Sem vinyl paint ?

[Blazin14]

My seats in the 07 AR230 are faded, no rips. Instead of buying new seats $$$$$. I was looking at SEMs vinyl marine paint. I was wondering if anybody ever used it and if it worked?

I'm thinking that SEM M25203 grey is what I need.

http://www.semproducts.com/marine-refinish

 

[Marvin willis]

I don't remember the name brand but it's sold at advanced but it worked great for me. I've seen ppl do their whole boat with it

 

[CrankyGypsy]

I know our years are different, but I imagine the colors are close - maybe just different patterns?

I'm pretty sure I ended up using VHT SP946 Silver Satin on my 2005 AR230HO. I originally tried Light Gray, but it looked too flat/dry. the silver adds sheen.

EDIT: VHT SP953 Light Gray Satin actually was the color that matched best out of the three i tried (see my post below).

 

[Blazin14]

Thanks for the feedback. yes my 07 has grey / silver hammered aluminum vinyl so its not flat, which makes it hard to gauge the color.

 

[CrankyGypsy]

sorry @Blazin14 , i was wrong about the color i finally settled on:
i originally tried DupliColor HVP109 Medium Gray - that was the one i remember being flat/dry looking ...and too dark.
i bought the VHT SP946 Silver Satin and VHT SP953 Light Gray Satin at the same time to try them out - just checked my cans and realized i ended up using the Light Gray for the closest match. i think the silver is way too light. the match is not exact, but i only had to do the swim deck. the color seems to be somewhere between the Silver and Light Gray. i assume you plan to do all of them, because i'd definitely advise to do every panel rather than just a few to make them all match - but maybe just a few panels a week so you don't get impatient trying to do it all at one time.

 

[CrankyGypsy]

as far as success, i've had good success with this stuff. i've not used anything specifically labeled "marine" though.

automotive: i used the DupliColor brand to change the interior of my Rubicon from khaki to a two-tone black and gray. success really comes down to prep/patience just like regular paint. the Jeep's interior has held up really well for the past 3 years. there has been some fading on the cloth seats, but that should be an easy touch-up. the panels were removed, washed thoroughly with soap and water, sprayed/wiped with Prep-All, tack-clothed, then got at least 5-7 very light coats of the dye. this is where i believe most people go wrong - very, very thin coats seem to be the key to longevity, otherwise it can lift/peel up. they were left to dry for several days. these dyes get a lot of poor reviews, but i believe if you're not impatient and are very careful, you'll get good results every time. the cloth seats were very easy: i removed the cloth and ran them in the washer before spraying them. btw, cloth seats use a lot of dye!

marine: a prior owner replaced my swim deck seat backs with the wrong color - the center area was a light sea foam greenish color from another year, but all my other seats are the white/gray scheme. so i removed and washed the seats thoroughly with soap and water several times, using a toothbrush to get into the stitching and under the piping. then i "surgically" taped off the white areas with good quality 3M painters tape - this took the most time because i used a large sewing needle to work/bend the tape over and around the individual stitches so it would look factory (basically did my best to tape over the stitches so they would stay white, but still allow dye to get to the very edge of the vinyl). instead of using Prep-All, i carefully wiped the area with acetone. you have to keep enough acetone on the paper towel so it doesn't dry up, but not so much that it runs/bleeds the old color everywhere. follow with a tack cloth and you will have a clean and prepped surface. i think i did 3-5 coats with the VHT brand. mine came out better than i had expected. it's not an exact color match, but no one can tell it isn't OEM because these panels are not next to the main interior. i use the 303 vinyl cleaner and UV protectant on them and they have been holding up great since spring.

 

[CrankyGypsy]

took the time to check out the SEM line: looks like that is a great way to go with the marine-grade dye and knowing that you're using Prep Spray designed (or at least marketed) with their stuff in mind. i've heard really good things about SEM, but picked up the Dupli and VHT stuff because it was easier to get.

 

[scopeusa]

My 2008 trim was white with a sort of silver metallic crocodile effect accent on the top. Living with perpetual sun and the boat on the water most of the time this silver stuff lasted two years before the backing material was showing through. I had to strip the seats and remove the covers. I picked the stitching on the covers and used them as patterns to replace it with a light grey marine vinyl, three years later and it still looks like new. Why do Yamaha use such rubbish? They use very decent stainless cleats and then use chrome on alloy for the hatch locks, mine lasted two years with my salt environment, replaced with stainless. My jet port tray looks as if it was cut out with a hatchet, half of the retaining screws miss the fiberglass under the tray because of the way the butcher cut it out. The same thing applies to the dash. Crazy the hull gel and fiberglass seem to be great. My boat is black on white. Sitting in the Caribbean sun is a sure test for gel coat. I do electric and hand polish mine every three months with a decent wax and you can still see your face in it.

 

[Blazin14]

So far so good

 

[scopeusa]

The problem was mine had cracked up down the reinforcement cloth so the accent element had to be renewed, the white vinyl was and is fine. I always keep it wiped over with 3M mold preventative.

 

[atompa]

For those curious whether it can be done, here are a few pictures of a friends seats and my dashes... Extremely cost effective, to extend the life at the very least.

 

[Blazin14]

Progress update..

 

[Scott griffith]

Looks great I want to change the color of my dashes as well mine are the brownish gold now and I want mine gray like they come on the 05 sx230 what all did you do to paint urs

 

[jetski44]

I have a 2009 AR230 that I need to repair. what do you prep the vinyl before you use the SEM paint? upholstery shop wants $3900 just to replace the gray/silver vinyl..

 

[djrobb]

Any update on how durable this has been? Thanks!

 

[Blazin14]

It lasted about 2 years, the seats that were in direct sunlight and colored (grey) did not last. The white sems still looks good, these were not in direct sunlight and different vinyl (not hammer metal). I have recently re-vinyl they grey with new vinyl. The biggest factor is the hammer metal vinyl is not a durable vinyl so that may play a big part. I replaced all the grey in steps to take the sting out of $$$$.

 

[scokill]

This is a stop gap for sure. It got me by one season. I would say just bite the bullet and get interior redone.

 

[Scott]

It lasted about 2 years, the seats that were in direct sunlight and colored (grey) did not last. The white sems still looks good, these were not in direct sunlight and different vinyl (not hammer metal). I have recently re-vinyl they grey with new vinyl. The biggest factor is the hammer metal vinyl is not a durable vinyl so that may play a big part. I replaced all the grey in steps to take the sting out of $$$$.

Was the SEM M25203 grey a good match? I have the a 2008 AR230 and have a little fading and would like to try this out.

Scott

 

[Scott]

Progress update..

Blazin14, how well did the SEM 15763 storm grey match your seats? I'm looking to do this soon.

Scott

 

[Stacey in SC]

Did the painted dash last?