What do you clean your tubes with

[nickjaxe]

Hi all our dive club rib has very dirty tubes, what do you guys recomend to clean them with, in the past I have used t-cut with very good results, but Im not sure if it does any damage what do you think.

Nick.

[Pitkis]

I don't think tubes are very sensitive to cleaning agents, to date I have had no problem with cleaning. However, ask Henshaw Inflatables for more information, if there's one place in the world where you can find an answer regarding RIB tubes, that's Henshaw.

[Jklingel]

I assume you are looking for something beyond 303 (great stuff). Let us know what Henshaw says. What are you trying to remove? john

[EDDO]

www.rib-shop.com
if you look at the cleaning pics, this product looks brilliant although i havnt tried it yet.
Ed

[MeMe]

using the following "Revival" where upon you'll find a number of previous articles discussing the same. I for one find this product "Revival" very very good - expencive though £13.00 ltr.

[Graham H]

thats the cleaner I bought from Rochdale on your recommendatoin MeMe, very good . I tried alsorts before this but I found Revival most effective & easy on the arms. Graham

[John Kennett]

I can't believe that any boat cleaner is worth £13 a litre! What is so special about Revival? What sort of cleaner is it?

This is a frequent topic (see this thread for a recent discussion), perhaps we ought to organise a side by side test sometime.

John

[Phil Davies]

Originally posted by MeMe
I for one find this product "Revival" very very good - expencive though £13.00 ltr.

Nothing but the best for our Graeme. Tell him they sell it in Harrods with a 'By Appointment' crest and he'd pay £26 a litre for it.

[MeMe]

price, it's actually £13.50 a ltr. As for a side-b-side test, if anyone fancies joining me we could do a door step challange at my local marina where there are one or two rather dirty ribs (Jono Gorton's to name but one) !!! P.D - how well you know me

[stuart hedges]

John

What a brilliant idea testing all the cleaners is.

I would be happy to provide dirty boats for the test if you like.

Stuart

[The Jackeens]

TFR

[hairybear]

At the London Boat Show I picked up a price list from TAP Marine 01275 810522 they have a product called Dinghy & Fender Cleaner. I tried a small area and it worked fine, it is very easy to use, spray on, use a small brush/sponge. It foams up and a little spray can cover quite a large area if you use a sponge.

No effort is required, my RIB is diesel and the tubes are light grey, at the stern the tubes had started to show the effects of running a diesel engined boat. After using this Dinghy & Fender cleaner the tubes look as good as the day I took delivery.

It is not cheap at £9.99 for 500ml I used about half to clean my rib and I doubt you would use this product every clean, it is more of a spring clean type of product. It has my vote.

Kevin

[matiboy]

Never buy a white tubed Avon if you dont like cleaning ?!? Blinds you in the sunlight and shows every single mark.

Assuming we can get our grubby tubes cleaned , can someone remind me what the top secret protection agent was , as recommended by the round the world gentleman.

At the time this was hailed as the holy grail of tube protection so please remind me as might try and put it to use now

[nickjaxe]

Ok guys I dropped henshaws a line got right back to me with a very helpful e-mail, said they use bostik M501 thinners and then a coat of 3m cleaner protector, but went on to say t-cut will not have any detrimental affects, when I have used t-cut in the past on our club boats I was very pleased with the results, thanks guys again for all your help.

Nick.

[jwalker]

Originally posted by matiboy
can someone remind me what the top secret protection agent was ....

Quarry tile polish. Asda sell Klear. I expect lots of places do.

[polisher]

Hi
A number of RIB owners are now using 303 Cleaners and protectants
Henshaws have tested both products on their Hypalon tubes and approved them. They do not recommend any products using petroleum distillates or abrasives. The 303 protectant is very easy to use and will help prolong resistance to soiling plus give UV protection against slow fade.
I will be happy to send out a free trail sample pack if any one would like to try the product. Please send me your details The product is £14.95 for a 32oz bottle but this can be diluted to up to 7 gallons! depending on the level of soiling.
look out for posts and pictures from bilge rat coming soon

Mike
The Polishing Company Ltd.

[Rogue Wave]

I'll give it a go!

I presently use TFR and get good results, I clean our ribs about 10 times during the course of the month. Although I only really clean the tubes with TFR every now and again when needed!
Stuart
First Wave Ribs
Saxon Wharf
Northam
SO14 5QF

[Jklingel]

A number of people here have been using 303 for decades...at least a whole bunch of years...I have used it on hypalon for 10 years or so and on PVC for 5. It keeps the fabric supple, besides cleaning and giving UV protection. My rafts are inside, rolled up, all winter (7 to 8 months). I just sold a 20+ yr old raft that looked fantastic; no leaks or cracks, good color. It has had 303 on it at least 10 yrs. The Zodiac dealer here highly recommends using 303. Hope this helps. j

[Bilge Rat]

look out for posts and pictures from bilge rat coming soon

I'd like to back up what Mike at the polishing company has stated here, any of you that know me will know i'm probably the most sceptical person on the planet when it comes to these so called "miricle" cleaning products and for a long time i was an avid fan of the cream cleaner and nylon pads, my tubes had sun faded from at least 10 years of living outdoors with no care and attention, i had previously scrubbed the tubes back to some sort of colour with the cheap cream cleaner and resided myself to the fact that this was the best result i'd ever get until i tried the 303

I spent Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday working on my front tubes and cant believe the results, not only has the 303 restored the faded colour but its lifted out the grim and dirt gathered over the last 15 years of the boats life, then just to add i squirted on the 303 protectant that i'd also bought from Mike and it seemed to darken the colour even more, its now left the tubes with that slightly dull waxy feel you get from new tubes and they look increadable, i did try taking some before and after pics but the camera went wrong and i wasn't able to get before photos, however i did take some of the bow after and i've attached it here, i will be completing the stern this weekend and will make sure i take some close up pics to post before and after, the bow section in my opinion was the worst and had been neglected on my previous attempts at cleaning due to the position and awkward positon needed to get any rubbing pressure on the area.

I wont lie and say it was easy as it wasn't it still took time and paitence and i'm still developing my technique using the stuff, but at the moment i'm very pleased with the results, the 303 is safe to use on your hands and is non abrasive.

If i were you and i were in any doubt i'd take up Mikes kind offer of a free sample and give it a go yourself, you may just be supprised by the results you can obtain, after all if i can make a 15 year old tube look like new image what you could achieve with just grubby tubes.

Have a look at the website

http://www.thepolishingcompany.com/homepage.html

I'd also like to thank Mike too for all his advise and tips over the last few days.

[Phil Davies]

That's a truly remarkable transformation, Rich, and I can verify those tubes were looking real tired and sad.