Pink Stain Is Here To Stay.. For The Moment.

Over the past 4–5 years, the issue of pink stains appearing on boat vinyl has left many people frustrated and confused. Upholstery shops have borne the brunt of this, often covering the cost of warranties only to see the problem return a year later. We’ve spent years searching for answers and finally got some clarity at the 2016 MFA Marine Fabricators Conference.

We always suspected the culprit was some form of mold, mildew, or microbe. Many customers noticed that after spending a week at Lake Powell, the stains would fade or disappear, only to reappear once the boat was stored again. Over time, we heard countless theories: it was the covers, the foam, the thread, dirt, food, or the vinyl itself.

As we saw more cases, patterns began to emerge. The stains occurred across various cover materials and different types of foam, so we ruled those out. Even within the same piece of upholstery, one section of vinyl would pink while an adjacent section remained unaffected. This led us to believe something had changed in the production of the vinyl itself.

Our suspicions were confirmed by Jim Cowan of Premier Performance Interiors, who works with OEM upholstery for major manufacturers. A few years ago, vinyl producers were required to eliminate arsenic from their manufacturing process, with full compliance by 2015. Arsenic had acted as a protective agent, preventing microbes from reaching the surface of the vinyl. Without it, the microbes that cause the pink stains can now thrive.

Unfortunately, once the pink dye reaches the surface, it’s permanent—more noticeable on lighter-colored vinyl, while darker colors help hide it. But who wants dark vinyl baking in the sun at Lake Powell? Not us.

So, what can be done to prevent pinking? Stay tuned as we’ll dive into prevention strategies in an upcoming post. For now, we’re just glad to finally understand the problem!

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SewLong Custom Covers

SewLong is the gold standard for boat covers and biminis for your tournament tow boat. We deliver craftsmanship and value with every product.

Latest posts by SewLong Custom Covers (see all)

Benefits of a Custom Folding Canopy or Bimini Tops for Your Wake Boat - December 18, 2024
Pick The Right Fabricator For Your Boat Cover - April 1, 2024
What Cover Do I Need? - August 4, 2022

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Chris M

September 13, 2024

1st - The products! The Epic quality of the folding canopy on my Supreme with F-series tower really completed an aggressive, modern and high quality look. Just epic! 2nd - The service, Wow!! These days great customer service is hard to find, so amazing and refreshing to deal with Mike and the team! Thx so much! Cheers

Whitney Pogue

September 10, 2024

This place is amazing ! They make such awesome covers and biminis, we’ve purchased several over the years. They take such good care of us when we accidentally rip something or bend a pole, often covering it under warranty even if was our fault. Highly recommend.

Loni Dellandrea

August 20, 2024

Best product and customer support! Highly recommend you go with SewLong!

Darren Nate

August 16, 2024

Good people. Amazing work. Don’t hesitate. No need to look further.

Dan Thomas

August 9, 2024

Great service

Chris Anderson

August 4, 2024

Great designs, high quality materials and workmanship, and excellent service! SewLong is my go to for all boat cover and top needs.

Chad Devlin

July 29, 2024

They are the best, outstanding customer service

Brett Mills

July 19, 2024

Service was fast, fair, and friendly.

Benjamin Marshall

July 17, 2024

I have an RI 237 with a Sewlong Bimini, which is incredible. My son and wife were putting it up for their first time and didn’t get the material lined up correctly. The zipper popped and broke a few teeth. I randomly ran into Justin, the owner of Sewlong, and mentioned it to him. He had me bring it in, they fixed it, and it’s like new. Didn’t charge me, and just said “the next time you need a Bimini, we want you to buy it from us.” This is a company that makes a best in class product, and backs it up with great service. Good business, good people. Sewlong fan for life!

adam trigg

July 8, 2024

Great customer service and I love the cover (Nautique g25 flight control tower cover)!

Jared

June 27, 2024

These guys are awesome. Not only do they make a killer product, but their customer service is stellar. I always worry with this kinda stuff if I ever need parts or support…I messed up the canopy one day when I forgot to put the tower down and caught it on the top of the garage. Excellent customer service. Over the phone, over text… such great communication and great people. Wow. Blown away. I can’t recommend them enough. Thanks for producing a great product and backing it up with world class support.

Milo A

June 21, 2024

If you need a cover or shade for your boat this is the place. Their covers and shades are great and you can tell they stand behind the quality of everything they make. On the second day of ever using their Dropzone sunshade, we made the mistake of not locking it down. User error and it got a little messed up. They went above and beyond in helping getting it repaired and they showed without a doubt, they take pride in having their products work and look amazing. Thank you Mike for helping me out and everyone else I didn't meet who did the sewing and fabrication.

Kevin Larsen

June 20, 2024

Selling embodies great customer service. It's a culture lost in most businesses today. They stand behind their products and build loyalty for life with their customers. I will refer everyone in need of their product with no hesitation.

Joe Darger

June 19, 2024

Simply the best in quality and customer service, not just for boat covers and their houseboat couch cushions, which I have used them for, but for any company I have interacted with. They stand behind their products and go above and beyond.

Brandon Brandt

SewLong is absolutely the best for covers and frames. Mike, Clint, Justin and the whole team have gone above and beyond to help me with my Bimini Cover and frame. They are knowledgeable, skilled, and most importantly, they care about their customers. I can’t say enough great things about SewLong. Look no further for your boat cover or Bimini top needs. SewLong will take care of you.

Daniel Anderson

June 18, 2024

They have the best customer service and products in the market, have had 2 issues and they took care of both same day as request.

Peter Braun

June 6, 2024

Sewlong is a great company to work with. Great quality work and the covers made are the best. I had a few holes in my cover and took to them (Mike) at 11:00AM on Thursday and he said that hopefully would be done by Friday. He called me a at 3:00 that same day and said it was done. Their warranty is unbelievable. Don't go anywhere else.

Michael Struthwolf

June 5, 2024

I have used and trusted SewLong since 2014 with all of my boats. They are wonderful to work with and go out of their way to take care of their clientele unlike any of their competitors! I highly recommend them to everyone in the boating industry!

Kerry Transtrum

June 4, 2024

Excellence in Sevice!! Needing a few snaps on my boat cover. They did it while I waited and didn’t even charge me for it. These guys know how to get a return customer.

Nick Burns

May 29, 2024

This crew takes care of their customers! Expect the best, they deliver!

Blake Tillotson

May 16, 2024

They produce a great product for my boat. Really good price. When my Bimini top, and my boat cover needed repair due to my fault, They repaired it fast and for a very minimal charge.

Perry Johnson

May 1, 2024

I purchased a new Bimini top with brackets from my local boat shop for my 2017 Centurion Ri237 a week ago and went to install. All was good until I tried to get the top over my tower light. I contacted sewlong and had a reply within a couple min that my top was manufactured incorrectly and they would send a new top out as soon as they verify the ones they had were correct. I received my new top and installed without issue. This was by far the best customer service experience I have had in a very long time. Thanks Sewlong for making this inconvenience a good experience.

Chad Weezy

March 28, 2024

Sewlong, idk what to say! They have taken such great care of me. Bent my entire frame by leaving the Bimini up mistakenly. Sent pics they got me the parts I needed in an amazing time frame. Helped me along with some adjustments to get it all squared away. I’ll never own a boat without a SEWLONG. They are the best on the market hands down and customer service has exceeded in every way! Thank y’all so much!

Jordan Evans

February 21, 2024

Got a shade sail for my boat and it is amazing! Its so nice to put up on super hot days while hanging out or surfing. It is also the easiest thing to set up and take down. I can put it up in less than a minute. But most importantly to me is that SewLong is so easy to work with and if you ever have questions or concerns you can call and get help immediately. This is definitely the type of people you want to do business with and can trust to take care of you!

Scot Carper

January 24, 2024

Sewlong has been so generous to help me with getting my purchases right. I brought in a bimini that was damaged and they spent time fixing it at no charge. What a great gesture to gain my loyalty! These guys are the best!!

Mike Strand

January 19, 2024

I got a custom, Bimini and two-piece snap on boat cover from sewlong Best fitting boat cover I’ve ever had really nice and tight.material Seems like it’s gonna last my lifetime When the clips, that hold the folding Bimini together when it’s down, I broke one and I called and asked to order a couple new ones they were so nice and mailed them for free. Will definitely do business with these guys Again thank you Mike

carrington hendry

November 8, 2023

This place was amazing! The customer service was awesome and they helped me with no problem at all! This is definitely the best place I’ve been to yet! Highly recommend!!

Jamie Hodne

October 26, 2023

They are always very attentive and quickly respond to our needs/requests. Their products are top notch. Extremely happy with both customer service and products!

Jerry Benson

October 25, 2023

I needed a custom sling with handles to carry a heavy music amp to gigs - through doorways, up and down stairs, etc. SewLong took my crude idea and made a sturdy, functional and nice looking sling. They even refined the original design to make it easier to carry. Quick turnaround and reasonable price.

George Kimura

October 23, 2023

The best service I have ever received. Above and beyond my expectations. Hats off to Mike and Justin for running a top notch company.

Matt Ramirez

October 18, 2023

As usual, Sew Long went above and beyond for customer service! I have a bimini on my boat that a previous owner had Sew Long build 9 years ago. So, with wear and tear, it needed a new zipper. Sew Long repaired the zippers and a small tear, added some velcro for better functional alignment, and didnt even charge for any of it! They stand by their product. Amazing customer service! Thank you!

Mike Lasater

October 6, 2023

This place rocks! Justin, Becca and Mike go above and beyond every time I've been in. The quality of the product, craftsmanship and customer service set them apart. What a pleasure it is to do business with Sew Long. Oh yeah, their logo is pretty cool too.

Jeff Justice

I want to thank Sewlong (Custom Covers) for the highly professional experience and quality of work. I love their snap cover and custom bimini!

Brent Jones

October 3, 2023

Becca was amazing. She had the chance to up-sell me (and I was open to it). She opted for the most simple solution and it turned out great My experience could not have been better

Kristina C

September 12, 2023

Great customer service and a quality product. We had a little trouble with the fit at first, but sewlong was incredibly responsive, and even made an incredible new cover that fit our speakers perfect. The material was soft and had just a slight stretch to get up and over the speakers perfectly. The zipper was in just the right spot making for a smooth zip over the head of the Centurion cover fire speakers. Great job sewlong!

d morris

September 11, 2023

Quality cover for our RI245 Centurion and amazing customer support, which is a rarity these days.

Cameron MacBride

September 8, 2023

Great products and always stellar customer service.

chris shipley

This place has the best customer service hands down!! Can’t say enough good things about their quality of work, effort to provide an over the top customer experience and their friendly stafd. Highly recommended. 5 stars isn’t enough!!

Andrew Novetzke

August 31, 2023

This is a 5 star business all day because of trustworthiness and craftsmanship. I confidently recommend SewLong.

Brandon Mackay

August 29, 2023

I've used SewLong covers for years and they always deliver. They have made us some creative stuff, not just boat covers and I love going back to them for with new ideas. Best around, hands down.

Jon C Jones

August 26, 2023

They made a custom piece for me and it turned out GREAT! They had some ideas to incorporate that I had not thought of and were a very good addition.

Richard Bytendorp

August 22, 2023

Great Friendly Staff!

ryan pettey

August 16, 2023

great shop and they do a really good job

George Wright

August 15, 2023

I am not sure why you would go anywhere else. Quality, Service and Value!! The best of the best! Total ROCKSTARS!!!

Shayne Morris

I forgot to tighten the cover, the wind bent the frame and SewLong was amazing. I called and they hooked me up with a replacement immediately. What a great great group.

Nicole Brown

August 5, 2023

SewLong does amazing work! I came to them with a last minute request and not only did they agree to it, but they finished it early and its exactly what I had asked for! I highly recommend SewLong for all your boat cover and bimini needs! Thank you SewLong for your excellent quick work and generosity!

K.J. Roberts

July 29, 2023

The repair work was done well and promptly! Not to mention the boat cover hole I have no idea where it went and no indication there was ever a tear. Amazing work! Clint and Becca were both incredibly helpful, in addition to helping me find a few parts for my Bimini. Thank you! Great people over here!

Cory Mills

July 27, 2023

Great products and great company to work with, always quick to repair covers when needed, I would highly recommend them for any of your boating cover needs.

Gabriel Radman

Custom covers is a great company. We have a great boat cover from them and they’re super helpful and generous whenever we need any adjustments or replacement pieces. Would strongly recommend!

Wendy Buhler

July 26, 2023

Best service! We have ordered several items from them and have had them repair a cover that we ripped. They are amazing!

Pink Stain Is Here To Stay.. For The Moment.

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