Bottom Cleaning

[Rasselas36]

I want to start cleaning the bottom of my boat instead of paying a diver. I tried a snorkel but it is exhausting. The local dive shop said I had to be PADI certified to purchase a PONY tank or get refills. I am not interested in diving 40'; I only want to clean the bottom of my boat. Please share with me some of the ways you have tackled this job. Thanks in advance for taking time to answer me.

 

[glonek5]

If you are going to put a tank on get certified. You need to get hurt or worse trying to save a couple of bucks.
I have a pretty good horror story about, "what could go wrong.?" < it can go bad quickly

 

[PJ]

I have a Browies dock diver pump (120volt) and 2 regulators that i'm looking to sell. It was puchased for just what you are looking to do. Contact me if your interested.
PJ

 

[Stu Jackson]

I found that when using a snorkel to clean the bottom, that a "Hold-Tight" was required to keep from losing pressure on the hull with whatever material was begin used for cleaning. The Hold Tight consists of two large rubber suction cups with a plastic handle between them. I tied a small cord with a loop to go over my wrist to avoid dropping it. You'd probably need something like that even with underwater breathing gear.

 

[smokey73]

I have a pretty "nifty" (I'm a child of the 50's and 60s for those of you that remember niftys - but I digress)

Its a rather long (about 6" by 3ft) flexible plastic board with a handle attached that can accept another screw-in PVC extension. It has "floaties" like those tubes you see kids use at a pool attached to the flexible plastic board. You attache a scrubbie to the plastic board and push it down with the handle and the floaties lift the board firmly against the hull and you just move along the boat from stem to stern. It won't do the keel or the rudder but it does get the most of the underbody pretty well. I wish I could describe it better or give you a picture but I'm in SC right now and the boat is on the hard in Annapolis patiently waiting for me to bring her down to Beaufort SC this coming spring.

 

[Steve Dion]

I have a pretty "nifty" (I'm a child of the 50's and 60s for those of you that remember niftys - but I digress)

http://www.marinestore.com/DriDiver.html?cart=343793257844494

Could that elusive device be called a Dri-diver? If not I need another clue.

 

[Rasselas36]

Thanks for the reply. Have a Merry Christmas.

 

[Rasselas36]

Thanks for all the replies. Have a Merry Christmas.

 

[smokey73]

That's it

http://www.marinestore.com/DriDiver.html?cart=343793257844494

Could that elusive device be called a Dri-diver? If not I need another clue.

Steve, That's it. I couldn't remember the name and it came with the boat. Now that I hear it - thats it. I am not sure how well it does the keel as I've never tried pushing it in down that far. I have the "pro" apparently and it works very well. Once you get it you can even make a longer screw in piece with regular piece of PVC piece. I had no idea the pads were so expensive but I am sure once you get one you can make your own from some industrial size scrubbie's.

 

[Monty VM]

buy a snuba system

 

[McZube]

I was thinking of using a longer snorkel. Seriously, I want to use about 10' of flexible, corrugated tubing with one end attached to a float and the other end attached to my snorkel. I will need to inhale through the snorkel and exhale through my nose or install some kind of valve near the mouthpiece to avoid re-breathing the same air. I already have mask, fins and snorkel on board, so most of what I need is already there.

 

[Paul F]

I am back to paying a diver to clean the bottom, but what worked fairly well for me was to take the boat to a sandy shoal and beach the boat at low rising tide and 'walk" around it and clean the bottom in that way. Took less then an hour. Had to use a mask to get the prop and intakes but for the most part it worked well. I'm just getting to old to mess with it anymore. That is why I no longer do it myself.

 

[fstbttms]

I was thinking of using a longer snorkel. Seriously, I want to use about 10' of flexible, corrugated tubing with one end attached to a float and the other end attached to my snorkel.

What you propose is physically impossible.

You can only go a few feet under water before you'll no longer be able to draw air into your lungs through that hose. It's a pressure problem. The water pressure outside your chest increases rapidly as you go deeper, but the air pressure inside the hose and your mouth barely changes at all. Pretty soon, you'll have so much more pressure outside your lungs than inside them that you won't be able to draw in any more air. Your muscles just won't be strong enough.

http://www.howeverythingworks.org/page1.php?QNum=1523

 

[fstbttms]

http://www.marinestore.com/DriDiver.html?cart=343793257844494

Could that elusive device be called a Dri-diver? If not I need another clue.

The Dri-Diver retails on their web site for $225 to $250, depending on the model. Admittedly, I'm biased, but that seems like a ridiculous price to pay for a cheap, PVC pole and scrub pad contraption that will do a half-assed job cleaning your hull, will not clean your running gear, thru-hulls or transducers and sure won't tell you the condition of your zincs (much less replace them.)

 

[capta]

We use a "deck snorkel"; a 12 volt hooka rig with ample hose to do the whole boat. It was a bit pricey @ around $1500.00, but at $150.00 to have a diver do the job, when he could get there, or oops, he got a flat or he's just too busy this week, the unit has paid for itself double. It's quiet, efficient and can even be used for sport diving w/ a battery in the dink. One of the best investments I've made for boat maintenance and underwater repairs or a line fouled prop, though fortunately, I haven't done that one in quite a few years.
But again as posted above, this should NOT be used if you have not gone through some type of training; anytime you breathe air underwater it can be extremely dangerous. Get scuba certified now and be safe.
Forget the idea of a longer snorkel, by the way. Your lungs cannot bring air down much farther that the standard snorkel length; that's why there aren't longer snorkels available, at any price.

 

[Andreas7699]

I am using this product. The pictures are not wery good but it works well.
The shaft is angeled and I can reach all the way to the middle of the bottom of my H36 whithout getting in the wather at all.

http://www.rophs.no/ds_product_info.php/products_id/110/language/en


A

 

[McZube]

What you propose is physically impossible.

It's less than 1psig at the bottom of my hull, less then 2psig at the bottom of my keel, however, that probably feels like more pressure than it sounds like. I considered that pressure might be more of a factor than I anticipate. I guess the worst case scenario is to rent a tank and regulator to go with my mask, fins and snorkel. I am certified.

 

[fstbttms]

It's less than 1psig at the bottom of my hull, less then 2psig at the bottom of my keel, however, that probably feels like more pressure than it sounds like. I considered that pressure might be more of a factor than I anticipate.

Give it a shot. Be sure to let us know how that works out for you.

I guess the worst case scenario is to rent a tank and regulator to go with my mask, fins and snorkel. I am certified.

Sounds like a lot of time and effort to avoid paying a professional hull cleaner to come and do the job. You wouldn't even have to be there. But hey, it's your dime. :dance:

 

[kloudie1]

Zube.. don't try it, Man.. Consider that your chest area is about 150 square inches.. when you get 1 psi across that, it is like a 150 pound guy sitting on your chest.. at 2 psi it will squeeze all the air out of your lungs.. The snuba or Hooka rig is what ya need..