Bottom cleaning whilst in the water -

[Gerald A. Gotts]

I am a certified scuba diver . I would like any ideas on how to clean the bottom of my boat. What do you use to keep yourself close to the hull ? Would some kind of line tied from toerail to toerail be the ticket ? What should I use on fiberglass ? A scraper or just a stiff brush? I guess it is obvious that I'm new at this. I want to do this very low-tech this time and maybe pressure wash the next time.

Regards,

Jerry

[Rachel]

There's a purpose-made tool called a "Hol-Tite" which is a U-shaped piece of plastic with a suction cup on the end of either "leg" of the U. You stick it to the hull and then you can hang on and apply pressure without floating away from the boat. About $15. (West Marine has them among other places.)

They're handy (as long as one does not have grooves or fake lapstrakes in the hull), but I've also used a toilet plunger in a pinch.



Edit: Forgot about the other part of your question: I've used a few different tools (all on the same boat, for different areas or different types of growth).

--Scraper (i.e. putty knife)
--3M pad (with a handle, like the thing on the left in the photo below)
--Wire brush shaped like an industrial toothbrush (prop, inside through-hulls)
--Regular old bristle scrub brush.

[Hirilondë]

It won't be long before bottom cleaning in the water is illegal. As a CT Clean Marina we can't do it already.

[Rachel]

Wow. So how do they clean the bottoms of big ships? (They would typically clean those in the water, wouldn't they? I guess I don't really know.)

[Tim]

Why not just make boats illegal entirely? Think of all the hassles that would save the world.

[Rachel]

Tim, you forgot to specify that it should just be recreational boats. You know, pick on the little guy.

Sigh.

Makes you think that 1000 days guy has something, after all. At least for now you can still do what you please on the open ocean (barring dumping plastic, which is a totally sensible rule).

[Gerald A. Gotts]

I'm rather sure I know why the "clean water folks" don't want us to clean our hulls while in the water$$$$$$$$$$. They don't make any money if you don't have them haul you out.
Did not the stuff you are cleaning off the hull come from the very water you are returning it to ? It seems a bit like raking leaves into the woods to me.

Besides, if you do the job on land in the marina where does the run-off eventually get to ?

Regards,

Jerry

[Gerald A. Gotts]

Rachel, Thanks for the tip on the bottom cleaning tools. Oh, darn I have to go to West Marine again. Ha,Ha,.

[Rachel]

Did not the stuff you are cleaning off the hull come from the very water you are returning it to ? It seems a bit like raking leaves into the woods to me.

Well, not to argue against myself, but I think it's the toxicity of the bottom paint that you are also scraping off (granted, it would have leached off/out by itself anyway, over time).

Besides, if you do the job on land in the marina where does the run-off eventually get to?

I think that many places now have special drains where they pressure wash most of the boats (e.g. the Travelift well).

I guess maybe I can see a rule about not cleaning hulls in a marina - I suppose they'd get quite a bit of toxic paint sloughing in a small area - but I still bristle at the thought of the it. Especially if you've got big ships cleaning that aren't included (if that were to be the case). But mostly because I know from experience that those "rules" are usually made and implemented with a major lack of common sense, and once they're there, it's really hard to change them.

It's like when they shut someone out of their house because their country septic system is failing, and then in the next breath you read that "x" city dumped 6 million gallons of raw sewage that was overflow in the last big rainstorm. The strictness of the laws doesn't always parallel the magnitude or percentage of the overall situation.

Rachel

PS Sorry about "forcing" that trip to West Marine :D

[Ric in Richmond]

How about ways to clean from the deck?

I have been attempting to at least wipe down some of the hull from on deck with an assortment of poles. Can't quite reach the turn of the bilge...but I will build something or other.

Anyone already done this?

[heartofgold]

The shipyard in which I used to work was very strict on bottom scraping/sanding (all boatwork was done by contractors or individuals, not by the yard itself). All sanders were required to have vacuum attachments. When yard personnel (especially the manager, a brute named Rocky) saw that bottom work was in progress, they would enforce that sweeping of any remaining dust and chips was done twice or thrice daily. These same standards applied to any sanding (paint, fiberglass, varnish, whatever).

When vacuums were dumped, the dust was required to be placed into a sealed plastic bag, and could not be loosly dumped into an open trash can. They enforced these rules ruthlessly!

It was a pain, but I guess it was the right way to handle things.

[jollyboat]

I agree with Tim, recreational boats in general should just be made illeagal. That way we could all just stand on the beach and look at the water. We could become the Triton Beach Club. Of course building sand castles would also be illeagal due to its possibly damaging the beach. Until the new anti-boating laws take affect, I clean my bottom in the water and find that doing this job in area where the tide and wind are not so strong helps keep me close to the work without extra tools.

[jollyboat]

"How about ways to clean from the deck?

I have been attempting to at least wipe down some of the hull from on deck with an assortment of poles. Can't quite reach the turn of the bilge...but I will build something or other.

Anyone already done this?"

I found that cleaning the bottom with a long handled brush can be done with reasonable effectivness if done from a tender tided along side the boat. I can't say this for all boats, but it works well on the Triton. The rail of tender serves as the fulcrum point and allows the brush to stay on the bottom while scrubbing.

[Ronin120]

Jerry,

If you're scuba certified you might want to consider what I do as regards cleaning the bottom of my boat in the slip. I had a local dive shop rig up a regulator with 50' of hose. I just put the tank on it's side on the dock and then I am able to dive all the around the boat and clean the bottom relatively gear-free. It's much easier than suiting up with a BCD and tank.

Those suction-cup thingys that Rachel listed work very well for staying close to the are you are cleaning.

Not knowing what kind of bottom paint you have makes it difficult to recommend appropriate cleaning tools. I clean the bottom of my boat at least once a month (more if possible but I'm a head-case about clean bottoms. I'm hoping the meds will help with that...) and with the ablative paint that I use all I need is a soft rag to wipe off the slime. This keeps the bottom paint mostly on the hull and not in the water.

Occasional barnacles on the hull need scraping with a putty knife. The prop shaft and prop need a lot of scraping with the putty knife. No joy there.

[Peter]

To wipe from the dock I use a home-made scrubber made from 2" ABS pipe and fittings. It has a longish handle, then a 45 degree bend, and a shortish piece of pipe with a "T" at the end, extended to about 1 foot either side of the handle.
I wrap a piece of indoor/outdoor carpet around the "T" and attach it with 4 zip ties. Works pretty well, but even better with an old fender zip-tied to the bottom of the "T" to give it a little upward bouyancy.

Yeah, I know .... pictures ;-)

[Gerald A. Gotts]

Thanks Dave the wave man for the idea. I am going to do just that.

And yes Peter photos please.......

[Shark]

My solution is similar to Peter's.

When I had my first Shark, back in the 70's, I couldn't find a suitable implement with which to clean my waterline while at the dock. I bought a wooden children's hockey stick and drilled a hole near the tip. Then I made 2 large flat L brackets from some heavy aluminum (about 1/8th inch thick). I screwed the two brackets to the back of a simple wooden-backed scrub brush leaving enough space to insert the hockey stick blade between the brackets. I fastened the brush to the stick using a 1/4" carriage bolt and wing nut. The brush is mounted so the bristles point upward when holding the stick in a normal orientation, like playing hockey. The wing nut allows the angle of the brush to be altered to suit the requirements of the task. I use this device while standing on the deck, holding the brush under the boat and reaching under the waterline with the tip of the stick. It works well.

For larger boats an adult-sized stick could be better. By the way I sold that boat in 1984 but kept the stick! I now use it on my new Shark ... waste not want not.

I haul my current boat 3 to 4 times a year for bottom cleaning on a hoist but still use the stick to reach underneath the boat and upwards against the hull.

[CaptForce]

I've been taking three or for years between bottom paintings while cruising the East US coast and the Bahamas. I never clean at the dock as I rather not deal with the pilings, debris or possibility of electrical current. I have the plastic suction-cup handle, but I rarely use it. I find it easier to simply swim slowly into the direction of my work with the use of fins. Most growth tends to be within the first two feet of depth which is easily reached with my head out of water. I have used the scuba gear, but I usually do sufficient work with a snorkel and free diving to clean my 41'. My long keel is only a 4'3" draft, so it's not too difficult though I less frequently need to clear the keel. I do spend a lot of time with the prop and rudder. Of course any fouling here has a greater consequence in performance . 'take care and joy, Aythya crew

[Jason K]

I clean the bottom regularly. I use Baltoplate for bottom paint and it is not great at retarding growth and slime.

For in the water cleaning, I simply wait for calm weather and string a line from the bow cleat to the stern cleat along both sides of the boat. That's enough to easily move along the boat and I tend to keep one hand on the line while scrubbing with the other. I use the black BBQ pit scrubbers with plastic handles. For the keel, strut, etc. I just free dive to give it a scrub.

I also use a "Dri-Driver" to clean the bottom from the deck. It is simply a long foam float to which you attach a scrub pad similar to the green scouring pads for dishes. It has a long PVC handle that bends towards the boat. The foam holds the srubbing pad against the hull. It's remarkably effective - I use it about weekly and always before getting in the water as it takes care of about 90% of the job. It does not scrub the keel or the rudder, though.

Here's the website: http://dridiver.com/index.html

[Hirilondë]

I am convinced that the only really effective long term answer is to regulate the paints. Latex paints have come a long way due to legislation regarding VOCs. The same research and eventual solutions would come from pressuring the bottom paint manufacturers rather than the boat owners and marinas. We are in the process of spending $100,000 to build an indoor bottom cleaning bay with all water and its contents collected, stored and later removed and processed as a hazardous material. Guess who gets to reimburse us for this expense over the next umpteen years?