Sticky Mooring Buoy

[SteveIOW]

I keep my sailing cruiser on a swinging mooring. A couple of years ago I fitted a new "rubber" mooring buoy (well known make). This is the main buoy which is always afloat near the bow, not the small pick up buoy. The problem is the top third of the new buoy has developed a sticky colorless residue on it which attracts dirt which then gets transfered onto the hull each side of the stem. It looks a mess. Have tried to remove sticky substance with detergents, scourers, white spirit but nothing is effective. Loathed to try acetone.
Has anyone else experienced this?
What is the cause and solution please?

 

[MontyMariner]

Sticky rubber coating is quite a common problem, often seen on binoculars.
In a dry atmosphere a coating of talcum powder (periodically) does a job.
In a wet atmosphere you will need to ger rid of the rubber. Rubbing it with petrol will do it, but it's not a quick process. Mixing a drop of oil into the petrol sometimes helps.

 

[dunedin]

Try some of this on a test area, after cleaning carefully with suitable thinners - Red - Letterflex - 125ml
Worked brilliantly on our dinghy

 

[Pye_End]

Something like this:
Everbuild PVCu Solvent Cleaner
which works on fenders, so hopefully will be same on mooring buoy. Seems to be more expensive than my bottle, so maybe there is another make.

 

[Cerebus]

I have a can of sticky label remover that removes very sticky things.

Quite cheap, many sources.

But petrol is cheap as advised above, so try that first?

 

[greeny]

I've used paint that's made for vinyl upholstery to paint this type of pvc item before. Works ok as long as its not constantly in contact and rubbing all the time. No good for fenders. Its appreciably cheaper in a spray can that the purpose made inflatable boat paints. Any plastic trim like track ends or plastic cases on nav lights can be sprayed. Tidies them up and puts a layer of uv protection on them to stop them going worse.

 

[dsw]

I keep my sailing cruiser on a swinging mooring. A couple of years ago I fitted a new "rubber" mooring buoy (well known make). This is the main buoy which is always afloat near the bow, not the small pick up buoy. The problem is the top third of the new buoy has developed a sticky colorless residue on it which attracts dirt which then gets transfered onto the hull each side of the stem. It looks a mess. Have tried to remove sticky substance with detergents, scourers, white spirit but nothing is effective. Loathed to try acetone.
Has anyone else experienced this?
What is the cause and solution please?

mr sheen

 

[Red]

mr sheen

Hello,
I have some poly form buoys and they have the same condition, very sticky. I have used Jif/cif, white spirit, cellulose thinners but it never lasts very long before the stickiness returns,
Regards

 

[dunedin]

Hello,
I have some poly form buoys and they have the same condition, very sticky. I have used Jif/cif, white spirit, cellulose thinners but it never lasts very long before the stickiness returns,
Regards

Have you tried the PVC dinghy paint suggested at #3 above?