Boat upholstery
 

Has anyone tried painting there cockpit upholstery and had any success? I need to do a little area and don't feel like ripping apart the interior.

You talking about the vinyl? If so, I wouldn't you might have better luck staining it though. Painting or staining in the cockpit could get seriously messy, I would think the prep work would be about the same as just taking it out.

I'm sure someone else will chime in that knows more then I.

A few years ago I tried it with a prior boat--it was the WORST decision Ive ever made. You will be ok painting areas of vinyl that dont flex (side panels for example) but anything that bends (seats) is a disaster. The paint will crack and flake off. You will be left with a seat that looks like poop and your boat will be a mess. PLUS all that flaking paint flies around in the wind and sticks to people! DONT DO IT.

Tried it once on my old Formula 272. Never again. It looked great at first, then the paint(white) started turning yellow and wearing off. Ended up looking like :poopoo:.

I used Vinyl paint by http://www.duplicolor.com/products/vinylFabricCoating/

I restored a 75 blazer and the remarkably good condition seats didn't match the paint so with nothing to loose i tried this stuff.
That was five years ago and it still looks good.
I found it works better if you give the vinyl a quick rub with acetone to soften it up before painting to get good adhesion.
But like they say try it in a spot you can't see first.

PM mild thunder.....he did it to his boat a couple years ago

Did the same thing on an '87 Chaparral Villain looked great and lasted. Also did an 18' Starcraft

Also Mild Thunder posted a pic of his interior that he did in red on a thread a while back and looks great.
Here's the thread
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...vinyl-die.html

Temporary fix. I have did a post a while back that showed my Velocity cockpit. THe vinyl was still pliable and soft, just had no color. SO I used white vinyl dye to get me through the first season. It did the job... But had to be careful when cleaning. And it got a little tacky in the hot sun. My wife got her leg stuck to it few times...... So we just put down towels. If you only need a temp. fix, it will get you by, but I wouldn't plan on it being a perm. solution....

I used SEM vinyl dye. As with any coating, prep work makes all the difference.

It looked good on mine for like 2 weeks then as others have said it flaked and cracked and chipped off looking like hell.

I never had a problem with chipping or flaking.. one has to remember vinyl dye is just that a dye, not paint. So it has to be applied like a dye. I has to soak into the vinyl, not sit on top. A big factor would be prep. Most people use a protecting on their vinyl, so that has to be completely removed. That alone can keep the dye from penetrating the vinyl. Once the surface appears clean, clean it 3 more times.... Even if prepped right, I would still say it is a temporary fix. Especially on seating areas. Using on side panels, if cleaned with very light cleaners, might last a while...