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Author Topic:   Mills Mooring Cover Repairs
Barney posted 12-05-2007 09:50 PM ET (US)   Profile for Barney   Send Email to Barney  
Well after 4 years of southern sun the Mills Mooring Cover gave up a little. The center seam thread gave way. I was kind of suprised that the threads gave up so soon. The threads had faded, disappeared over time and finally I snagged it on the console and that was it.

The canvas repair guy says that this is the hazard of southern sun and salt spray. He will be resewing over all the seams. Jim

L H G posted 12-05-2007 10:10 PM ET (US)     Profile for L H G    
But never fear, the original Mills mooring cover on my 25 Outrage is now 19 years old, with the boat stored outside 90% of that time, and still in good shape. Like you, however, I have had some of the stitching redone several times, and some of the vinyl components as well. The threads and vinly seem to be the weak link, but the sunbrella is practically industructible, as long as you keep it cleaned and re-waterproofed every 2 years or so.
Mambo Minnow posted 12-06-2007 08:23 AM ET (US)     Profile for Mambo Minnow  Send Email to Mambo Minnow     
My OEM sunbrella tonneau cover needed work last year after seven years. The threads on seam connecting the two major pieces gave up the ghost. I took it to a premium local canvas shop and they re-sewed the seam and replaced all the snaps to boot. The quality of thread used is important to hold up to UV damage.
Barney posted 12-06-2007 07:25 PM ET (US)     Profile for Barney  Send Email to Barney     
We lost the "Premium" canvas folks, ..."Biloxi Sail"..., to Katrina. They put vents in the canvas for me a few years ago. The steering wheel would get so hot I couldn't touch it.

I'm using the only guy left in the area. I hope it works out. Thanks for the info on lifespan. Jim

erik selis posted 12-09-2007 02:40 PM ET (US)     Profile for erik selis  Send Email to erik selis     
Larry, what do you use to clean your cover with? Also what do you use to make it waterproof again?

Erik

where2 posted 12-09-2007 07:05 PM ET (US)     Profile for where2  Send Email to where2     
Glen Raven Mills, maker of Sunbrella has instructions on their website ( www.sunbrella.com ) for the proper cleaning. They currently suggest a "mild laundry soap". (Digging around their website they comment that "Mild Laundry Soap" means Ivory Snow, Dreft, or Woolite laudry products). They specifically recommend these since they are gentle on the waterproofing. They comment that regular laundry products will not harm the fabric, but will generally remove more of the water proofing material than the "mild laundry soaps". At $90US per gallon for the waterproofing, I can afford to purchase and use a large quantity of "mild laundry soap". Sunbrella is not harmed by bleach, since the color is part of the acrylic fibers and not just a dye.

Waterproofing is accomplished by the re-application of "303 High Tech Fabric Guard" which can be purchased in gallon bottles and applied using a handheld spray bottle or pressurized garden sprayer.

My own word of caution about using bleach on your sunbrella fabrics. Although the fabric is not harmed by bleach, the thread used to stitch the material may NOT be so tolerant to bleach. Over time, repeated use of bleach can weaken the thread used to stitch the material. Where I live in South Florida, the sun alone can weaken even the high end threads after 4 years of daily exposure to the suns UV rays.

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