bottom cleaning

[Robert Walden]

I want to try and clean the bottom of my boat in the water. I am going to rent some scuba gear for a day (I used to dive 25 years ago) and want to accomplish as much as possible in one day. What is the best way to do this (tools / technique). Thanks

 

[Tom]

Fresh or salt, Bottom paint or not?

I've done this with only a snorkle, don't really need to hassle with the scuba gear (I am certified, too).These days, I use a long handle with a scrub brush on the end and operate from a dry position on the dock. Boat US and West Marine have a variety of handles, brushes, angled cnnectors, etc. that can meet your needs.I like the Shurhold stuff from Boat US, and use the swivel pad and scrubbers they sell (pg 356 in Boat US catalog). If you use the scrubbers, poke some small tie wraps through and attach them firmly to the head, otherwise they come off in the water.Fair winds,Tom

 

[Robert Walden]

Fresh water

The boat is in fresh water, I do not know how long since the bottom has been painted.

 

[Bill]

my Hunter 34

It takes me less than an hour to get the slime and barnacles off the bottom of my Hunter 34. She's docked in salt water, in an area of South Carolina where the water seems to spawn life by the minute. I start with a plastic scraper that I found in the wallpaperer's section of the local hardware store, getting off swaths of the stuff in widths as long as the scraper (about a foot). The fine stuff comes off with a soft bristled brush, or even wiping with my diver's gloved hands. I clean the prop & shaft with a metal paint scraper and metal bristled brush.