$1.25 per foot here in Punta Gorda, FL.
Zincs are not extra.
same here in St. Pete
$1.25 per foot here in Punta Gorda, FL.
Zincs are not extra.
Side question. How many are seeing equipment like the Caviblaster used in your area?
https://www.caviblaster.com/
I watched the video and it seamed like it cleaned most but not all of the growth off. If the diver spent more time in the area, it looked to be clean down to the antifouling paint. My concern would be that small amount remaining would foul faster as the bottom paint would be ineffective under the remaining growth.
Ted
One dive company here uses one and promotes it heavily. Their competitors warn against it.
I'm betting the video wasn't done on ablative paint. If the bottom had ablative it might have cleaned up better. Just wonder whether the scrub brush or that pressure blaster removes more paint.
Ted
In the winter it's about every 5 to 6 weeks. Summer...4 weeks. BTW...I use Dockside Divers & consider them to be among the very best! How do I know? They always give me a report card with each invoice and over the years when I haul out, my inspection of the bottom coincides exactly with their report.How frequently does the diver clean your hull down south Walt?
I wonder about so many on so many different bottoms. They scare me just like I'd never allow a diver to carry a scraper of any type. We spend a lot on bottom cleaning but not nearly as much as many do on bottom painting. Soft brush and frequent.
We don't use ablative.
If you need a scraper, you waited too long. Although I do need a putty knife to clean some of the running gear. I don't travel fast enough for propspeed to be effective. So there are always a few barnacles to knock off. Plastic putty knife works well.
Ted
I hear people talk about scraping their hull and it makes me very uncomfortable.
If you know what you're doing, it's actually not bad. It's done in the boatyard with a garden edging tool sort of like a straight hoe. There're purposely dull and slid along the hull at the correct angle to nock off the barnacles without disturbing the bottom paint. Kind of like removing roof shingles without messing up the plywood underneath. If the user doesn't know what he's doing, you'll know how thick your barrier coat and bottom paint was.
Ted
So far, never been necessary for us and our bottom paint has lasted so very well.
Preventive maintenance almost always is easier and cheaper than repair.
Ted
I know people, even in our area, who just say they don't want to pay for diving and they'll haul, scrape and paint annually. Even if that saved money, I feel that it has to shorten the life of whatever (gel or paint) is under the bottom paint and it can greatly reduce performance.
Maybe this one is just us but we like a clean boat and that includes the bottom.
Do any of your bottom cleaners provide a video (like a gopro) of the job? I had some pilings wrapped recently by "professionals" and they wrapped the top 5 feet, but left the bottom 2 feet naked. I guess they didn't expect an owner to dive the pilings.
One dive company here uses one and promotes it heavily. Their competitors warn against it.
And for a completely different approach, here in Campbell River we have a drive in hull cleaning operation. It is not cheap - $5/and change per foot to over 40 feet.
It doesn't change anodes or clean running gear, thru-hulls, transducers etc. Plus, you have to drive the boat there to have the work done. And it's expensive to boot? How is that an improvement over having a human do the actual work?
Yes, that's it. I've watched it clean a couple of hulls and it seems to do a good job. The operator has a go-pro on a pole which he uses to show the before and after images. There are vertical panels underwater that contain the grime and anti fouling that is washed off the hull. Not sure how they collect it post wash though.
It doesn't change anodes or clean running gear, thru-hulls, transducers etc. Plus, you have to drive the boat there to have the work done. And it's expensive to boot? How is that an improvement over having a human do the actual work?
Here in NC a good diver is about 1/4 of that. But that's for monthly cleanings, including the running gear and the occasional zinc replacement. If the bottom hasn't been tended to and is in bad shape, the first one is going to be a lot more.