What Should I use to clean the Bottom of my boat?

McIntoshUSA

McIntoshUSA

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Jun 5, 2014
209
Capital Yacths Newport MKIII 30 Punta Gorda, Fl
I tried searching but could not find anything. What should I use to clean the bottom of my boat. I tried scrubbing it with water and a wash cloth and it works a little. I am guessing there is something that will make it allot easier? I have Pettit Ablative paint on the bottom of it.

Thanks
 
R

RIVERCRUISER

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Dec 3, 2013
169
HUNTER 29.5 PORT CHARLOTTE FL
My diver uses a brush.

Don't know what type.

Sailing should help keep ablative painted bottom clean.
 
Joe

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,161
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
If it's in the water, use a piece of carpet. If out, use a brush and diluted, acid based, toilet bowl cleaner. Check the label... look for hydrochloric acid.. not bleach.

The "scum" is algae.

Once you get it clean... it's time to slap on another couple coats of bottom paint.

However, the best advice is SailM8's... if the boat's in the water, hire a diver.
 
McIntoshUSA

McIntoshUSA

.
Jun 5, 2014
209
Capital Yacths Newport MKIII 30 Punta Gorda, Fl
Joe said:
If it's in the water, use a piece of carpet. If out, use a brush and diluted, acid based, toilet bowl cleaner. Check the label... look for hydrochloric acid.. not bleach.

The "scum" is algae.

Once you get it clean... it's time to slap on another couple coats of bottom paint.

However, the best advice is SailM8's... if the boat's in the water, hire a diver.
Click to expand
My boat is on a lift. So I guess the procedure is to clean it good and then put another coat of paint on since some comes off when cleaning.

Thanks
 
centerline

centerline

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Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
so, where is your boat?.... on the hard or in the water?

if its on the hard, spray it and let it soak... keep it completely wet for at least an hour before scrubbing.... it will come of relatively easy.

now this may not be enviromentally sound practice now, but back in the late 70's when I worked in a boat yard it was a great way to clean the bottom of boats.

we used a garden sprayer with bleach in it.... wet the bottom of the boat. let it set for 15 minutes and then spray bleach on it.... dont let it dry. use a very fine mist of water from the hose nozzel to keep it wetted.... and between each wetting of the hose, wet it with the bleach....

after a couple applications and an hour has gone by, the stuff will wash off with a sponge... except for the barnicals.

a pressure washer also works good, and even better after spraying with bleach...


but short of ruining the entire atmosphere and the lives of all the people within a hundred mile radius, and anyone else who actually knows that you used bleach to clean the boat, a pressure washer will be the next easiest method...
 
Bill Roosa

Bill Roosa

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Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
Provided you can, many marinas have "green rules", a power washer is the trick.
 
Brian S

Brian S

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Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
It's best to get scum off when it's still wet, fresh out of the water. Macintosh, if your boat's on a lift, why is there slime on it? Although I can see that you'd have scum lines from using the boat. Scum lines on the bare fiberglass will come off easily with oxalic acid based products such as Savogran Oxalic Acid Crystals from good hardware stores, or commercial marine products like On and Off, or toilet bowl cleaners like The Works. As long as they are acid based.

For my boat kept in a freshwater marina, I go for a swim every so often and use a natural bristle brush to get the slime off. Only had to 3 times last summer, because I used a bottom paint with anti-slime formula. I do get a scum line on the bottom painted areas. I don't worry about that much. At the end of the season, she gets a soft pressure wash at haul out. But I do clean up the tannin stains on the white fiberglass above the waterline with On and Off.
 
centerline

centerline

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Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
Brian S said:
For my boat kept in a freshwater marina, I go for a swim every so often and use a natural bristle brush to get the slime off.
Click to expand
not meaning to hijack, but.. dont you ever worry about the high possibility of ESD... Electric Shock Drowning???.

the possibility is much higher than the probability, but either way, I dont like the odds enough that I would ever trust that all the boats surrounding mine that are plugged in, that their owners are as conscientious as I try to be, or that they even know the issues concerning their boat wiring...

maybe there are few boats around because they are all out on the water the day you decide to swim, so the risk may seem lower, but there is always possibility of a dock cord that has been disconnected when the boat left,and has fallen into the water.... or maybe a problem caused by the marina wiring... too many risks here for the small amount of gain.

there are too many good quiet anchorages where I can do the scrubbing for me to take a risk in the marina:D
 
Roadking Larry

Roadking Larry

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Mar 30, 2013
700
Allied Seawind MK II 32' Oologah Lake, Oklahoma
dont you ever worry about the high possibility of ESD... Electric Shock Drowning???.


Some of the electrical hook ups around my docks give me the heebie jeebies. When I want to swim around my boat I anchor in a cove somewhere.
 
fstbttms

fstbttms

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Feb 26, 2011
1,440
Achilles SD-130 Alameda, CA
Virtually all ESD deaths occur in freshwater. It is largely unheard of in saltwater. FYI.
 
thinwater

thinwater

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Mar 26, 2011
3,671
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
a. Fstbottoms is right; it is virtually impossible to ESD in seawater; the conductivity is too great. I've searched the topic (zero) and I've also seen the ends melted off power cords (lots of conductivity, all current confined to within inches of the plug) that fell in. Extension cords on wet grass are more dangerous than seawater.

b. Scrubbing ablative is tough. It is too easy to remove paint and thus it is best to only consider cleaning about 1x per season, and perhaps a few more right at the end of 2-year paint life. Frequent sailing is the best method.

c. 6" berber carpet squares work pretty well. The loops seem to scrub enough while resisting sliming up. I get a few years out of them. Wear coated garden gloves for grip and use light touch.

---

If you are on the hard, power washing with water recovery, as soon as it comes out.
 
McIntoshUSA

McIntoshUSA

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Jun 5, 2014
209
Capital Yacths Newport MKIII 30 Punta Gorda, Fl
Thanks for all the information. I scrubbed it with a wash cloth. I plan to rinse it every time after sailing to see if it will stay clean in the future.
 

Attachments

fstbttms

fstbttms

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Feb 26, 2011
1,440
Achilles SD-130 Alameda, CA
thinwater said:
b. Scrubbing ablative is tough. It is too easy to remove paint and thus it is best to only consider cleaning about 1x per season, and perhaps a few more right at the end of 2-year paint life.
Click to expand
In regions where the sailing season is year-round and fouling is high (assuming this is so in the OP's sailing grounds), infrequent cleaning is not really an option, even with ablative paint. This type is no better at retarding growth than any other, and must be cleaned just as frequently. In fact, the way to extend an ablative (or any other) paint's lifespan is to make sure it is cleaned before it gets even moderately foul, so that it can be cleaned gently. Here in the Bay Area for instance, this typically means cleaning 6 times per year.
 
C

Calif. Ted

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Jun 8, 2004
2,927
Catalina 320 Dana Point
400 NM downcoast in San Diego it's 12 times a year with old towels, water temp is way down to 63 degrees now in mid winter.
 
Brian S

Brian S

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Nov 9, 2012
2,500
Oday 192 Lake Nockamixon
Centerline, thanks for your concern regarding ESD. However, I usually do my scrubby swim out on the hook, and the rare occasions I have swum in the marina (once to clear weeds from the CB painter, and once when I slid over the side and fell in - don't ask :D) it's no concern because our docks have no electric. :):):)

centerline said:
not meaning to hijack, but.. dont you ever worry about the high possibility of ESD... Electric Shock Drowning???.

the possibility is much higher than the probability, but either way, I dont like the odds enough that I would ever trust that all the boats surrounding mine that are plugged in, that their owners are as conscientious as I try to be, or that they even know the issues concerning their boat wiring...

maybe there are few boats around because they are all out on the water the day you decide to swim, so the risk may seem lower, but there is always possibility of a dock cord that has been disconnected when the boat left,and has fallen into the water.... or maybe a problem caused by the marina wiring... too many risks here for the small amount of gain.

there are too many good quiet anchorages where I can do the scrubbing for me to take a risk in the marina:D
Click to expand
 
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