Cat's Got into the Cuddy... NEED ADVICE!!!

[REEL NAUTI]

Hey guy's Well over the winter some stray cats got into the boat and decided to hang out for the winter. After splashing this past weekend I clean the helm and cockpit getting rid of all the hair and smell. Only to find out they somehow got into the cuddy as well. I removed all the interior cushions which are full of hair and also have urine stains in various spots.

My question is that are the cushions able to be cleaned??? Should I just trash them and have new ones made up?? Anyone ever had a issue with animal damage in their boat???

 

[DennisG01]

Yikes. That sucks, man. Sorry to hear that.

Don't know what boat you have, but in some cases, the cushion skins are only zippered on. AND, in some cases, the foam is wrapped in plastic before the cushion skins are put on. But, it's probably less likely that the interior cushions are wrapped in plastic. If it was me... unless it really wasn't that bad and could be easily cleaned... I'd just get new ones made. The last thing I want to think about when laying my head down is whether or not a cat's pee was there, first. I had new cushions (including a filler cushion) for my boat made for $600 and I even went with a better grade of foam than original so it would be more comfortable to sleep on.

 

[REEL NAUTI]

Its a Gulfstream and yes some have a zipper and are wrapped in plastic but the filler cushions would have to be completely done over and also the bunk piece. Anyone with a Gulfstream every redid their interior cushions??

 

[Ky Grady]

I just cleaned all my interior cushions and they came out great. Mine were dirty and a little salty from years of use. I took all mine out and sprayed them down with Tilex and liquid Bar Keepers Friend, scrubbed them down, hosed them off really good with fresh water, stood them up outside in the sun and let them air dry. They came out fine. Was afraid I was going to have to have new ones made but I'm happy with the outcome.

I'd give that a shot before having new ones made, you've got nothing to loose.

 

[artodea]

When I bought my Gulfstream the cabin cushions were mostly missing - the PO said he tossed them after a kid pissed on them. I had a complete set fabricated by a local upholstery guy and dropped about $800 doing so. They came out great and still smell new after three years.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Your first move should be to insure the cats don't come back. Ever! :hmm

 

[g0tagrip]

I would throw them away and get new, cat piss will stink forever.

 

[Lt.Mike]

I cleaned mine up with a Bissell carpet cleaner using the hand wand attachment on the fabrics and headliner. Came up like new. I used the resolve carpet cleaner but mixed in oxiclean. They now sell it with an odorblaster additive. The Bissell machine for floors was so so but using the hand attachment for spot cleaning, furniture, auto carpet and the boat it worked great.
I can also say the regular oxiclean has been our go to cleaner for pet odors and stains.
I'd give this a try before you dump a thousand into new cushions (unless you've got that kind of money to throw away).
On the hard surfaces just wash it with Pinesol. I can say with total confidence Pinesol will remove the odor from the hard surfaces really easy.
Mike

 

[ROBERTH]

We use the sprays that Walmart carries in the pet section to clean up after our pets. The stuff is amazing. It neutralizes the smell and also removes the stains.

I would spray this liberally on the cushions, let it soak a bit, then rinse the cushions with your water hose.

I have used the water hose once per season to clean the salt film off and also the dirt. Leave them leaning up and in the heat of the sun, they dry quickly. So far, no harm to them doing this.

Once I put them back in the cabin, I run a box fan for a few days to ensure they are fully dry.

Update, was going to check with wife on the spray name from walmart. They all worked well, but she tried another one that worked better and removed any stains so far....she found it at Lowes. It is Clorox Urine Remover for stains and odors. She swears by this stuff. So far, it has not faded or changed the colors.
https://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-urine-remover/

 

[Peahead]

Hey guy's Well over the winter some stray cats got into the boat and decided to hang out for the winter. After splashing this past weekend I clean the helm and cockpit getting rid of all the hair and smell. Only to find out they somehow got into the cuddy as well. I removed all the interior cushions which are full of hair and also have urine stains in various spots.

My question is that are the cushions able to be cleaned??? Should I just trash them and have new ones made up?? Anyone ever had a issue with animal damage in their boat???

This is probably too late since your post was back in May. Yes I have had minks and/or river otters get into my seafarer 228G v-birth cabin and the first thing I did after cleaning was block the passage ways on port and starboard at the top of the helm area bulkhead. I used expanding foam sprayed onto wire mesh screen. Cleaning should be done with a pet ENZYME cleaner that any pet store will carry. An enzyme cleaner is essential as it breaks down and neutralizes the urine/feces so actually eliminates it rather than masking it. Any cleaner that mentions it is for cat urine will be what you need. The healthiest way to not be sleeping on bacteria left behind by feces and urine!

In my case I did replace the whole set of V-birth cushions because there was so much damage with feces, urine and crab carcasses and because my insurance accepted a claim. The Grady 228G stock V-birth cushion package was quoted at a ridiculous $3800 CAD here in Vancouver ( about $2500 USD at the Grady dealer in Edmonds near Seattle, about 3 hrs drive) I got a custom set made at a marine cushion shop for much less but I did reused the wood pieces that were on bottom of 3 of my cushions. Check with insurance company as depending on your policy and deductable, it can be worth a claim - I was paid out a "reasonable cost of loss" amount ( so between the lowest quote and the highest quote of the Grady stock v-birth set) I probably could have had an argument to get the Grady stock set since that is what was lost.