Bottom Cleaning

[a64pilot]

I know, I waited too long, normally where I have always been berthed if I had newish bottom paint, I only had to clean every couple of months, and then it was only really slime except the prop.
However I spent 6 was in Stuart Fl, which is horrible water, dark coffee colored and I have never seen growth like that. I figure agricultural run off from lake Okechobee.
Anyway now I have some hard growth on my three month old ablative bottom paint.
So what is the best way to get this hard growth off? It's not too much, seems like 1/4" barnacles scattered about, I believe close to water line.
Some kind of plastic scraper, or just go after it with a dry wall spatula?

Normally I don't ever have to deal with hard growth, but as I said I waited too long obviously, and now I have to.
Trying of course to get it off, and do as little damage as possible to bottom paint, it's only three months old and I normally get two years.

I'll worry about this assuming after Irma, I still need to.

[Frankly]

Sounds like some sort of corrosion issue between titanium and bronze.

Get a plastic spackling knife and some green 3M pads.


What you get for leaving cruising Heaven and getting involved with them damn Yankees.

[SecondBase]

If it's barnacles the barnapole is your friend.

[a64pilot]

The green pads would I think be worse than a dry wall scraper to the paint.

I'll be diving the boat, not trying to do it from above, although the water here is not very clear, I figure two foot vis?

[fstbttms]

Plastic or metal scraper, typically 6" wide to remove the barnacles. Use it at a very shallow angle to minimize paint loss. Follow with a white pad or blue, if necessary.

[JPA Cate]

Fstbttms has it!

We've even used expired credit cards to knock them off. It's easier the smaller the barnies are; tubeworm is also a pain; and I hate the brown branchy things and orange crusty plate ones, too...

Ann

[rwidman]

My diver charges $2.00 per foot. I wouldn't consider doing what he does for what I pay him.

Cough up the few bucks and contribute to the local economy. Stay dry and enjoy a beer or two.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by rwidman

My diver charges $2.00 per foot. I wouldn't consider doing what he does for what I pay him.

I wouldn't do what he does for what you pay him either!

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by rwidman

My diver charges $2.00 per foot. I wouldn't consider doing what he does for what I pay him.



Cough up the few bucks and contribute to the local economy. Stay dry and enjoy a beer or two.

Where I was in Stuart, they would get in the water for $200, it went up from there, but $200 was min charge.

I'm sorry, but while I am not trying to cheap out on someone, but for a couple of hundred bucks, I'll dive it myself, just don't want to do more damage than is necessary.
Normally from what I was used to p, there was no hard growth is I or my kid dove on it every other month or so, but Stuart is particularly active growth wise.

[smj]

Originally Posted by rwidman

My diver charges $2.00 per foot. I wouldn't consider doing what he does for what I pay him.



Cough up the few bucks and contribute to the local economy. Stay dry and enjoy a beer or two.

Do the job yourself, keep the few bucks in your pocket, dry of then enjoy a beer or two because you worked for it and saved money doing it!

[JPA Cate]

A64pilot,

You might want to consider cleaning the prop beforehand, even if you don't want to do the whole boat. After the storm, if the boat survives, you may want to move it. Barnacle-fouled props are extremely inefficient.

Ann

[model 10]

There are some clever hull brushes you can build. A push broom head with a couple of small fenders for floation and a long handle will do much of a shallow draft boat from the dock.

[tuffr2]

The visibility might be way less than 2 feet. It might be 6" but hope for 2'. I found keys that were in the ICW water for 40 hours. The keys are already tarnished.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Where I was in Stuart, they would get in the water for $200, it went up from there, but $200 was min charge.

Dear lord...in Annapolis my boat is $90...$130 if it's filthy. Then again they are making the rounds and not suiting up for just my boat.

A vote for hard bottom paint. It absolutely rules. The good stuff is 3x more expensive than ablative, but pays for itself in short order. And is better for the environment.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Suijin

A vote for hard bottom paint. It absolutely rules. And is better for the environment.

That's a wive's tale. Copper is what's bad for the environment and hard paints typically have more of it than ablatives.