The roof wouldn't dry so I took an old towel to it to help it along - 303 needs a dry surface.
Twice a year, we religiously apply “sunscreen” to our boat stuff – anything rubber or plastic on the boat gets a good cleaning followed by a healthy application of 303 Aerospace Protectant. Our fantastic plastic sit on top kayaks, the hypalon dinghy, the radar dome, the dorades, anything that could possibly benefit from blocking the sun’s intense UV rays. And it’s great on the vinyl seats in the ski boat as well – our 11 year old ski boat looks almost new.
The roof wouldn’t dry so I took an old towel to it to help it along – 303 needs a dry surface. I apply the 303 by spraying it on a space and wiping with a small soft cloth.
Now we have the travel trailer. In reading how to maintain the trailer, one of the first things recommended was to apply a coat of 303 Aerospace Protectant to the roof of the trailer. The roof is made of TPI, a type of rubber; but there are other things on the trailer roof as well – two skylights, the air conditioner, two fantastic fan covers and the HD TV antenna to name a few. Then it occurs to me probably the propane tank covers and battery boxes would probably benefit from it as well. And the awnings, although I’m not sure how I’ll reach them to apply it. I’ll have to think on that one.
After a bath using water, a bit of Joy and a soft brush, the trailer roof will never be this clean again!
So yesterday after we returned from camping, I climbed up on the roof to give it a good rinse and scrub (best not to apply 303 over dirt). I’m guessing this will be the cleanest our little trailer roof will ever be! Then slathered on the sunscreen – this bottle was only half full and I was able to do the entire trailer roof and have a bit left over for the kayaks. Here’s the manufacturer’s description: We usually buy it on Amazon – sometimes we find it in marine or camping stores, but the price is usually higher. Out of the country, we had to take it with us since I think we found it once in six years outside the USA.
303 Aerosol Protectant is sunscreen for your kayak!
“303 Aerospace Protectant was originally engineered for aerospace and aviation applications, it’s a premium surface treatment that instantly beautifies and provides superior protection against harmful UV rays. Great for use on colored gel-coat fiberglass, inflatable boats, vinyl, clear vinyl (isinglass) windows, rubber plastics and leather. Easy to use, spray-on and wipe dry. Treated surfaces repel dirt, soiling, staining, water spots, salt water and mildew.”
So don’t forget the sunscreen! And the best we’ve found, time and sun UV tested, is 303 Aerospace Protectant! Now to decide how to protect the sides of this trailer. Right now it shines like new …. maybe because it is new. And we want it to stay that way, so we’ll have to figure out if we should wax the fiberglass, use more 303 or use ZEP Wet Look Floor Polish (seems a bit strange) but other trailer owners that are using it, highly recommend it. A bit more research is required – maybe even a call to the manufacturer to find out the best product to use — should we wax or try this ZEP stuff…..
Anyone have other product they like equally well? How about for the sides of the trailer? Any recommendations?
Hi Paul! I’m surprised someone told you not to use it on the dinghy. Everything I’ve read said 303 AEROSPACE Protectant is safe for both hypalon and PVC and most dinghy dealers seem to encourage it. All I know is our personal experience … first with an older roll up 8′ Caribe hypalon dinghy and now with our almost 8 year old AB aluminum RIB… we debated adding canvas chaps but decided to use 303 instead – we don’t like the way chaps can slip against the tubes in the dinghy. So far no problems with either the Caribe or AB dinghy and the hypalon looks almost new on the 8 year old dinghy. Who told you not to use it? Just curious, always learning and I’d hate to learn after 8 years that we’ve been doing it all wrong. 🙂 Cheers — Jan
Note that I cannot comment on Armor All, we’ve never used it on anything and I have heard that it’s not good on stuff, which is why we’ve never used it. J
I guess it was armor all I was told not to use. I assumed the 303 was basically the same stuff. Good to know it’s safe on Hypalon because our dinghy looks awful. Thanks for the tip.
Hi Paul — the 303 won’t clean the dinghy, only protect it from UV rays … at least I never had any luck cleaning the dinghy with 303. I always clean it first and then use the 303 as sunscreen since we prefer not to use canvas dinghy chaps. If your dinghy is used only part of the year and in anything less than Florida sunshine or further south, you may not need sunscreen as much. 🙂 Cheers — Jan
Use it on the dinghy? I was always told not to use protectants like 303 or Armor All on the dinghy. Something about it attacking the seams.
Hi Paul! I’m surprised someone told you not to use it on the dinghy. Everything I’ve read said 303 AEROSPACE Protectant is safe for both hypalon and PVC and most dinghy dealers seem to encourage it. All I know is our personal experience … first with an older roll up 8′ Caribe hypalon dinghy and now with our almost 8 year old AB aluminum RIB… we debated adding canvas chaps but decided to use 303 instead – we don’t like the way chaps can slip against the tubes in the dinghy. So far no problems with either the Caribe or AB dinghy and the hypalon looks almost new on the 8 year old dinghy. Who told you not to use it? Just curious, always learning and I’d hate to learn after 8 years that we’ve been doing it all wrong. 🙂 Cheers — Jan
Note that I cannot comment on Armor All, we’ve never used it on anything and I have heard that it’s not good on stuff, which is why we’ve never used it. J
I guess it was armor all I was told not to use. I assumed the 303 was basically the same stuff. Good to know it’s safe on Hypalon because our dinghy looks awful. Thanks for the tip.
Hi Paul — the 303 won’t clean the dinghy, only protect it from UV rays … at least I never had any luck cleaning the dinghy with 303. I always clean it first and then use the 303 as sunscreen since we prefer not to use canvas dinghy chaps. If your dinghy is used only part of the year and in anything less than Florida sunshine or further south, you may not need sunscreen as much. 🙂 Cheers — Jan