sitcky vinyl seat cover

[beluga11]

I'm the second owner of a 15.5 foot Zodiac Pro. When i first bought the boat, I noticed that the vinyl seat cover felt soft and a sticky. At first I thought it was a residue of something, that the previous owner might have spilled soda on it without cleaning it up. So I tried cleaning it, first with soap, then with detergent, and finally citra-solve. Nothing has worked so far. It is the material itself that is sticky.

Is this a common result of age, or salt contact, or maybe some chemical cleaner applied incorrectly by the former owner? My wife is about to upholster it with a waterproof material, so it will soon be covered and, hopefully, never again see the light of day. But now that she's finally doing that, I thought i'd ask here if anyone can explain this condition and offer a permanent solution.

Is there a vinyl restoration product or chemical process that will firm up the gummy surface of the vinyl and get rid of the stickiness?

[Pikey Dave]

It sounds like the vinyl is breaking down. The sticky stuff is the plasticisers leaching out of the material. It won't get any better & there's nothing you can do about it, it's age & UV related.

[The Black Pig]

I wouldn't buy anything with sticky seats