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19-02-2011, 07:26
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Somewhere in the South Pacific
Boat: 1984 CS 36
Posts: 238
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What Should I Use to Clean My Bottom ?
Only on a boat forum would that title be acceptable... anyhow...
For the first time, I dove the boat myself. I used a plastic scrub brush (think toilet bowl scrubber), and about half way through I started wondering if I was damaging my bottom paint and if I should use something softer. We've got hard paint, but I was aware that my hands were turning blue as I used them to push off the hull.
What's the recommended tool(s)? Would just a wash cloth work?
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19-02-2011, 07:37
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Tampa Bay area, USA
Boat: Beneteau First 42
Posts: 3,961
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We use swatches of old carpet--cut from discarded carpet samples obtained from Home Depot or Lowes. Seems to work well. A plastic paint scraper will pop off the few barnacles that always seem to form near the waterline without unduly damaging the paint.
FWIW...
__________________
"It is not so much for its beauty that the Sea makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from the waves, that so wonderfully renews a weary spirit."
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19-02-2011, 07:37
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#3
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CF Adviser
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: sausalito
Boat: 14 meter sloop
Posts: 7,260
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you want to use the lightest possible implement that will do the job. Yes, if a wash cloth works, use one.
__________________
cruising is entirely about showing up--in boat shoes.
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19-02-2011, 08:11
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Cape Town South Africa
Boat: Ferro Cement Peter Strong 45 foot ketch called Lemara
Posts: 27
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I guess it depends on what your boat construction is and what you want to clean! A metal scaper is flexible and you can apply as much or as little pressure as you need for the item that you want to clean.
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19-02-2011, 08:14
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: New Bern NC
Boat: Searunner 34 Trimaran
Posts: 1,660
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In season, all I get is a bit of slime on the hull, and hard growth only on the unpainted folding prop. I Wipe The hulls down about every 10 days or two weeks, before I go out. On the prop I use a putty knife, (NOT shiny)... And on the hulls I use a gloved hand and VERY light touch, while wearing Kevlar dive gloves. (They last about two years this way)... Mark
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19-02-2011, 08:33
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#6
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Writing Full-Time Since 2014
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Deale, MD
Boat: PDQ Altair, 32/34
Posts: 9,569
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Quote:
Originally Posted by svHyLyte
We use swatches of old carpet--cut from discarded carpet samples obtained from Home Depot or Lowes. Seems to work well. A plastic paint scraper will pop off the few barnacles that always seem to form near the waterline without unduly damaging the paint.
FWIW...
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I'll expand on this and say I like berber carpet best. The loops seem to resist sliming up better.
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19-02-2011, 08:57
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#7
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Hull Diver
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Under a boat, in a marina, in the San Francisco Bay
Posts: 5,428
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19-02-2011, 09:01
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#8
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cat herder, extreme blacksheep
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: furycame alley , tropics, mexico for now
Boat: 1976 FORMOSA yankee clipper 41
Posts: 18,967
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i use a plastic broadknife to do my boats bottom. some use metal-i use plastic. some use steel wool on waterline--i use 3m pad--brown or black. takes off the algae scum.
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19-02-2011, 09:05
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#9
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Hull Diver
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Under a boat, in a marina, in the San Francisco Bay
Posts: 5,428
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zeehag
i use a plastic broadknife to do my boats bottom. some use metal-i use plastic. some use steel wool on waterline--i use 3m pad--brown or black. takes off the algae scum.
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If you are letting your bottom get foul to the point where a brown or black pad or a scraper is required to clean it, you are waiting far too long to clean it. You should clean the bottom frequently enough that a white pad or carpet will do the job. Anything else is uneccessarily removing paint.
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19-02-2011, 09:06
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#10
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CF Adviser
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: sausalito
Boat: 14 meter sloop
Posts: 7,260
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fstbttms
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Notice that fstbttms is using a white pad rather than a blue or black pad, both of which are more abrasive. While a blue pad might be easier for the diver, it's worse for the bottom and for the environment.
With some divers, you have to insist on "White Pad Only." If a white pad won't do the job easily, it's either time for a new coat of paint, or it's time to shorten the interval between cleanings.
__________________
cruising is entirely about showing up--in boat shoes.
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19-02-2011, 09:15
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#11
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cruiser
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,129
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how long was teh interval on that boat you are cleaning? i.e. when was it cleaned last / prior to your video...
also where is the camera mounted? is it a special camera? where did you get it? I want one!
thanks
b
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19-02-2011, 09:28
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#12
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Hull Diver
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Under a boat, in a marina, in the San Francisco Bay
Posts: 5,428
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bergovoy
how long was teh interval on that boat you are cleaning? i.e. when was it cleaned last / prior to your video...
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Bill, you didn't pay attention in class. That was the first cleaning on a 3-month old bottom.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bergovoy
also where is the camera mounted? is it a special camera? where did you get it? I want one!
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It's a GoPro Hero HD, mounted on my head.
GoPro Official Store: Wearable Digital Cameras for Sports
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19-02-2011, 09:39
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 329
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BOTTOM CLEANER
Quote:
Originally Posted by kb79
Only on a boat forum would that title be acceptable... anyhow...
For the first time, I dove the boat myself. I used a plastic scrub brush (think toilet bowl scrubber), and about half way through I started wondering if I was damaging my bottom paint and if I should use something softer. We've got hard paint, but I was aware that my hands were turning blue as I used them to push off the hull.
What's the recommended tool(s)? Would just a wash cloth work?
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Micca BD7 Fresh Water Tilting Spray Bidet Toilet Seat Attachment
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19-02-2011, 09:40
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 329
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SORRY THAT WAS TOO FUNNY TO PASS UP.
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19-02-2011, 09:42
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#15
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Hull Diver
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Under a boat, in a marina, in the San Francisco Bay
Posts: 5,428
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joey69
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And the thread officially goes off the tracks.
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