Attention to Detail
By Jeff Paxson
Spring Cleaning Part 2: Enclosure Care
F
or many boaters, especially in the
Pacific Northwest, flybridge and
or aft deck enclosures are vital to
get the most enjoyment out of their boat.
A good quality enclosure serves many
purposes:
• Protects you from the elements thereby extending your cruising season
• Adds usable living space
• Keeps your flybridge and back deck
clean and dry all while allowing you to
see clearly to safely pilot your boat
and enjoy the scenery.
While this combination of fabric and
plastic can bring greater usability to
your boat, a good quality enclosure
comes at substantial cost — enclosures
are one of the most expensive aftermarket items that boaters will purchase for
their boat. If cared for properly, a quality
enclosure will last for many years. Conversely your large investment could
quickly be ruined by one stray swipe of a
dirty wash brush. It is important to follow proper guidelines for handling,
cleaning and protecting in order to get
the most out of your enclosure. In this
article I will lay out simple care and
maintenance guidelines for the clear
window panels of your enclosure.
Enclosure Window Basics
There are a multitude of terms that
boaters use when referring to the clear
panels that enclose their flybridge or aft
deck: Isinglass, clear vinyl, Lexan,
Strataglass, and so on. Most of these
names are derived from an actual brand
name. Isinglass was one of the first
brands of clear vinyl windows and their
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May 12 - June 9, 2010 • Nor’westing
An good enclosure can add a lot to your boating experience.
name has become somewhat synonymous with any clear enclosure panel.
The majority of enclosure windows are
still made with varying grades of clear
vinyl, but many replacements for the
relatively soft, easily scratched materials have made their way into the marketplace. Some of the most popular are
Lexan, Strataglass, and Makrolon.
Strataglass has similar properties to
traditional clear vinyl — it is flexible
and lightweight, but has the added benefit of a protective coating to guard
against scratching and increase clarity.
Lexan and Makrolon are hard, polycarbonate plastics which are known for
outstanding clarity, resistance to scratching and long lifespan, but come at a significantly higher price. It is important to
be aware of the specific care instructions
from the manufacturer of your windows,
but the basics are the same for all
brands.
Handling
One of the biggest enemies to the
lifespan of clear panels — whether they
are a soft vinyl or hard polycarbonate
— is scratching. Whenever handling
your panels you should always be mindful of possible causes for scratching. To
prevent scratching, avoid any of the following:
• Rolling panels (rolling up with a towel
or cloth is okay) • Touching windows that are dirty or
salty • Laying windows down on anything but
a soft cloth • Stacking panels without paper or cloth
When cleaning clear panels use a proper cleaning spray to
remove smudges, residue and fingerprints
sheets between them •S
toring windows dirty or salty
Many people roll their vinyl windows
up to get them out of the way or to allow
air to flow. I advise my customers to
avoid doing this by having their canvas
fabricator design the enclosure so that
certain panels can be pulled up and
Enclosure Resources
More information and brand
specific guides
www.marinedetailspecialists.com,
click “Detailing Guides”
snapped to the hard top or bimini top. If
you must roll up your windows find
some old bed sheets that you can cut to
size and roll up into the panel. This
keeps dirt and salt from being ground
into the vinyl as you roll it up.
When I was younger my dad always
yelled at me for drawing on our dirty
cars because it scratched the paint. The
same principle applies to clear panels
— any salt or dirt on the panel will
scratch if you touch it. Proper handling
when removing or storing panels is cru-
Care and Maintenance
Regular, planned care and maintenance with the right techniques and
products is critical to maintaining the
clarity and integrity of your windows. In
nine years of detailing I have seen many
prematurely worn out enclosures. Most
premature wear can be attributed to
lack of knowledge about how to properly
handle and maintain the delicate surface of the clear panels. Robbin Burns of
Puget Sound Canvas in Seattle sells a
cleaning kit containing the right prod-
“When I was younger my dad always yelled at
Canvas Fabricators
L&T Canvas
La Conner, WA
360.466.3295
me for drawing on our dirty cars because it
scratched the paint. The same principle applies
to clear panels...”
Puget Sound Canvas
Seattle, WA
206.412.6171
Products
IMAR Detailing Products
www.imarsales.com
Meguiar’s Products
www.meguiars.com
Plexus Spray Cleaner
www.plexusplasticcleaner.com A clean microfiber towel and a good quality spray cleaner
made specifically for clear vinyl will yield professional
results.
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cial. Before removal each panel should
be washed with soap and water, allowed
to dry, and cleaned with a spray cleaner.
To store, stack the panels flat with an
old bed sheet underneath the bottom
panel, and individual sheets between
each subsequent panel. This prevents
the vinyl panels from sticking together
and scratching one another if any dust
or dirt gets caught in between.
ucts to go along with every single enclosure he builds for his customers. It is
important for the owner of the boat to
know the specific cleaning requirements
of their specific type of clear panels. To
find this information, consult the care
guide for your specific brand of canvas.
Marine Detail Specialists lists all of the
most common brands of panels on the
company Web site (see the “Detailing
Guides” section at www.marinedetailNor’westing • May 12 - June 9, 2010
67
It is sometimes necessary to remove panels to clean and polish
them. In this case, a sheet or blanket below will protect the panel
from scratching
specialists.com). There are three basic
procedures to keep clear panels in top
shape no matter what material they are
made from: washing, cleaning, and protecting.
Washing: Whenever you wash your
boat (which should be at least once a
month) always wash your enclosure as
well. There are three critical elements to
prevent scratching: a clean, soft dedicated mitt or brush; fresh, clean water in
the bucket; and lots of water out of the
hose. Always wash the enclosure first,
making sure that there is plenty of
water on the surface of the panels. Use a
non-spotting non-streaking boat wash.
Certain brands of vinyl or plastic will
recommend or require you to use a particular brand of soap. For example
Strataglass recommends the use of
IMAR Yacht Soap Concentrate on their
material.
Cleaning: Regular cleaning with a
spray cleaner suitable for the type of
material should be used to improve clarity, maintain plasticizers which keep the
panel from becoming brittle, and remove
soot and other residue that does not
come off with washing. Cleaning should
take place after the panels have been
washed to remove loose dirt and as often
as necessary to maintain the clarity.
There are quite a number of products on
the market, and some of the more common ones are IMAR, Plexus and Mermaids. I personally prefer the IMAR
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May 12 - June 9, 2010 • Nor’westing
Strataglass
Protective
Spray Cleaner because it
performs well even in
humid conditions, is reasonably priced, works on
all clear vinyl and hard Always use a high quality spray cleaner and polish
plastics, and one bottle made specifically for clear vinyl and or
goes a long way. Addition- polycarbonate. Never use Windex or Rain-X on your
ally if you have Strata- clear panels, or irreversible damage will occur.
glass brand panels you are
less elbow grease but will not clean off
required by the company to use the soot and other residue. In order to get
IMAR products to retain the warranty the best results, take each panel down
on the material. The most effective way and lay the panels out at home or in
to clean the panels is with a microfiber your salon on large towels or a blanket.
cloth and a small amount of cleaner, Apply the polish or spray protectant
applied directly on the panel. Work the with a soft, clean terry cloth towel and
cleaner around the panel then turn your buff off with a microfiber towel, paying
towel over and buff out the residue. Lee careful attention to the corners of each
Bailey of L&T Canvas in La Conner, window.
Washington tells his customers to avoid
Avoiding Common
cleaning in a circular motion which will
Mistakes
cause the light to catch on any scratchOne of the most important ways to
ing that occurs, instead he educates
protect your enclosure windows is to
them to use a vertical motion.
Protecting: A good coat of spray pro- avoid some common mistakes that can
tectant or UV-inhibiting polish at the drastically shorten their life. For exambeginning and end of the season will ple, never use paper towels on any type
greatly extend the lifespan of the mate- of clear panel, as they will scratch. Never
rial. There are two products that I would use Windex or Rain-X on your windows,
recommend for this procedure. They are as these products will make the winIMAR Strataglass Polish and 303 Aero- dows hazy, possibly costing you hunspace Protectant. The former, being a dreds (even thousands) of dollars in
cream polish, will actually provide a replacement costs. Never use a stiff
deep clean, remove light scratches and wash brush on the clear windows. Never
protect the surface it is applied to. The stack panels with nothing in between
303 Protectant is quicker and requires them. Never wash panels without thor-
oughly wetting them.
“One of the most important ways to
learn more about maintaining your enclosure.
protect your enclosure windows is to
Restoring
Here you will find more
Scratched and
in-depth information,
avoid some common mistakes that can
Hazy Panels
like which brush I recDepending on the
ommend for washing
drastically
shorten
their
life.”
material and severity of
isinglass, step-by-step
the damage it is possiinstructions, more picble to restore scratched
tures of professional
and hazy panels. This
cleaning techniques, as
know what they are doing. We have
can save you hundreds of dollars over actually developed a three step process well as brand-specific care guides for the
replacement and allow you to extend the that can restore scratched and hazy win- most popular brands of enclosure matelife of your enclosure for at least a few dows and save people from replacing rials. You can also submit a detailing
more years. Light scratching can be panels that they thought would have to question and possibly have it and the
removed by hand using the IMAR be replaced.
answer appear in subsequent issues of
Strataglass polish that I mentioned preNor’westing.
Clear Vision, Good
viously, or using products from MeguiJeff Paxson is owner of Marine Detail
Boating
ar’s and 3M. It is also possible to actuSpecialists, Professional Yacht Detailing
My hope is that this guide will and Brightwork. He can be reached by
ally machine polish clear panels to
restore the clarity. This process is simi- enhance your boating experience and phone at 206-617-4930, by email at Jeff@
lar to buffing a boat, but must be done possibly save you from making a costly marinedetailspecialists.com or by Intermore carefully because it is very easy to mistake. If you have read this and would net at www.MarineDetailSpecialists.
■
melt the plastic with the buffing pad. I like to know more, go to www.marinede- com. do not recommend that this be attempt- tailspecialists.com and click on “Detailed by anybody who does not already ing Guides” to get bonus material and
Nor’westing • May 12 - June 9, 2010
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