Harsh cleaners like bleach, toluene, acetone, etc. can harm the fabric by making it sticky, porous or yellow and should be considered cleaners of last resort as you may destroy your boat.

Your best bet is to try using Aurora Speed Clean with Hypexine. Hypexine is a leaching agent that will not damage the fabric. I would suggest rubbing the Speed Clean into the stained spots with a sponge or scrub brush and let it sit until it dries. Add more Speed Clean and give it a good scrub. You may wish to clean the rest of the boat at the same time. The next step is to expose the boat to sunlight. Over time it will bleach the stain out. This may take weeks or even months, but it won’t damage the boat.

During the sun bleach period, do not put any protection on the tubes and do not cover it. You can clean it periodically with Speed Clean. When the stain has faded to your satisfaction, apply 2 coats of Poly Guard to protect the fabric. Poly Guard will also protect the substrate against future staining from mold or mildew.

I would not recommend painting the inflatable. I have yet to see good results from painting PVC or Hypalon. The boat looks like it was painted and often will peel and flake. Not pretty.

Before you can put anything on your inflatable, you have to make sure that it is clean, stain free and the surface is not oxidized.

If you have any fouling on the bottom, spray it with Inflatable Bottom Spray. Let it sit for about 20 minutes and that should get the fouling off. Next, use Speed Clean and a Marine Power Mitt, sponge or scrub brush to get the boat clean and deoxidized. This should get any stains out and bring up the original color. If you boat is a RIB, you can also use the Speed Clean on the hull and for cleaning the non-skid floor.

When your boat is as clean and bright as you can get it, apply 2 coats of Poly Guard to the tubes. If the boat is going to spend any amount of time in the water, apply 2 coats of Repelin below the waterline. You can use this on the tubes, rigid hull and the lower leg of you outboard. (Do not apply to the prop as it will cause it to slip too much). It will keep marine growth off and make it easier to clean. If yours is a RIB, apply 2 coats of Sure Step to the non-skid floor.

You'll be amazed at how well these products restore your boat and make it easier to keep clean. Achilles made a good boat. When you get through, you might decide that it's a keeper. I would even suggest that you take some before and after photos, otherwise no one will believe you.

The product you want to clean up the diesel soot from your hypalon dinghy the first time is Speed Clean. It will deep clean and deoxidize the fabric and if your dinghy is a RIB, can also be used to clean and polish the fiberglass hull, inside and out. It will also remove scuff marks, other dirt and superficial stains. It's specially made for tough cleaning and restoration of all inflatable surfaces. To make cleaning easier and faster use a Marine Power Mitt with the Speed Clean.

Once you have it cleaned apply two coats of Poly Guard to the tube to seal and protect the fabric. The protective coating is not greasy or oily and will help to reduce the attachment of diesel soot, dirt and scuff marks and make the boat easier to clean. It will also help protect the fabric against chalking and fading from the sun. It's easy to apply and two coats will last for months, even in the Florida sun.

I recommend that you protect the fiberglass hull, if your boat is a RIB, and bottom of the tubes with Repelin. Repelin is a clear, biocide free, anti-fouling coat that seals the pores in the fiberglass, prevents attachment of marine growth when the boat is in the water and gives the bottom of the boat an extra layer of protection against the attachment of diesel soot. You will find that the bottom will be much easier to keep clean. Even salt won't stick to it and can easily be rinsed off.

After the boat is protected, ongoing maintenance will be simplified. Diesel soot is very tenacious and tends to smear around, but it won't penetrate the Repelin and Poly Guard so it can be easily removed. The procedure is to rinse the boat with water, spray a bit of Boat Clean Plus on it, give it a quick wash with a sponge and rinse it clean. Boat Clean Plus is a water activated, environment safe, cleaner and degreaser that quickly penetrates and lifts the greasy diesel soot as well as other dirt and soil, making it easy to rinse clean. Al though it's a very tough cleaner, it's gentle on all marine surfaces. When diluted with water this way, it won't remove the Repelin or Poly Guard.

Do these products REALLY work? They are 100% guaranteed to perform as we claim, or your money back. They are recommended by most major inflatable boat manufacturers.