Cleaned my bottom

I got PADI scuba certified years ago when I lived in Hawaii. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, I haven't done any diving locally. But since we have a boat now with enough storage, I decided to part out a set of gear through craigslist, facebook, and local dive shops.

Last weekend I dove our boat for the first time. The hull, through-hulls, and bow thruster was clean and relatively growth free... but our running gear was horribly overgrown with barnacles and mussels. I spent about 20 minutes knocking most of them off.

I suspect I'll need to dive once or twice more this year to keep them clean, but the good news is all the gear I purchased and serviced this winter worked out great.

Video:
Prop cleaning - YouTube

*edit: Hmm. I can't seem to get the video to embed -- it just links. Oh well *

A good tip for cleaning keel coolers and shafts is a chain. Wrap it around the item and saw it back and forth and that will shine those babies right up.

swampu said:

A good tip for cleaning keel coolers and shafts is a chain. Wrap it around the item and saw it back and forth and that will shine those babies right up.

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That's brilliant.

Thanks!

mattkab, removing the marine life off the running gear also takes the antifoul, so expect regrowth faster. Running gear needs hard a/f (or Propspeed), not soft ablative a/f used on the hull.
The diver I occasionally use has a system of pressured water/air to clean the hull, brushing or scrubbing also removes a/f which means increased fouling.
Fastbottoms is the resident expert on underwater cleaning.
Bet the boat goes better with clean running gear.

here in South Florida its once a month diving if you want to keep runningo your clean

I favor witch hazel for bottom cleaning.

I use a hard sprayed on bottom paint most of the time. When I am out I dive on the boat once a week. It only takes scotch brite or a towel and is a very fast job.

here in South Florida its once a month diving if you want to keep runningo your clean

Depends , here in fresh water inland FL only a light slime grows that soon leaves when going in salt water.

What grows on a cruise in salt water soon dies when the cruise is over and the vessel is back in fresh water.

FF said:

Depends , here in fresh water inland FL only a light slime grows that soon leaves when going in salt water.

What grows on a cruise in salt water soon dies when the cruise is over and the vessel is back in fresh water.

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That's our reality, too. We are on Lake Union, and the slime growth is very slow- it's gone within the hour after we leave port. Thru the locks, and into the sound for a week or month, then back into the fresh- the bottom and running gear stays clean, and the heat exchangers are also flushed out....

If you not use your boat for a month, put a litter black bag in your propeller and it doesn't get barnacles and mussels.

Bumping this thread - in the near future, I'll be cruising full time in tropical waters, and I will be diving to clean the bottom. What's the optimal tool to use, and not damage the paint: teflon scraper? scotchbrite? something else?

Alemao said:

If you not use your boat for a month, put a litter black bag in your propeller and it doesn't get barnacles and mussels.

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It doesn't matter what color bag. With the bag on the prop, all the oxygen is depleted and nothing can live or grow. It does work great!

Blender Boy said:

Bumping this thread - in the near future, I'll be cruising full time in tropical waters, and I will be diving to clean the bottom. What's the optimal tool to use, and not damage the paint: teflon scraper? scotchbrite? something else?

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We use a SS drywall knife (s). We have one ~12" and another ~8". Don't use a scotch-bright pad, particularly if you have ablative paint, you will be hauling ahead of schedule if you do.

This was my first ever dive, so I am far from an expert...

I found 12" and 4" plastic putty scrapers to be the best for the barnacles and mussels. For the slime the green scotchbrite pad worked great.

Also interested in what others recommend.

Motion30, I'm in Miami and all my life keeping props clean has been a problem. Water flow over a prop just washes everything off. Then I tried Prop Speed. Now my prop stays clean a year or more before I have to start cleaning it.

Blender Boy said:

What's the optimal tool to use, and not damage the paint: teflon scraper? scotchbrite? something else?

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We just did this for the first time a few days ago (in San Francisco) and tried about 7 different tools. What worked best for us (especially on the keel coolers) were plastic scrapers (aka plastic putty knife/drywall knives). They made quick work of the small barnacles vs. the scrubbing pads/brushes which just seemed to piss the barnacles off!

I'll be cruising full time in tropical waters,

If the boat IS cruised , moves frequently , there should be little need to ever scrape the bottom.

Most paints clean them selves as you move , exposing a fresh biocide automatically.

A 2 year cruise witgh no scrubbing is a snap.

Paint the hill with any color , then use a different color for the next 3 or so layers with extra layers near the WL, were its close to sunlight..

When you see the first color again , its time for more paint.

Some folks believe a very light color is less attractive to whale strikes.

Hi Blender Boy, beautiful boat you have ) To were will you cruise?

Alemao said:

Hi Blender Boy, beautiful boat you have ) To were will you cruise?

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Wherever there are warm sunny beaches...

We are moving Tropical Blend from Dana Point to Alameda over Memorial Day. We'll be outfitting it for full-time cruising over the summer. We'll leave in October, head down the CA coast, and then we'll join the FUBAR rally to La Paz. After that, a month in the southern Sea of Cortez, then down the Pacific Coast of Mexico and Central America, passing through the canal in April or May. We'll spend hurrican season in the San Blas Islands, Columbia, and Trinidad. After that, island hopping in the Caribbean.We'll either stay in the Caribbean, head to the Great Loop, or pass back through the canal to the South Pacific. We're planning on many years of full-time cruising.

Now my boat is at Luperon-Dominican Republic and I intend to go in the end of May, to San Marteen. Left the boat there during the hurricane season and in the end of the year, go to Trinidad and, who knows ?? to Rio- Brazil