Hull Cleaning

[skoobajunkie]

Every boat I have I do once a month. Most other companies do the same. I do get the stragglers here and there, but boats that sit in the gulf down here really do need to be done once a month... as long as the oil doesn't hit us

 

[hullscrubber]

It's the same here in Sarasota, we have to do'em at least every month, and every 2 weeks if the paint is over a year old. With water temps close to 90, you can get a heavy coat of barnacles on the hull after a month. I generally carry a wide variety of tools, pads, and brushes in a floating tool bucket so I can be prepared for any condition boat.

 

[fstbttms]

Well, I don't work in Florida and have no experience with the fouling conditions you guys encounter, but I can say that if the hull itself is growing barnacles, the paint is shot or is otherwise not doing its job and the owner needs to haul the boat and repaint. It's your job as the hull cleaner to make sure he understands this.

 

[fstbttms]

BTW- if anybody is interested in reading other related threads, there is a new "Commercial Divers" forum on ScubaBoard, where a lot of discussion about hull cleaning has taken place:

Commercial Divers - ScubaBoard

 

[skoobajunkie]

yeah all the boats I have except 2 don't have the barnacles on the hull cause I keep on them every month. the two I do have, the owners are cheap (which makes me wonder why they have a 200K boat) and wanna get "one more season" out of it. I tell them that I will do it by the hour instead of by the foot

 

[fstbttms]

the two I do have, the owners are cheap (which makes me wonder why they have a 200K boat) and wanna get "one more season" out of it. I tell them that I will do it by the hour instead of by the foot

Boaters in general tend to be the cheapest SoBs on the planet. You are right to charge more for boats with bottom paint in crappy condition. I hope you are charging LOTS more.

 

[grouchyturtle]

Boaters in general tend to be the cheapest SoBs on the planet. You are right to charge more for boats with bottom paint in crappy condition. I hope you are charging LOTS more.

That's because we're all broke. There's a misconception that boaters have money. Yeah, there are some rich folks out there with boats that cost hundreds of thousands, but for the most part boaters "had" money.

So, what is the lightest pad you are able to get away with, when the paint is in pretty good condition?

 

[hullscrubber]

yeah all the boats I have except 2 don't have the barnacles on the hull cause I keep on them every month. the two I do have, the owners are cheap (which makes me wonder why they have a 200K boat) and wanna get "one more season" out of it. I tell them that I will do it by the hour instead of by the foot

And when they do break down and have it painted, they go to the cheapest yard and get the cheapest paint with almost no anti-fouling properties. Not too long ago I had to shoot some video for an owner so he could see how his "bargain" bottom job was shedding like a banana skin just a month after being dropped back into the water.

 

[fstbttms]

So, what is the lightest pad you are able to get away with, when the paint is in pretty good condition?

Here in the Bay Area, where fouling conditions are what I would describe as moderate-to-high and cleaning frequencies tend to be two or three months, I will use a white pad whenever possible. This normally can't be done with boats that are on a 3-month schedule though and I generally have to use a green pad on these boats. But I have been moving many of my clients to a 2-month schedule and in these cases I can usually clean them with to a white pad.