Boat cleaning

[vicmac]

Hi, my friend has been approached by someone who wants her to clean their boat (while diving) and was wondering how this would be done, what could you use to remove barnacles and algae, any tips?

 

[porgyhunter]

Check out the commercial forum, try posting there. Even though you may get some SURLY answers most of the folks are helpful. I'd like to know myself.

 

[knotical]

Here are a few threads. It's neither a trivial nor a risk-free activity, especially in marinas with inherent pollution and electrical shock hazards.

Attention Hull Cleaners!!! Please read!!! [Archive] - ScubaBoard

Hull cleaning [Archive] - ScubaBoard

Hull Cleaning Information [Archive] - ScubaBoard

Hull Cleaning [Archive] - ScubaBoard

Hull bottom cleaning [Archive] - ScubaBoard

HULL CLEANING [Archive] - ScubaBoard

 

[fstbttms]

Here are a few threads. It's neither a trivial nor a risk-free activity, especially in marinas with inherent pollution and electrical shock hazards.

Thanks for posting the links to the archived threads, very useful. However, I think you are under the common misconception that marina's are inherently dangerous places to work. I have been in the hull cleaning biz for 16 years and have been in the water, in marinas, under boats well over 20,000 times and have never been made sick by pollution or injured by electric shock. Certainly, common sense needs to be used when working in the water, but I submit that you are far more likely to be hurt or killed simply driving to a marina than you are by actually diving in one.

Here is a link to the Commercial Divers forum, where most of the hull cleaning discussions take place now:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/commercial-divers/

 

[kiwi pom diver]

I've helped freinds with boats clean their hulls without too much difficulty. They've gone out of the marina and anchored in water less than two metres deeper than the boat. I gone down with a stiff broom and an extra kilo or two. I've started wt the back and worked my way to the front, then done the other side - pretty simple really. brushing the muck off the hull will make the water cloudy, so by the time you've finished the vis will be close to non-existent.
For non-diving boat owners I have also returned about an hour later to photgraph the hull for them.
It's not an alternative to bringing the boat out and re-doing the anti foul, but it can postpone having to do so.

 

[fstbttms]

It's not an alternative to bringing the boat out and re-doing the anti foul, but it can postpone having to do so.

In-water hull cleaning is not meant to be an alternative to hauling and painting. It is a required part of normal boat maintenance and should be done on a regular basis, the frequency of which is largely dependant upon the fouling conditions the boat lives in and the condition of the bottom paint.

 

[DennisS]

Don't forget the topsides, I was amazed what people pay to have their boat detailed

Going rate for boat detailing - The Hull Truth

 

[fstbttms]

Don't forget the topsides, I was amazed what people pay to have their boat detailed

Hull cleaning pays well too, depending on the region it is being performed in. Here in the Bay Area, if you are charging the going rate and know what you are doing, you can figure on your time in the water being worth $100-$120/hour.

 

[spoolin01]

I don't recall removing the growth to be particularly difficult, though I never had many barnacles. One handy gadget was the small handhold with suction cups - helpful when you're trying to apply some scrubbing pressure with the other arm.

 

[fstbttms]

I don't recall removing the growth to be particularly difficult...

Completely dependant on the condition of the anti fouling paint and the length of time since the last cleaning. A poorly maintained bottom can be very difficult to clean.

One handy gadget was the small handhold with suction cups - helpful when you're trying to apply some scrubbing pressure with the other arm.

+1

Here is the suction cup I use: