Hull Cleaning Information

[carl.delfin]

I was wondering if you know how to go about finding insurance companies that would cover me in order to do hull cleaning. I'm in northern California and I looked online but haven't found much. Any guidance would be really helpful. Thanks!

Carlos

 

[underboats]

Carlos,
For a long time I have used Flagship, Brown and Brown Insurance. They have always had the best prices for the best coverage. I use them for both marine liability and also Workman's comp. I am on the east coast but they are worldwide and probaly have an office that would cover your area. My contact is Lynn Hackett in Norfolk ,Va. She is great to work with and you can tell her Chuck with Under Boats sent you. She can steer you in the right direction. Her e-mail is lhackett@flagshipgroup.com.

Best of Luck
Chuck Hyde
Under Boats Inc.

 

[vaheyboats]

How has the Clean Marina initiative affected your business? I am a former Army diver living in Williamsburg who is considering getting into the business, but what I am hearing from my buddies in the marina business is that pretty soon all in water hull cleaning will be a thing of the past. What are you hearing?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[offthewall1]

The Clean Marina Initiative has had little effect on business if any at all. In Maryland the DNR oversees the Clean Marina Initiative. The Maryland DNR has posted specific guidelines for divers cleaning boats in the water. Divers who follow these guidelines, carry proper insurance and have a good reputation have no problem working in Maryland Marinas.

Marinas that offer "haul-out" services often attempt to tell unsuspecting divers they are a "Clean Marina" and this means no divers are allowed to clean boats there. This is soley a business ploy so that they don't lose income from haul out services.

There have been a couple futile attempts in the Maryland General Assembly - pushed and supported by these same Marinas, to outlaw in-water boat maintenance under the guise of it being bad for the water. The reality is that Maryland and other large boating states have intelligent boat owners who fight this type of legislation... knowing that it will double to quadruple their already high boating costs. Legislation such as this could effectively reduce the number of boaters in the state and therefore reduce tax revenue on all levels.

Such a simple law would have a major negative impact on the Maryland economy... and since it would have little or no impact on cleaning up the bay, it has little chance of passing.

By following the DNR Clean Marina Initiatives for In-Water Boat Maintenance by divers, the negative impact on the water quality and marine life is reduced if not completely eliminated.

1. Sloughing (Ablative) paints will come off in the water as they are designed to do whether simply running them or being cleaned. The recommendation is simply don't scrub a sloughing paint in the water. By following this rule... more paint comes off using the boat as none comes off cleaning it.

2. Bring anodes ashore for recycling. Do not leave them in the water once removed.

3. Do not scrape a hard bottom paint that is barnacled. Only clean the running gear and intakes and refer the boat for haulout. It makes no sense to scrape a badly barnacled / mussled boat hull as the boat is in need of paint. Clean the gear and intakes and have the owner haul the boat, paint the boat and then maintain it with non-aggressive wipe-downs from that point on.

The final reason boaters want to be maintained in the water - along with costs, is the potential damage to the vessel each time it is hauled out. If you've ever heard the little pops and noises associated with lifting a boat out of the water... you've heard hull fracturing. These tiny seperations in the fiberlglass are actually weakening the hull and doing unseen damage to the boat. On a wood hull boat, the seams can be seperating leading to costing repairs... and finally improperly placed straps bend shafts, bow-rails etc...

In our area, we educate boaters on all of the above. In Marinas that offer haul-out services as part of the annual slip rental fee - we still do big business. Why? Because owners know hauling their boat out three times a year is imperiling their boat. They also are inconvenienced by the whole process - as many live out of state... and finally boats need monthly maintenance here due to the growth from May - September. It would be completely inefective, dangerous and costly to haul a boat out of the water 5 months in a row.

Hopefully this sheds some light on things...

 

[Stedanko]

Great thread! Thanks to all the experienced hull cleaners for sharing their knowledge.

My partners and I are going to be starting up a boat hull cleaning business in NC. We are all working on our OW cert right now and are getting all of the other required business stuff together.

Chuck, hope you don't mind but I used your name with Lynn at the insurance agency. The local agency that we are going through is telling us that we will need to have a store front before they can provide us with the $2 Mil in liability insurance that the local marina's are requiring. Being as there are no other professional hull cleaning businesses in the area, I'm not sure they know what they are talking about as this seems pretty ridiculous to me. I'm hoping your contact can give us some good info and at least set us in the right direction, if not provide us directly with a quote. Please let me know if the contact info has changed.

I am in the process right now of acquiring the necessary gear for my OW cert, and beyond, and am really trying to buy smart as money is tight right now. I've been looking at buying used equipment as I can't see spending the $$ on stuff that I'm going to be using and abusing on a daily basis. What I'm looking at now for regulators is between 3 makers, Aqua Lung, Apex XTX200 w/ FSX 1st, or Mares Abyss w/MR22 1st, or Scubapro S600 w/mk25. Water temps in the cold months are in the 40's, so am I on the right track there? Do you have any suggestions?

We have decided to go with tanks instead of a hookah style system, so I've also been concerned about the purchase of a BCD. I know that I'll most likely be spending most of my time standing on the bottom (10 to 15ft) but will need to maintain vertical buoyancy a lot of times. From what I've read I'm guessing that a BP/W setup will probably not suit my needs. I could use any suggestions here as my lack of experience here has me confused as to what to buy. I know that my arms will need to be free to move quite a bit, but have no idea what BCD will give me the best vertical buoyancy as not many people talk about that at all.

How do you fill your tanks? One of my partners is going to be a volunteer firefighter/rescue diver and will eventually have unlimited access to their fill station, but it would be nice to have our own ability to fill our tanks. I've looked into setting up our own and also some older systems listed here and on eBay, but either way it's a large expense. Do you have any knowledge in this area that you could share?

If you have any other suggestions or recommendations for gear or anything else that I may be forgetting, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Keith

 

[hullscrubber]

Using tanks is a safe choice, but you can still use a hookah hose with your regular scuba gear. I see a lot of new guys wearing their tanks, and 1) it can really mark up the bottom of a boat when your tank/tank valve scrapes it and 2)wearing a tank for several hours a day, 5-6 days a week will play hell with your back and shoulders. If you really want to wear a bc while cleaning boats, try an "old school" horsecollar. They will hold you in a perfect position to work on the underside of a boat, you can wear them with or without a tank, and you can find them for dirt cheap used. They also make great little lift bags for lifting props into place. I would look into getting a "bulk rate"for your air fills from your local shop. Air quality is something you want to be sure of, especially since you will be breathing so much of it off tanks.

 

[grouchyturtle]

Anyone know if it's possible to do this kind of work in the Caribbean?

I'm not looking to get rich. I'm a full-time live aboard, who wants to escape the snow and the cubicle. With the huge reduced cost of living while living on the hook, this seems like a great way to make money. I'd guess in the Caribbean there would be less regulations, less competition (I'd think more local divers would be instructors than doing this kind of work), and much easier because of the number of boats on moorings or an anchor instead of a slip.

 

[fstbttms]

Anyone know if it's possible to do this kind of work in the Caribbean?

I'm not looking to get rich. I'm a full-time live aboard, who wants to escape the snow and the cubicle. With the huge reduced cost of living while living on the hook, this seems like a great way to make money. I'd guess in the Caribbean there would be less regulations, less competition (I'd think more local divers would be instructors than doing this kind of work), and much easier because of the number of boats on moorings or an anchor instead of a slip.

The number of hull cleaners goes up exponentially with the temperature of the water. The nicer the dive conditions are, the greater the number of people that are willing to do it. Expect lots of competition in the Carribean.

Sorry for ressurecting an old thread.

 

[grouchyturtle]

That's not entirely true. This is what I heard, from someone who has been cruising full time for about 6 years now, while working wherever he stops.

1. Most tour operators do all their own work.
2. Other cruisers won't pay, and will think your a douche if you ask for money, but cruisers tend to help each other out. So, although you won't make any money, you scrub a few hulls, and in exchange, someone helps you with a task or a repair on your boat.
3. Mega yachts! That's where you can make a few $$$. They don't do any of their own work...and we are charging by the foot.

 

[fstbttms]

Are you actually there, doing hull cleaning now?