Sprayhood screen

[Iota]

My sprayhood screen has become opaque in places with what feels like a coating on the outside. Are there any ways to clean or is it simply a question of digging deep in the pocket and replacing

Iota

 

[Guest]

My "windows" became opaque as though someone had sprayed paint ... a sort of cr**py white with dark dots ... I tried cleaning - but in the end decided it was the plastic showing it's age .. it cracked a short time later and pieces fell out ... it was pretty brittle.

Mountifields on Hayling Island did a marvelous job of replacement "windows" ... plus some restitching ... when I put it back on the boat - I thought it was new !!

 

[Alfie168]

Its UV degredation I'm sorry to say. Replacement time.

Tim

 

[brians]

Arun Sails did a good job for me. About £80.

 

[scarlett]

I was told by the people who replaced one of my sprayhood windows on a secondhand boat I bought, to never clean with detergent as it makes it go cloudy. Only use plain fresh water after every sail.

 

[Jake]

You can restore even quite badly faded windows with one of the plastic restoring abrasive compounds available at most chandlers. We used the 3M version - not cheap ( around £16) but when used with an electric drill and a buffing pad, bought the window up like new. Use the material sparingly ( or mask off, as you do get splatter, which is a pig to get out of the fabric) and apply with the hood up so the window is taut.

The 3M rep ( Peter Furby) did the job on a Freeman canopy that was quite badly scratched and oxidised, but the results were excellent. Also, used in two stages - clear plastic restorer (coarser) then clear plastic polisher (fine grit) it also bought back an acrylic screen on a motorbike that was virtually opaque. Renovo make a similar product which they advertise on page 60 of the latest issue.

Down side is it's not a permanent cure - the vinyl is degrading so it could do with eventual replacement, but this treatment will buy you another season or so, or longer if you don't mind spending a few hours a year buffing! Watch out for our series on how to repair a sprayhood coming soon in PBO - including how to replace a window. (top tip - leave the old one in whilst you fit the new one!)

Alan Dring of Hawke House Marine showed us how to do it properly. Not too expensive, either. Much cheaper than buying a new hood, especially as it is usually the windows that go. Most hoods can survive three sets of window replacments before the material itself gives up.