Hull cleaning; Barnacles? We don't need no stinkin' barnacles!

[Gerald A. Gotts]

I'm not sure this  question is in the right area .  My apologies if it is not.  I can't keep using the " I'm new here " excuse.  I am a certified Scuba diver and want to plan on making "some" money when I finally cut those dock lines.  I thought, hey,everybody has a bottom and everyone needs their bottom cleaned once in a while so why not me?  Has anyone had this experience.  I understand not all areas allow cleaning because of the minute particles of paint that could enter the water.  I don't quite understand this cuz, what do they do with the really big boats.  They don't haul them out once a year.  Sorry, I've gotten off the subject.  I don't require as much info. about how to do this (as I've done some of it ) but rather will I get much work if I am really competitive?  This will be mainly in  and around Florida with trips into the Caribbean  and Bahamas.

[s/v Faith]

Gerald,

  I have dove my own boat, as well as serving as the diver for my marina when I was in NC.  It can be a great way to make a couple dollars. 

  There are usually folks in any marina or area that are the 'established' go to guys... many divers charge more then folks want to pay.... but you are going ot be the 'unknown' so some may not want to go with someone they do not know.  It is sad too, because some of the 'professional' divers rip folks off regularly.  The dirty little secret many divers will dive on a stinkpot and do nothing more then scrub the prop, shafts, struts, & rudders and the boat will run so much better the owners never know that they did not scrub the entire hull. 

  Most cruisers will at least have a mask, and will be willing to scrub their hull or props in warm / clear water.  Where you are likely to do better is in cooler climes or less clear water.  The live aboard power boaters in marinas with dirty water are a good bet too.  They usually don't want their zinks to go bad, but don't want to pay for a haul out.  The marina I was in had zero vis most of the time... and alligators to boot.  :o

  Invest in some simple tools, a good set of scrapers (plastic for most hulls, metal for really bad jobs... but be careful with the metal ones.  I like the scrub pads mounted on a plastic handle... they can remove slime and you can knock off barnacles with he plastic handle.  I like those multi scrapers for struts, shafts, and props.  They work great.

  It is worth while to invest in a couple good Allen keys with screwdriver handles.  I have had a heck of a time using regular Allen's and forget about anything with a magnetic tip... sure to drop out when you need it.  If you carry a few common zinks (shat zinks) you may pick up some extra business.

  Of course your gear is gonna get abused diving boats.  My stuff is pretty ratty anyway so it was not a big concern for me.  Your BC will get chafed, and your wet suit will get stained with bottom paint.  Of course you can some times just float a tank if the water is shallow... remember though they are paying you to dive.. If you contract to dive and show up with a mask folks may not be as willing to pay...

  Your onboard gear may be a bit more involved... renting tanks will not be as valid of an option.  If you are gonna be ready to dive when the opportunity presents you are going to have to carry at least one tank with you.  I keep a pair of 30's onboard, at the shallow depths you are working you should be good for a long dive on a 30 or other pony bottle.  I once scrubbed every inch of a 50' cat, changed zinks, and cleaned the running gear on a 30... and I had already done another dive on that tank before earlier in the day.

  Of course there will be lots of reasons why not to do this... some will cite the laws against working in foreign ports.  Keep this in mind when / if you try to do it.  Be discrete, or maybe work out some kind of barter for your services... all in all I would say that it is a great tool to have in your bag... both for money making and for maintaining your own ship.

OBTW, you might want to check out this thread;

  SCUBA and the small boat Sailor
   

[s/v Faith]

Here is an example of the type of scraper I like to use for running gear.

The second picture is of the Star Brite scrubber pad set that I use.  3M also makes one, but be careful and only use the least agressive one you need.  The Black one they sell as a BBQ scrubber will strip ablative bottom paint in seconds.  :P

[Lynx]

Always wear a wet suit and you may want to get a honka. Don't piss off the marina, check in first.

Be careful of your first boat. Get somebody easy to please.

[CharlieJ]

I did that when I was cruising- 25 years ago. But forget scuba. It isn't really practical in far ports and anchorages due to the need to frequently refill tanks.

I had Hookah gear, which is what I suspect Lynx mean when he said "honka" Gas powered compressor either floating on a tube or sitting on the dock. Gave me three hours bottom time on a tank of gas. Tank and a half was all I wanted in a day, that's for sure.

I still have the gear, but I'm 67 now and I really have little interest in doing that anymore. But I dove on my own boat some months ago and had SEVEN requests right in my own marina to dive on theirs.

Ive lately used, and seen others use, the electric oil-less compressors. Those work very well for one diver shallow. I doubt they'd push air to 30 feet like my Hookah will but then diving on boat bottoms, the deepest I ever worked was 7 feet anyway.

[mjalfonsi]

OK, I wimped out again. A big rainstorm came that everyone called Hannah, so I hauled the boat out on a trailer and scooted inland about 30 miles. Turned out it probably wasn't worth the effort. But with two more storms on the horizon, I'll probably leave it in the storage yard for a couple of weeks. I think I'll replace the standing rigging while it is out.

BUT

I have a good case of barnacles on the keel (where I can't reach from the water line) and I would like to get them off without removing the expensive bottom paint the yard applied last year.

Are there any tricks other than elbow grease? Plastic scraper? Should I put anything over the bottom paint while it's out and dry?

[AdriftAtSea]

Hopefully, you used an ablative paint. Most of the hard epoxy paints become "deactivated" if left out of the water too long.  Leaving a boat in the storage yard a couple of weeks would definitely be in that "too long" time period, meaning that the bottom paint would basically be useless after that.

[Lynx]

Just scrape off, light sand and paint over with hard paint if it is hard or soft if it is soft. You might be able to get part of a gal from some yard that does bottom painting or have some left over from before.

[chris2998]

I remember a guy in High School doing this and I think he did pretty dang good with it had so many he had to turn down and he used a small scuba tank but yeah probally the floating gas device would be good except seems like I read somewhere to be careful to make sure your fresh air being pumped down to you wasn't close to the muffler of the gas motor.
goodluck
Chris