is indeed caused by the heat from the cover transferring to the vinyl and discoloring the glue. Its a known issue but one Malibu has been more and more difficult about warranty about.

Good luck. I had the same problem and after fighting with Malibu for almost 6 months, my dealer ended up eating the cost.

What glue? Heat has nothing to do with it in my experience. Happens in the middle of winter too. You will find that it is worse after the cover is wet. Has to do with cover pigment interacting with vinyl which is why you get it generally only in areas where cover touches vinyl AND where any water drips through cover onto vinyl.

[windy1]

I have some really bad discolored areas that I have thought about re-dying. Has anyone tried that. no warranty left on a 2001.

[Mountee]

Just talked to my dealer because I'm having the same problem. He said it is cause by humidity in the boat when it is covered. To fix it he said to leave the boat uncovered for a day, open all the storage compartments and let it dry before covering.

[Jeff K.]

I have an 06 RLXi and live in San Diego. Some of the vinyl turns almost black when under the cover. Mostly top edges. When uncovered, and left in the sun it goes away. I have contacted Malibu directly, after speaking with the dealer. This is a KNOWN problem that Malibu is not helping with. It is not the cover staining the vinyl. I brought my boat to a top shop that I have been dealing with for over 25 years, and they said it is a defect in the vinyl or the reaction of heat and the glue. He said he could not be sure which without testing a piece. Needless to say I did not cut a piece out. Called Malibu again, and was told the best they would do would be to give me a discount on new skins. When I mentioned a lawyer, they hung up on me.

[srab]

I have an 06 RLXi and live in San Diego. Some of the vinyl turns almost black when under the cover. Mostly top edges. When uncovered, and left in the sun it goes away. I have contacted Malibu directly, after speaking with the dealer. This is a KNOWN problem that Malibu is not helping with. It is not the cover staining the vinyl. I brought my boat to a top shop that I have been dealing with for over 25 years, and they said it is a defect in the vinyl or the reaction of heat and the glue. He said he could not be sure which without testing a piece. Needless to say I did not cut a piece out. Called Malibu again, and was told the best they would do would be to give me a discount on new skins. When I mentioned a lawyer, they hung up on me.

This "explanation" seems to come up often, but it seems a little sketchy. As mentioned previously, this'll happen during

winter months as well. It seems worse, if anything, when I first uncover the boat in March. And, leaving it exposed to direct

sunlight, where certain sections on my boat (dark blue) get so hot that they are uncomfortable to touch, makes it almost

entirely disappear. Yet, when it cools down (overnight), those portions of discolored vinyl don't re-darken but actually seem

to improve with each passing day, only to recur when I re-cover the boat.

I have also seen a correlation with humidity. In Texas, we pretty much haven't seen rain all season. I'd been putting

down diaper-changing pads where the cover touches the vinyl and thought that that was improving the problem.

Then, I decided to shampoo my carpet early last month. I put the cover back on, with the diaper pads, when the

carpet was not yet completely dry. When I returned the next weekend and uncovered the boat, the discoloration was

worse than I'd seen it all year!

So, does the glue somehow change colors? And, why would it only happen, at least in my experience, where the black cover

has come in direct contact with the vinyl? As pointed out previously, it gets awful darn hot everywhere underneath

the boat cover, but the discoloration is limited to points of direct contact with the cover.

Did you really threaten to get an attorney involved . . . for discolored vinyl . . . on a six-year-old boat? I can't really blame

them for hanging up!

[wakebrdr94]

This only happens in the sun. Like I said, I cover the boat all the time, and it is not in direct sunlight. When I pull the boat out and leave it in front of the house, or covered the river (in the sun), then it discolors. I don't think it is heat as much as direct sunlight. Its been well over 100 for the past week and the seats look good, but the boat is under an awning, not in direct sun, but who knows. I'm not aware of everyone's storing conditions

[tjpmb]

I have the same problem on my 05 23 lsv, it only happens when covered in the sun. I have a black Malibu cover and light grey vinyl. When the boat is in the sun the black marks do fade away. However, I have not found a way to actually clean or remove the blacking. Does anyone here know a way to clean it off? Alcohol, paint thinnner? lol

[itznowonder]

07' Ride XTI white upholstery with grey and blue accenting.

I keep my boat on a lift April -Oct and the sun beats it pretty hard in temps ranging from 50's - high 90's. last summer I saw a few spots start to discolor and cleaned those areas with a magic eraser. I could tell what I was doing wasn't really removing any stain, the area looked almost burnt. In my frustration I went inside to forget about my seats looking so bad. An hour or so later I'd come back and the spots would be gone... this happened 3 or 4 times.

This winter the boat was stored outside and our temps ranged from 0 -50. When I picked the boat up from the dealer they told me they did a little cleaning on it because of mildew. I dint think anything about it and trailered the boat to the lake. When I got there and took the cover off I was floored. The entire back of the boat was the burnt color I had seen before. I used every kind of cleaner I could think to use. I scrubbed the area (4' X 8") on 2 different days with no change. When I left on the first day I tried cleaning the area I put a white towel between the cover and the boat as suggested here. Upon my return the spot was no different but I tried cleaning it again anyway. I had nothing to loose cause it looked like crap. When I left on the 2nd day I again put the towel between. A week later I came back and the cover had been blown off because of extremely high winds. I was so worried about the boat and the cover I jumped in to check everything out. I was on the boat just long enough to see no trouble or damage to the cover then realized the big spot was completely, 100% gone! no signs of discoloration, no signs of my over scrubbing the area, NOTHING!!! I think it is friction and sun baking. I will remain using the towel but think Im going to buy a white cover to put between the boat and its custom cover. NOTE: at the end of last year when I saw little spots I took time to wash the inside of my cover thinking it was mildew on the cover transfering over during storage. I dont think mildew has any thing to do with this issue. I hope this helps some one like this topic helped me. thanks!

[wakebrdr94]

Does this happen with any other color than black? And does anyone have an issue when using a cover other than the factory cover? My dealer said they are trying to get me a grey cover to replace my black one, but if that won't help, there really is no need

[BumbleBee]

I have the same problem..... My cover has permanently damaged my seats in the bow to the point the whole interior is getting recovered next week. I'm in Aus and the guys repairing my boat said it because of the crap material Malibu uses. Great for northern hemispheres not so great in West Australian climate 86/100f all summer...

My cover does to have a vent, but I think I will get the guys to place one in. My covers also black which has cooked the interior and burnt the rear edges of the lockers :-(

[BumbleBee]

I should use an explanation of "crap material"..... A little unfair to be so harsh....

By crap material the guy said they spend so much money on the boats that obviously corners can be cut, money saved. The vinal is one area. The vinal being used on the recovering is made for my local climate and comes with a 10 year warranty. My guy comes highly recommended and specializes in custom work on hot rods etc.

We spend so much money on these boats, and something like this is so frustrating and can turn a fun day out on the water into a crap one :-(.