Bottom Clean Breathing Device

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by sctpc

I use this Air Compressor Electric DC 12V Hookah Diving Yacht Boat Hull Cleaning Dredging | eBay it works good but I must regulate my breathing, and its in AU so post would be expensive but may help you with ideas.

They hooked an airline to a snorkel??? That's scarey

[Ex-Calif]

I like the last statement:

"Thank You and Good Luck"

[chuckr]

my usmc son, who is a certified diver, built one for me and not expensive -- he went to home depot and got a oil less air compressor and 2 50' lengths of high pressure hose, then to a dive shop for a 2nd stage regulator and a few fittings -- it runs off 110v and we run it off our invertor and if i spend to much time cleaning we have to turn the engine on -
we have used it for more than cleaning the bottom as a few weeks ago we managed to pick up a mooring line on our prop at 0300 while leaving dominica -- boy was it handy - and last weekend i went to a small out island and change my zincs and while doing so broke a small plastic screw on the end of the prop - with out the home made hooka would have had to haul the boat

just our opinion and what works for us
chuck patty and svsoulmates
in trinidad for hurricane season

[Azul]

I've been diving for thirty years including working as a dive mate part time summers to get my fix. First of all, no one has mentioned to take a scuba course if you are going to breathe compressed air underwater (hopefully provided with equipment designed for the purpose,) even if you are only six feet under water. This requires a little knowledge and a little practice and these courses are cheap and fun, they practically give them away hoping you will buy expensive equipment. From six feet to the surface is where the most rapid pressure changes occur. The first time you stir up a bunch of silt or dirt and a minnow nibbles at your calf you are going to rocket to the surface with already full lungs like a Polaris missile and blow a lung out due to the pressure change. Don't laugh, it has happened several times right here in Beaufort that I know of while non-certified bottom cleaning (boat builders seem prone to this for some reason,) and this type of injury can be immediately fatal. That being said, having a used regulator (get it serviced, it will fail at an inopportune moment which is worse than aforesaid minnow example) and a pony bottle is very convenient on a boat, if for example you want to check a mooring or retrieve a stuck anchor... or clean your boat. Unless you have tons of room, the biggest disadvantage of having a full sized scuba tank on board beside acquisition cost is the storage and weight penalty. And they must be properly secured. Better to rent if you don't dive a lot. It is perfectly possible to clean your hull without any equipment whatsoever just by holding your breathe. If you can't do this due to your physical state, lack of training or comfort in the water breathing compressed air is even more likely to be fatal as you are obviously not in good shape and/or not comfortable in the water.

[carstenb]

I can't beat 30 ears of diving, I've only done for about 15. But I've dived i virtually every part of the world, including way up north where the water is cold, don't cha know!

Let's get real, unless way up north a 4mm wetsuit is plenty. cost when on sale usd 50. Buy a BCD an regulators - used on the net - say 200. cost to have it all checked and maintained - 100 rent a tank - 20 so all told say 400 usd.

No discussion - the dive set is also very useful for checking out reefs etc, or if you get a line snagged on your prop - you can stay down for quite a while while you cut away.

Do yourself a favor - get an open water certificate - doesn't cost much, is fun to take and then you don't have to worry when you go down. Agree with Azul - I seen people who think diving is easy get the sh*t scared out of them when their mouthpiece fell out at 15 feet. They didn't have clue - just scared sh*tless

[feelsgood]

Originally Posted by kaw0922

Does anyone have any experience with the bottom cleaning breathing devices that are available? It kills me to pay a diver to do such a simple job, but i can only reach a portion of my bottom (I keep my boat in the water).

I use a long handle with a brush head on the end with a small fender attached to the head. This keeps the head in contact with the hull and yopu do not need any special equipment.

[Jimbo485]

Originally Posted by boden36

Jimbo,
I bought two of the12 volt portable pressure pumps that people use for pumping up tyres, but they were the larger sort for truck tyres and the like. I think they cost about $100 each and were advertised as "heavy duty".
Mounted on a board, the outputs were connected to a tee.
There is another tee which leads to a pressure switch from an old air compressor.
To protect the contacts in the switch, it is connected to two relays that drive the compressors.
The feed wires from the relays are connected to heavier wires with alligator clips on them which connect to the boat's battery.
The air line is the special hose for breathing air.The fact that it is 60 ft long allows the air to cool a bit.
I bought the second stage regulator ( the bit that goes in your mouth) on eBay. They are advertised as low pressure regulators for hookahs.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Richard.

Thanks, Richard, for that very fast reply!

A couple of quick questions...

What do you mean by "a pressure switch from an old air compressor"??

And... "to protect the contacts in the switch, it is connected to two relays that drive the compressors."

I apologise if these are dumb newbie questions.

Cheers,
Jim.

[Florida Mike]

Might be of intrest;

Hints and Projects

Also of general interest;

Hints and Projects

Just my two cents, Mike.

[bruce smith]

I free dive , but no longer use a brush . I use a 12" drywall knife. It is flexible, and scrapes off a clean job. actually seems to remove less paint, less 'dust" in the water. I swim down to the keel and float up , leaving a 10 inch path of clean behind me.
Rinse it well when finished, hardened steek rusts quickly.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by chuckr

he went to home depot and got a oil less air compressor and 2 50' lengths of high pressure hose

I've read some things in this thread that, as a professional hull cleaner, have made me cringe but this is the topper. Please tell me that you are not using pneumatic tool hose as a breathing hose.

[jeremiason]

We are fulltime cruisers and use a Hooka 120v with a 50' regulator. It forces me to run the genset while cleaning the bottom, but is it easier than scuba gear and takes up less space.

We went with the 120v over the gas powered version because I didn't want to carry extra fuel and I was concerned about the snokel sucking fumes, which after seeing the product is not likely when used properly.

Some of our friends use scuba gear or tanks with long regulators, but the problem they are having south of the border is tank refills. Dive shops get few and far between outside tourist areas.

The suggestion about taking a dive course is a good one... So enough said.

Also the suggestion to build your own hooka with an electric compressor and long regulator is good. I have known several professional diviers in the San Francisco area that use them on shallow boat bottom dives without troubles, when built properly.

As far as cleaning tools, we use sheet rock knifes for barnicles, rags for the rest. I also have a nice set of bottle brushes for the thru hulls and a special bent putty knife to clean the bow thruster.

Finally, I enjoy cleaning my boat bottom myself to see whats going on down there, but anyone who say it is easy is probably cleaning a dinghy.

It takes about 2 hours to clean the bottom of my boat and a little while longer if I have to caìhange the zincs.

[kaw0922]

Thanks for everyone's response. I had no idea it would create such good input. Lots of good things to consider.

I've had good success cleaning with a flat plastic scraper on the areas I could reach. Its not a huge amount of space (290 sundancer) to clean.

For now, I think I'll try the two easiest options.
1. The stick attached to a small fender with a brush approach
2. Just free dive it with a snorkel / mask. I'm a reasonably good swimmer so we'll see how that works.

If I find a good used hooka, or something like it, I may give that a shot. Just trying to avoid the $8 per foot cleaning.

Thanks again.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by kaw0922

Just trying to avoid the $8 per foot cleaning

That is an extremely high price. Is that the going rate in your area or are there extenuating circumstances (extremely foul hull, outdrives etc.)?

[kaw0922]

That's on the high side of the local market rate.

[fstbttms]

Where are you and how often do you have the hull cleaned?