Dissolving switch coatings

by Wayne Phillips
(Huntington Beach, CA)

Hi Guys,

I recently purchased a 1997 Maxum 30, and I have a puzzle I am trying to figure out. The helm switches for lights, instruments, pumps, etc. are plastic with a rubber-like coating. Recently I noticed the coating on some of the switches was dissolving, getting kind of "gooey", and can easily be peeled off. It appears to me to be some kind of chemical reaction. I asked my boat cleaner what he used for that area, and could his stuff have been a contributor. Of coarse he claimed his stuff was OK, said he has seen this on other boats he services, and says he has no idea what causes this. Any comments and/or advice would be appreciated.