Just bought 2 kayaks for Christmas, Perception Carolina 14.5 and 15.5. The 15.5 was a demo boat and is a little scuffed up and dull. Is it safe to use a plastic type of cleaner / polisher on the whole boat? Thanks in advance
If poly,
you can use anything that pleases your heart as long as it does not contain abrasive powders or intense UV radiation.
Cleaning Kayak
I use liquid dish detergent and a sponge to cle my kayak. Also, if you a “green” person you can get organic non-toxic boat cleaners at a marine supply store. I wash my kayak away from the ocean, so I do not care.
Armorall works great to put a shine on the plastic outside surfaces. Do not use Armorall on any surfaces that you sit on as it makes the surface slippery.
It works great on the bottom of my Ocean Kayak Scrambler XT as I launch and land on a beach and the bottom is always getting scratched up.
WHY?!
Why in the world use Armor all on a plastic kayak?! it just gets washed off right away.
to original poster :
#1 live with the scratches
#2 wash it with water and sponge and whatever generic detergent if need be. I’m yet to use anything other than a sponge and water on mine,but i always rinse it after salt water.
clean
yes its a poly kayak, I figured it would be fine to use whatever. The scratchs are fine those are not going anywhere, it is just a little dull looking. I will try plastic polish stuff, thanks
303
The most usual recommendation is to use 303. It provides UV protection and leaves the boat looking better.
303?
Okay so being new, what is 303? Like armor all w/ UV protectant? I have heard of 309… 
303 found
I looked at their website everything makes sense now…
Once again, forget Armor All
Again and again Armor All comes up as a solution to care for plastic boats. I asked Armor All what is the story. Here is their answer: Armor All is BAD for plastic boats.
October 28, 2005
Reference Number: 4254184
Dear …
Thank you for contacting us about Armor All Protectant - Original. We always appreciate hearing from our consumers.
We would not recommend that you use this product on a plastic boat. There are two reasons, the first is it is not waterproof and it will streak and the second is that many boat manufacturers treat the boats with something that may react with the silicone in the protectant. Please contact us at any time if you have additional questions.
Again, thank you for contacting us.
Sincerely,
Patti Copper
Consumer Response Representative
Consumer Services
If you have additional questions or comments, please click here to respond to this email.
Elbow Grease and Dove
works wonders for cleaning a boat. Also once or twice a year I use regular ol’ boat polish to spiff up the 'yak. Add feature is that bottom seems to cut through the water a little easier (faster) too.
cleaning
– Last Updated: Dec-24-06 8:03 PM EST –
use car wax with no cleaners (mothers pure carnauba wax)help the kayak cut the water better.
car wash or dove & 303 on deck
nothing special, just car washing liquid. In my case I want to get salt off boat and rudder. I don’t wax. My occasional use of 303 is probably overkill because the boats are indoors, but it makes the boats look good & might even protect from UV next time out.
If you don’t have a local kayak shop to support, Boater’s World carries 303.