Practical Sailor's gear and boat reviews take the guesswork out of your buying decisions.

Volume 30
Number 11
June 2004

Water Repellents for Fabric

303 Fabric Guard outdoes our old favorite, Scotch Gard Heavy Duty, for about the same price. ReviveX is another top performer, but costs a lot per ounce.

The top picture shows the 13 products used in the test. The bottom photo shows 15 cotton duck 'seals,' shown attached to the clothes pins with which they were suspended for initial drying. The 'seals' were sprayed and dried (and re-coated, if recommended) exactly as specified by each manufacturer.

A lot of woven fabric is needed to keep a boat looking good and to protect both equipment and human skin.

Despite a host of new fabrics conjured up by chemists, cotton duck is still a favorite, and the textile industry makes many miles of it each year. Cotton's enduring quality is that it feels good. And it's not expensive to make or to replace. …

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