Barnacle Cod

[bostonmish]

In the water for three months (Aug-Oct).

The local dustless blasting service offers to do the following for $1500

":...estimate includes lifting the boat, taping the water line, removing trailer if it comes on a trailer. Lowering the keel below boat, blasting all bottom & barrier coating , washing boat inside & out. Raising keel, peeling masking & resetting boat on trailer."

This sounds expensive at first, but when I remember the hours to get just the tip of the bow rough cleaned and that to lower the keel I'd have to rig up a whole production in the driveway, to say nothing about trying to dissolve the barnacle bases off after the rough cleaning...

If anyone had this service done on Cape Cod or nearby - Who'd you use? What did it cost? How did it go?

[Leadfree]

That does not sound expensive to me... I'd have guessed closer to 2x that price. I note there is no mention of repainting so I guess that is on you

[BlueH2Obound]

I would want to know what type of "blasting" they were going to do. Using the incorrect blasting agent (for example sand) can/will severely damage the gelcoat.

lso, if the owner is responsible for painting, it needs to be done while the keel is still extended, and before it is placed back on the trailer!

I'd follow through and ask them how much to paint the hull as well.

[phorvati]

That boat is not even 20 feet. that's expensive. hire a highscool kid to scrape it.

[barnakiel]

I would just do it all myself. But I understand you do not want.


I think a skilled fellow sailor can do it for you for less. It will all depend on how expensive your area is.


b.

[JPA Cate]

Get a flat garden spade. Gently knock those puppies off your hull. Try not to damage the gelcoat. Also, barnacle shells are calcium carbonate. An acid wash afterwards, should remove the rest of the shell material. Then, you're down to wet sanding, carefully, again, to preserve the gelcoat. Next year, haul the boat back onto the trailer, and leave it somewhere near where you want to launch it, or paint the bottom with some quick release type of paint.

You can do this. And you'll meet a lot of nice folks, too, while you work. Maybe they'd agree it's sorta fun. Remember Tom Sawyer and the whitewash?

Ann

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Get a flat garden spade. ...... Ann

'my choice too, but be sure to round off the corners with a file or grinder for less risk of gouges.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

'my choice too, but be sure to round off the corners with a file or grinder for less risk of gouges.

Those are commonly used around here for the purpose. Also, a dry wall scraper will take rows of them off.

Ann

[deblen]

Pump spray (manual garden sprayer) with 5% household Chlorine bleach & let sit a few hrs or overnight. Kills growth & makes scraping easier.


Never use chlorine bleach in a pressure pump washer. Creates gas-ruins kidneys when vaporized.


If you have access to fresh water river,etc-a week or 2 in fresh water strips salt water organisms.

[psk125]

Agree with DIY crowd. If they're going to blast off the barrier coat you might as well go at it yourself with a disc sander. It won't take long and you're going to have to re-do the barrier coat in any case. You can certainly apply masking tape, and the centerboard is not likely to have much growth on it. That can perhaps be accessed by tilting the trailer bow down and putting sawhorses under the stern, then lifting the bow and lowering the centerboard. Anne's procedure might be a touch more work but will create less collateral damage than a disc sander.

[bostonmish]

Great comments. Thanks to all!

I see both sides of it. DIY in the driveway is an option, but that does take time, not the least of which is the setup and cleaning. OTOH, at $100/ft - the blasting quote feels excessive, although all the debris stays with the blasting shop and not in my driveway/yard ...and also all the paint removal is accomplished at the same time, leaving only the final sand and paint for me.

I'll see how much progress I can get with vinegar or barnacle remover spray on. I may go with the grinder-dressed spade after all. I also should have a roofing shingle remover somewhere which may be adapted.

I'll update the thread with any important progress...

[Fore and Aft]

Bostonmish I have done a few jobs like that, and I would rather pay the $1500 to get it done. Unless you have a way to raise the hull in your driveway, it's going to be nothing more than a PIA. I think everyone is forgetting how low down a trailer sailer is sitting on a trailer and then you have the wheels and frame getting in the way. The cheapest way to sort it out is trailer the boat to the nearest travel lift and have them hoist her in the slings and get the boat water blasted or scraped clean. The travel lift will raise the hull to the correct work height, and you will easily get that job done in a short time without having to lay on your back squashed under a trailer banging your elbows on all the stuff in the way.
Ann, I thought Jim went through hell recently scraping your yacht and here you are singing kumbaya.
Cheers

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Bostonmish I have done a few jobs like that, and I would rather pay the $1500 to get it done. Unless you have a way to raise the hull in your driveway, it's going to be nothing more than a PIA. I think everyone is forgetting how low down a trailer sailer is sitting on a trailer and then you have the wheels and frame getting in the way. The cheapest way to sort it out is trailer the boat to the nearest travel lift and have them hoist her in the slings and get the boat water blasted or scraped clean. The travel lift will raise the hull to the correct work height, and you will easily get that job done in a short time without having to lay on your back squashed under a trailer banging your elbows on all the stuff in the way.
Ann, I thought Jim went through hell recently scraping your yacht and here you are singing kumbaya.
Cheers

Well said.

[bostonmish]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Bostonmish I have done a few jobs like that, and I would rather pay the $1500 to get it done. Unless you have a way to raise the hull in your driveway, it's going to be nothing more than a PIA. ...

Yep. I am mostly in that camp.

Not looking for cheap, but for overall value. The biggest challenge is getting off the trailer (at home). That's unavoidable whether the boat gets cleaned AND painted or only painted at my location (and cleaned elsewhere).

I will try the spade scrape - mostly for experience. The real test will be whether relatively safe acids (vinegar) can dissolve the barnacle bases enough to get washed off with a small powerwasher.

Will see...

[JPA Cate]

Ann, I thought Jim went through hell recently scraping your yacht and here you are singing kumbaya.

No, actually, we did have to scrape our dinghy. We did hire the work done on the mother boat. We are both over 80, and decided to hire a nice young woman to do the heavy work, some scraping, most pressure washing.

Y'all wouldn't want me to sing anything, mate: can't carry a tune in a bucket!

Ann