Plastic Backplate and Webbing for Boat Scrubbing

[Eric Sedletzky]

Yes not what I was looking for but I like the picture.

Which picture, the one on the left or the one on the right? I had trouble keeping my eyes off the one on the right.

---------- Post added July 20th, 2015 at 05:06 PM ----------

I'd look for some ex rental / craigslist bc's and some oversized jacket wetsuits to wear over your exposure protection.

Bottom scrubbing is hard on gear. You want it to be near disposable.

Tobin

I don't know of anyone using a jacket BC for boat cleaning. If someone uses a tank they either use a plastic pack or just make up a harness and strap the tank right to their back. The weighting is such that you want to be a tad light so that you will be "pinned" to the bottom of the boat. The other option is to get a 50' hookah line from trident and lay a big tank (or a set of doubles) on the dock next to the boat. Most people who are in the hull cleaning business full time use a hookah and electric pump.
Putting another wetsuit over a wetsuit might be a little too restrictive for cleaning. You have to remember it's a lot of work and any uneeded neoprene just adds to the workload already on your shoulders, forearms, chest, etc. from using your upper body to scrub. I use the thinnest softest suit I can get away with because harbors are shallow and warm easily so they're never as cold as the open ocean and only being 4 feet underwater or less the suit doesn't compress to any degree, plus you're working your ass off and in fact I get overheated sometimes.
I buy the cheapest one piece suits on sale I can find, usually 7mm, but now with this El Nino I'm considering going to a cheapo 5 mil one piece.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Which picture, the one on the left or the one on the right? I had trouble keeping my eyes off the one on the right.

---------- Post added July 20th, 2015 at 05:06 PM ----------


I don't know of anyone using a jacket BC for boat cleaning. If someone uses a tank they either use a plastic pack or just make up a harness and strap the tank right to their back. The weighting is such that you want to be a tad light so that you will be "pinned" to the bottom of the boat. The other option is to get a 50' hookah line from trident and lay a big tank (or a set of doubles) on the dock next to the boat. Most people who are in the hull cleaning business full time use a hookah and electric pump.
Putting another wetsuit over a wetsuit might be a little too restrictive for cleaning. You have to remember it's a lot of work and any uneeded neoprene just adds to the workload already on your shoulders, forearms, chest, etc. from using your upper body to scrub. I use the thinnest softest suit I can get away with because harbors are shallow and warm easily so they're never as cold as the open ocean and only being 4 feet underwater or less the suit doesn't compress to any degree, plus you're working your ass off and in fact I get overheated sometimes.
I buy the cheapest one piece suits on sale I can find, usually 7mm, but now with this El Nino I'm considering going to a cheapo 5 mil one piece.

I'm assuming our poster isn't going to be doing this as a full time job.

Oversized suit is a cover for your real suit. Again I'm assuming he's going to be using his diving suit, and doesn't want to tear it up. A 3mm (he's in florida) will be shreds pretty quick. The extra suit buoyancy will pin him to the bottom of the boat. It's pretty easy to make a wetsuit leak if you are too warm.

Some of the guys in Ventura use a little boiler and pump in their skiff to provide hot water into their suits. Not everybody gets too warm.

Tobin

 

[Mr.X]

On a cheap and quasi-"shade tree engineer style of design" - why not put the bottle in a crappy backpack and let the valve stick out of the hole in the backpack? Also, scrubbing boats is a real dog activity - as mentioned when you're underneath all the paint comes dropping off and into your suit + you get your ass battered by the hull if it gets choppy. That said - glad I don't do that job anymore.

 

[1bubbleoff]

Greg-

Check your inbox...harness and BP shipped.

Bubs

 

[Water Boy76]

Greg-

Check your inbox...harness and BP shipped.

Bubs

Wow Thanks Kurt. Much Appreciated!

 

[fstbttms]

Oversized suit is a cover for your real suit. Again I'm assuming he's going to be using his diving suit, and doesn't want to tear it up. A 3mm (he's in florida) will be shreds pretty quick. The extra suit buoyancy will pin him to the bottom of the boat.

Yes, he will be pinned to the bottom of the boat and be fighting the additional bouyancy every second he is in the water, making the job that much harder. Drop something? Forget about going to the bottom to get it.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Yes, he will be pinned to the bottom of the boat and be fighting the additional bouyancy every second he is in the water, making the job that much harder. Drop something? Forget about going to the bottom to get it.

Have they stopped making weight belts?

Tobin

 

[fstbttms]

Have they stopped making weight belts?

Using a weight belt is not what you were inferring the OP was going to do.

You are obviously not a hull cleaner or commercial diver. If the OP is concerned about damaging his wetsuit, he should consider wearing a pair of coveralls over it. This is very common amongst commercial divers. That way he doesn't have to wear an excessive amount of weight to counteract the bouancy two wetsuits would provide nor does he have the greatly restricted movement that wearing two suits entails (as Eric, an experienced hull cleaner) points out.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Using a weight belt is not what you were inferring the OP was going to do.

You are obviously not a hull cleaner or commercial diver. If the OP is concerned about damaging his wetsuit, he should consider wearing a pair of coveralls over it. This is very common amongst commercial divers. That way he doesn't have to wear an excessive amount of weight to counteract the bouancy two wetsuits would provide nor does he have the greatly restricted movement that wearing two suits entails (as Eric, an experienced hull cleaner) points out.

I haven't cleaned bottoms in a long time. I used to do most of the maintenance on 28 ft Californian (Sportfisher style boat)

After ripping the crap out my wetsuit I made a point of learning from the local pros.

I've seen coveralls. But mostly I've seen layers of wetsuits. Often extra layers on the arms / forearms.

I've seen lots of hookas, (including some damn scary looking homemade air pumps) I've seen hot water set setups. Most of the bottom cleaners are both pragmatic and low budget. If they can source old wetsuits they seem to use them at least in Ventura and Newport.

Tobin

 

[fstbttms]

I've been in the business for over 20 years and one of the things I learned early on is that comfort in the water equals increased productivity. And wearing ratty or crappy gear does not equal comfort. Yes, hull cleaners are tough on the equipment and that means that exposure suits are consumables. That's just the nature of the business.