CAN CLEAR VINYL BOAT
WINDOWS REALLY BE THIS CLEAR?
Regular use will
extend the life of all see through plastics. Ideal for the care and maintenance
of your Isinglass, Strataglass ®, Lexan ®, Plexiglass ®, and other clear vinyl
windows aboard your boat or yacht.
CLEAR VIEW can be
used to restore older see through plastics and protect new plastic from
deterioration to extend their useful life. This includes clear vinyl windows,
Isinglass, Strataglass as well as acrylic or Plexiglass and polycarbonate or
Lexan hatches, portholes and portlights, compass domes and instrument crystals.
Complete, easy to understand instructions on how to clean clear vinyl boat
windows is on each bottle.
The CLEAR VIEW Kit
comes with two bottles: No.1 is the Cleaner / Restorer used for cleaning ground
in dirt, pollutants and oxidized plastic damaged by UV from the sun. No. 2 is
the special UV Protective Coating, not just a protectant, that seals the pores
against dirt, bacteria and pollution, fills in minor scratches to restore
optical clarity and leaves a tough, clear, anti-static coating which protects
against UV, pollutants, and scratching from fine dust and dirt.
CLEAR VIEW can restore
cloudy vinyl windows in a single application, providing that the windows have
not become permanently damaged from neglect. Regular use of CLEAR VIEW on new
clear vinyl, Isinglass and Strataglass boat windows will keep them looking
their best year after year and can double their life.
Vinyl is
plasticized, stabilized polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Although the clear version is
the plastic of choice for removable and temporary windows and it’s also the
most unstable plastic commonly found on you boat. It’s soft so it’s susceptible
to pits, scratches and cuts and is very vulnerable to grit and salt crystals.
Rolling up your windows, touching them, wiping with a dry cloth, even wind
blowing the grit or salt across the surface will cause tiny scratches which will
make the surface look cloudy and destroy optical clarity. Keeping your vinyl
clean by regular rinsing with clear water and patting dry with a soft
microfiber cloth is essential to extending the life of your windows. Periodic
cleaning with CLEAR VIEW No. 1 will remove ground in dirt and reduce surface
abrasion and deteriorated plastic. The cleaner and smoother you keep your
windows the longer they will remain clear and useful.
The most common
cause of failure is UV damage from sunlight which causes your windows to become
foggy, muddy and opaque. Clear vinyl has UV blockers built in but because of
their clarity, it’s easy for the sun to exhaust them. Regular use of CLEAR VIEW
No. 2 Protective Coating with UV inhibitors, will reduce the suns damage and can
really help extend the life of your vinyl.
Vinyl is built with
plasticizers, otherwise it would be inflexible. When these plasticizers
evaporate, the vinyl becomes brittle and cracks. Again, regular use of CLEAR
VIEW No. 2 Protective Coating will keep the clear vinyl windows pliable.
CLEAR VIEW No. 2 is
more than a temporary protectant. It’s a protective coating that bonds to your
plastic windows, hatches, portlights, compass domes and other see through
plastic and provides a protective barrier against UV damage, abrasion and
plasticizer exhaustion.
Acrylic plastic or
Plexiglass ®, or in some cases polycarbonate or Lexan ®, are the plastics of
choice for hatch covers, portlights or portholes, compass domes and instrument
crystals. They are rigid, much thicker than vinyl windows and often tinted so
they resist UV damage better than vinyl and will last longer. None the less, if
not protected, they are still susceptible to UV damage over time, resulting in
clouding, surface grazing or cracking and the surfaces can easily be scuffed
and scratched resulting in loss of optical clarity. Regular cleaning with CLEAR
VIEW No. 1 and protection with CLEAR VIEW No. 2 will keep them looking new and
extend their life.
Things to avoid in
the maintenance of your clear plastic windows, instrument crystals, hatches and
portlights are: paper towels, hard brushes, squeegees, sponges (they collect
grit and scratch), dirty cloths, cleaners with ammonia, alcohol and solvents,
glass cleaners, household cleaners, furniture polish, wax, oil. They will all
accelerate the degradation of your see through plastic. As well intentions as
using something handy, or the desire to save a few dollars is, you will pay
many times over in the end when you have to replace your windows or hatches. Is
it worth the gamble?
In conclusion, keep
your see through plastics clean and protected and you will enjoy them more and
they will serve you much longer without the necessity and expense of early
replacement.
CLEAR VIEW KIT IS
EASY TO USE:
- Apply Clear View Cleaner No.1 onto cloth. Rub away
milky / cloudy surface. Rinse Clean.
- Apply Clear View No.2 Protector with a clean
dry white cloth. Buff to a crystal like shine.
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