J/Boats J/88 Page 56 Owner'S Manual Download

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J88 OWNER MANUAL

APPENDIX C

Acrylico Window Care and Maintenance

J/88 fixed portlights are made by:

AcryliCo

2633 Lantana Rd. Suite "6"

Lantana, FL 33462

Phone (561) 304-2921

Fax (561) 304-2922

[email protected]

The following are the guidelines published for cleaning and maintenance of these portlights:

You can keep your boat windows looking and performing like new by using the proper care products and
techniques, and by understanding a little about the material you are working with.

First, most windshields are acrylic plastic (as opposed to "Lexan" or polycarbonate), and acrylic plastic is
scratchable. Proper care involves preventing scratches that are preventable and properly taking care of those
that are not.

When cleaning a window, always remove as much abrasive dirt as possible without touching the surface.
Ideally this would involve flushing the surface with water and allowing the accumulated bug residue to soak,
possibly with a little dish washing liquid added to the water. If a little rubbing is needed, do it lightly with your
bare hand. After a final flushing with more water and carefully drying with a clean soft cloth, use a good grade
cleaner/polish intended for acrylic windows, following the manufacturer’s directions.

We need to step back here and take a look at cleaner/polishes. Everybody seems to have a favorite, from
great and proper to poor and very dangerous. The good ones, at least those that are safe to use on acrylic
plastics,  tend  to  be  the  commercial  ones,  intended  to  be  used  on  this  specific  material.  The  bad  ones,
including  the  very  dangerous,  tend  to  be  materials  never  intended  to  be  used  as  an  acrylic  window
cleaner/polish, such as glass cleaners and furniture polish. Glass cleaners invariably contain ammonia, a
killer  of  acrylics.

DO NOT

use anything containing ammonia on acrylic plastics. It will cause crazing

(thousands of microscopic cracks) in short order. Furniture polish seems to be safer, but its long term use is
undocumented and reports indicate it builds up and produces smears that are hard to polish off. Something
to consider about furniture polish - it is intended to be used indoors, not outdoors, and on furniture, not boat
windows. Furthermore, it's not much less expensive than many acrylic window products.

Good and safe care products vary in their ease of use and other properties, so if you don't like what you're
using, give another a try. Talk with other boaters about what they are using, but be sure the product you select
is intended for acrylic windows. Other products to keep away from your windows include any aromatic solvent,
such as MEK, acetone, lacquer thinner, gasoline (a minor fuel spill should do no harm), and, heaven forbid,
paint stripper. If you have to remove masking tape residue or other sticky or greasy stuff, the safest solvents
are 100% mineral spirits or kerosene. Some alcohols are safe, such as isopropyl alcohol, but not all.

Concerning the polishing cloth, use the softest cotton cloth available. One hundred percent cotton flannel is
ideal and available in yard goods stores. Old washed-out cotton T-shirts are a good second choice. We at
AcryliCo have never found a paper product that did not scratch, even those advertised for cleaning plastics.
One benefit of cotton cloth is that it can be washed, thereby effectively recycling the material