Has anyone had success in water proofing thier Bimini tops and seat covers?
-
-
I have used a spray on product for the bimini and mooring cover for the last 2 seasons. 303 HiTech Fabric Guard.
Not crazy about the spray though seems to waste a lot of the material into the air.
Next time I may spring for a pint or qt of the material and brush it on, better coating that way. Small spray bottle was about $20 IIRC whereas the gallon is about $70 but will cover much more material and really coat it better.
Joe
-
That's my experience too.SeaDog wrote:
I have used a spray on product for the bimini and mooring cover for the last 2 seasons. 303 HiTech Fabric Guard.
Not crazy about the spray though seems to waste a lot of the material into the air.
Next time I may spring for a pint or qt of the material and brush it on, better coating that way. Small spray bottle was about $20 IIRC whereas the gallon is about $70 but will cover much more material and really coat it better.
Joe
303 is the best there is, and a pump sprayer seems to be the better delivery system.
Comment
-
I used the 303 a couple years ago and wasn't impressed. It was expensive and didn't last the season. I read somewhere (on this site) that Thompson's water seal worked well but I was reluctant to use it.
My Bimini is getting kinda old and on it's last legs so this year I decided, what the heck I'm gonna try it. Partially because I had some and partially because I wanted to see how it would work. I used my paint spray gun and sprayed a heavy coat on it until it saturated the fabric. Any spots that started to run, I just blotted with a rag. Then I let it dry in the sun for a day.
It works great, I've left my top up all season so far and it still sheds water like a piece of Rain-X treated glass. Might even get another year or two out of that old top.
Comment
-
You need to follow 303's directions, and clean the canvas first. If you do, it works very well. I've read that Thompson's is flammable and leaves the treated fabric being much more flammable. Don't know if this is correct or not.R&Jonthebay wrote:
I used the 303 a couple years ago and wasn't impressed. It was expensive and didn't last the season. I read somewhere (on this site) that Thompson's water seal worked well but I was reluctant to use it.
My Bimini is getting kinda old and on it's last legs so this year I decided, what the heck I'm gonna try it. Partially because I had some and partially because I wanted to see how it would work. I used my paint spray gun and sprayed a heavy coat on it until it saturated the fabric. Any spots that started to run, I just blotted with a rag. Then I let it dry in the sun for a day.
It works great, I've left my top up all season so far and it still sheds water like a piece of Rain-X treated glass. Might even get another year or two out of that old top.
Comment
-
I did clean it. Could be that because my top is so old it didn't work as well as it should have. The canvas feels more like a bed sheet than heavy stiff canvas. When I had some seams repaired a few years ago, the upholstery guy said the fabric was weak and very worn.(Sun baked) He wouldn't promise that the seams would hold.whiskywizard wrote:
You need to follow 303's directions, and clean the canvas first. If you do, it works very well. I've read that Thompson's is flammable and leaves the treated fabric being much more flammable. Don't know if this is correct or not.
As far as flammable goes, I don't know either. I still have some Thompson's and a piece of scrap canvas. I'll do an experiment to see if one is more flammable than the other. (I just love doing stuff like this.)(My wife wont let me watch "Myth Busters", she says it gives me to many bad ideas :sorrow
Until I get the results from the test, I'm going to ban all welding torches, Molotov cocktails and flame throwers from being brought aboard the boat. :kidding ..... (we're still gonna bring em.
)
Comment
-
R&Jonthebay wrote:
Until I get the results from the test, I'm going to ban all welding torches, Molotov cocktails and flame throwers from being brought aboard the boat. :kidding ..... (we're still gonna bring em.)
No arc-gouging either!
If you really do test it, I'd love to hear the results. Thompsons is much less money...
Comment
-
I have had good results with 303 as well. I redo my top yearly.whiskywizard wrote:
You need to follow 303's directions, and clean the canvas first. If you do, it works very well. I've read that Thompson's is flammable and leaves the treated fabric being much more flammable. Don't know if this is correct or not.
I have seem others use a West Marine product that is cheaper but I have no experience with it.
Comment
-
The can clearly states that that the product is combustible. It doesn't say "Highly Flammable" or list the ingredients.
With that info in hand, I immediately pulled out my pyromaniac club membership card and proceeded on to the testing phase.
I poured about a half oz. on to the concrete sidewalk and attempted to light it with a match.....No such luck...no vapor flash... couldn't get the puddle to ignite. Then I tried a torch, it burned but the puddle would not stay lit when the torch was removed.
I then used a rag to wipe up the remaining puddle. Next I put the wet saturated rag down on the sidewalk along side of a dry rag and dropped a match on both of them. The wet rag caught on fire instantly. The dry rag also caught on fire, just not as quickly.........That's when the wife walked out the door.
She gave me that "special look" she has for me when she thinks I'm being a dumba$$. (I get to see it a lot :smilet-digitalpoint)
I have now saturated an old piece of Bimini top cover that is the same material as our top. It will need to dry for a day or two before I can test it further.
So far the results indicate to me that freshly treated canvas that is still wet will catch fire quickly and burn nicely. However the untreated canvas will also burn.
I have a feeling that any canvas and or fabrics are major contributers to fire spread in boat fires, unless of course, the gas tanks go first.
More to follow in a few days.
Just here to help---Reed
Comment
Comment