bottom cleaning

[beautybelow]

First, I agree the trouble of going through the TP joke was probably best left to the pub or such places.

Anyway, where I live the right tools are never easy to find so when you come across something that works good you take note of it.

I had the pleasure of two days under a 330 fuel freighter cleaning grass off of her with myself and 5 other divers. (The job, although paying easily 3 times what they could earn in a day otherwise sucked so bad that I had to raise the rate and replace two for the second day's work)

I have spent many hours under boats (usually mine) cleaning and have always found the tool that is most effective is often the tool that seems to work the slowest in the beginning. I found this at a local hardware store and bought a box of 12 and it was the best for removing grass I have ever used as long as the surface is smooth otherwise...



Use the short edge, not the long one and you have a lot of leverage with short straight strokes.

 

[DivingOtter]

I have been able to charge about 3.00 a foot. Only because a day like today 30 degrees, and 45 degree water in a 7 mill wetsuit, my drysuit is a Northen Diver Vulcanized rubber with built in steel toe boots and the whole thing is about 50 lbs, so as you can guess it makes it difficult to fit fins over the foot. Basically this time a year ive been going for 3.00 a foot but as the water warms and everyone with an OW cert trys to undercut me by doing a whole hull for 50 bucks, I will have to lower my rates a bit.

 

[Graham River]

Guys - I appreciate your thread - I'm a new OW diver and want to learn the proper way to get into cleaning. The OW cert was my first step and NOT the last step . . . any advice would be welcomed. Chris AKA - Graham River

 

[fstbttms]

View attachment 119677

The heart of any in-water hull cleaning Best Management Practice is to always use the softest cleaning media or tools possible to remove the fouling growth. Of course, sometimes this means using a metal blade to get shelled animals or other hard growth off. But the OP needs to understand that sharp or abrasive tools are not suitable as everyday, all-over-the-hull cleaning implements, especially for anti fouling paint that is in decent condition. The goal is always to clean the hull without removing paint, which sharp or abrasive tools absolutely will. By using the softest cleaning media, the hull cleaner can dramatically extend the lifespan of his customer's anti fouling paint. By using the wrong media, he can destroy his customer's paint in just a very few service events. Part of the hull cleaner's job, IMHO, should be to educate his clients about service frequency, pointing out that only by not allowing the hull to become even moderately foul can he use the softest cleaning media.

Here is a pic of what is probably the most commonly used scrubber, the 3M Doodlebug pad:

---------- Post added at 09:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:29 AM ----------

I had the pleasure of two days under a 330 fuel freighter cleaning grass off of her with myself and 5 other divers. (The job, although paying easily 3 times what they could earn in a day otherwise sucked so bad that I had to raise the rate and replace two for the second day's work)

FYI- for really big (or even not so big), truly nasty jobs, consider renting the Caviblaster. I can get one for $250/day here in the Bay Area, and it'll make short work of even the worst fouling without damaging the paint (or whatever) underneath. I did a 30' X 60' fiberglass barge that had been in the water for 10 years with no anti fouling paint (completely covered in what was probably 5" of mussels) in 3 hours. Charged the customer $1800.

Cavidyne LLC

 

[myke2813]

thank u every much for ur help and don worry people like that i dont even listen to but there always a saying that say IF U DONT HAVE ANYTHING SMART TO SAY THEN DONT SAY WORD!!!! thank u again for the head up