How Often do You Clean Your Bottom?

[wolverine]

Our boat sits in brackish North Carolina water.  I cleaned the prop mid June, and I believe it needs it again.  How often do you clean you boats bottom and prop? 

I should add the hull looked fine in June, and the prop doesn't have any type of anti-foul on it.

[Phantom Jim]

How often to clean your boat's bottom is dependent on many factors.  Salinity, water flow and condition of the bottom paint perhaps are most important.  What you need to do you will figure out.

I have my bottom cleaned by a diver two times a year and replace the paint about every 5-7 years.  Phantom sits in Watergate Yachting Center on Clear Lake, Texas and is not high salinity, but we do get pretty good barnacle growth on occasion.

[CapnK]

Depends. (Kinda punny, that.. ;) )

Water conditions can affect it, as can the type of paint. Ask around re: paint, see what others are using with success.

It varies here from year to year. More rain, less salinity, less barnacles. And the opposite.

For example, BiL's 20' speedboat was bogging, so about 3 weeks ago I had it hauled on forklift and scraped it all clean, & she was running high 20's again. As of last week, 16mph was the best I could get from all 200 horses running at 4400 rpm's. Banner growth year, this one is...

On the good side, if rain stays the same, shrimping will be crazy this fall. :D

[wolverine]

I took a quick dive to check the prop and it has quite a bit of barnacle growth again.  I've looking for a dive service to clean the hull, but everyone I've called and left messages with haven't returned my calls. 

[Godot]

I use several coats of ablative paint, so scrubbing mostly just takes the paint off. Provided I actually use the boat I don't really need to clean the bottom between paint jobs, which is an every two or three year thing. I do have to scrub the prop at least once a year, maybe twice depending on how active I am that year. I don't replace zincs enough.

I'd love to do coppercoat, though it is expensive and it seems people either love it or hate it. It might have something to do with how its' applied. I don't know. I'd dive on it myself a couple times a year to clean it and maybe do a short haul every year or so for zinc replacement and  bottom inspection.

I'm in the upper Chesapeake.

I may have missed my opportunity for the long cruise I desire. I don't know. I should have done it when I was thirty. Now I'll be waiting until I retire.