[UnionPacific]

I need to assemble a common group of tools i will need for my new bottom cleaning business. This is my list so far, any recommendations would be great.

scotchbrite pads
2" scraper
6" flexible scraper
2"x2"x2' piece of wood
Allen key set
flat and straight screwdriver
rubber mallet
brass hammer

anything i have missed?

 

[Seaduction]

Underwater cleaning?

 

[Gladrags1]

We need some more detail about your proposed business. The scope of your venture. Are you planning on cleaning the boat when out of the water or in? Most marinas powerwash the bottom when the boat is hauled so that would cut into your business. Are you looking to clean big yachts or day sailors (who wouldn't get power washed necessarily). If cleaning on land, you might want a portable power washer yourself. If you are cleaning in the water, snorkel gear at the least.

I am assuming the Allen wrench set is to change zincs, correct? Then a ball peen hammer is helpful to give the zincs a whack to set them.

You might want a long handled scraper to remove barnacles.

Probably more items will come to mind. Oh, here's one: a plastic drop cloth to catch the stuff as many areas are starting to regulate what happens to the runoff from bottom cleaning. You should check on regs in your area too.

Good luck!

Tod


Mandolin, Bayfield 36 out of Rock Creek, Chesapeake Bay.

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[Minnewaska]

Diving? A suction device to hold yourself in place is useful. Scotchbrite can be harsh, especially on ablatives. You want the softest scrub medium possible for the growth. Lanyards on everything.

 

[MarkSF]

I need to assemble a common group of tools i will need for my new bottom cleaning business. This is my list so far, any recommendations would be great.

scotchbrite pads
2" scraper
6" flexible scraper
2"x2"x2' piece of wood
Allen key set
flat and straight screwdriver
rubber mallet
brass hammer

anything i have missed?

The fact that you're about to go steaming in with scotchbrite pads is scary. Try reading this :

http://www.coastal.ca.gov/nps/in-water-hull-cleaning-3-14-2012.pdf

You're supposed to be cleaning most paints with soft carpet.

 

[UnionPacific]

Sorry, this will be underwater. Basing the scotchbrites on what I have seen used to clean bottoms by pros who do them now. they come in many grits, from soft to ultra heavy duty.

suction device sounds great!!! thank you.

 

[miatapaul]

You will likely want a hooka or scuba tanks. But hooka is likely easier. You w ill want to make sure you are up to date on the regulations in your area. Yet are more likely to come after a new operator.

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[UnionPacific]

You will likely want a hooka or scuba tanks. But hooka is likely easier. You w ill want to make sure you are up to date on the regulations in your area. Yet are more likely to come after a new operator.

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Going with tanks. Hooka is far too costly. I will plan to buy at least 4 tanks. Eventually we will get a dive compressor for our own use.

 

[hellosailor]

I would suggest that four tanks, each requiring VIP and hydro certifications, and having them filled someplace, and commuting to get the fills, and the inevitable "Oh, your tank isn't ready, can you come back Tuesday?" are going to cost way more than a hookah will. And a small dive compressor chews through consumables, like filters, making it more expensive than shop fills. Just make sure you have considered everything when you run your numbers, especially those "consumables" and extra trips because the tanks weren't filled.

Cheapest source for ScotchBrite used to be from janitorial supply houses. They sell it for floor scrubbing machines in large discs (wheels) that are way cheaper than the small pads you buy elsewhere. But using ScotchBrite for bottom cleaning is getting slammed everywhere, even in Practical Sailor this month.

 

[UnionPacific]

I would suggest that four tanks, each requiring VIP and hydro certifications, and having them filled someplace, and commuting to get the fills, and the inevitable "Oh, your tank isn't ready, can you come back Tuesday?" are going to cost way more than a hookah will. And a small dive compressor chews through consumables, like filters, making it more expensive than shop fills. Just make sure you have considered everything when you run your numbers, especially those "consumables" and extra trips because the tanks weren't filled.

Cheapest source for ScotchBrite used to be from janitorial supply houses. They sell it for floor scrubbing machines in large discs (wheels) that are way cheaper than the small pads you buy elsewhere. But using ScotchBrite for bottom cleaning is getting slammed everywhere, even in Practical Sailor this month.

I am finding AL80's for $35 each, plus hydros and vip and fill for $30. after that my dive shop fills them the same day. $5 each. We will not use the compressor until we are far from America.

 

[Minnewaska]

Most pros use a hookah. Must tell you something.

 

[UnionPacific]

If i did, i would use a normal gas compressor. but i do not know enough about it yet, and have to build a clientele before spending any more big money. I already bought a bigger dinghy, and 10hp engine, a full scuba set with 7MM wet suit, and now i am buying tanks.

 

[GeorgeB]

So, the “professional” divers who first use the Scotch Bright – are they also receiving commissions on the boats they are bringing in for new bottom paint at the boatyards? Guys like me who are on a regular cleaning schedule have our boats cleaned with carpet. Scotch Bright is used for cleaning props and shafts only. If you encounter a really bad bottom then the scrapper is handy to pop off the oyster shells.

What is the wood, mallet and hammer for? I just use a screwdriver for popping off an old zinc. What do bottom jobs go for in Florida? Interesting way to generate cash while cruising. As a transient, how will you develop your client base? Bulletin Boards? If you are a transient, will you be able to put clients on a regular cleaning schedule? And what happens to the business when you move on?

 

[UnionPacific]

So, the "professional" divers who first use the Scotch Bright - are they also receiving commissions on the boats they are bringing in for new bottom paint at the boatyards? Guys like me who are on a regular cleaning schedule have our boats cleaned with carpet. Scotch Bright is used for cleaning props and shafts only. If you encounter a really bad bottom then the scrapper is handy to pop off the oyster shells.

What is the wood, mallet and hammer for? I just use a screwdriver for popping off an old zinc. What do bottom jobs go for in Florida? Interesting way to generate cash while cruising. As a transient, how will you develop your client base? Bulletin Boards? If you are a transient, will you be able to put clients on a regular cleaning schedule? And what happens to the business when you move on?

I do not know. they were using the heavy duty ones thou.

The wood is for barnacles. Its softer on the bottom paint then a scraper. I was only going to use the scraper on the prop or hull if it was heavily fouled. the mallet is for knocking off zincs that are stuck, and the hammer is for a lightly bent prop.

 

[Minnewaska]

If i did, i would use a normal gas compressor. .....

Not sure what you mean by that. You need a high volume, low pressure oil-less air compressor. The pros build their own set ups pretty inexpensively.

The obvious advantage is not needing to refill tanks, but I think the freedom to move around without the tank on your back is as much the reason. Hull cleaning can be much more exhausting than some think.

 

[UnionPacific]

Not sure what you mean by that. You need a high volume, low pressure oil-less air compressor. The pros build their own set ups pretty inexpensively.

The obvious advantage is not needing to refill tanks, but I think the freedom to move around without the tank on your back is as much the reason. Hull cleaning can be much more exhausting than some think.

I am a long way from building my own hooka. I would rather spend the cash on a compressor for our world trip.

 

[hellosailor]

So you're getting old Alu 80's, presumably out of hydro, for $35 (a steal) and for an additional $30 getting them hydro'd VIP'd and filled? A steal, simply a steal, at a total of $65 for a freshly hydro'd tank, with regulator, filled.

By the way, the only "law" about tanks is from the DOT, and the DOT require all tanks to be VIP'd before the hydro test is performed, by the hydro technician. The dive industry pretends you still need a dive shop VIP (or more, for aluminum tanks from a certain age) even on a new tank, but the fact is that under federal law, if the tank has been hydro'd, it has also been VIP'd. The duplicate VIP is one of many common rip-offs by hungry dive shops. But then again, most would charge you more than $30 just for the hydro anyhow.

Presumably you are SCUBA certified...you'll find most shops won't fill tanks without seeing a C-card.

You might also want two mallets, or two mauls, to set zincs. I've found that you really need to hit 'em from both sides at once in order to set them tightly, or else they tend to work loose from the shaft. Hit 'em from one side only, and they just go back and forth.

 

[Fstbttms]

I need to assemble a common group of tools i will need for my new bottom cleaning business. This is my list so far, any recommendations would be great.

scotchbrite pads
2" scraper
6" flexible scraper
2"x2"x2' piece of wood
Allen key set
flat and straight screwdriver
rubber mallet
brass hammer

anything i have missed?

I've been cleaning boat bottoms for almost twenty years. Here's a basic tool kit:

3M Doodlebug pads and holders
Suction cup
3M wire brush w/scraper
6" scraper
5-in-1 tool
Flathead screwdriver
Philips screwdriver
Allen wrench sets- SAE & metric
16oz. claw hammer
Pliers
18" pipe wrench
Vice Grips

Ditch the lumber, mallet and brass hammer. You won't need any of them, at least not for the uses you have in mind.

 

[Fstbttms]

The fact that you're about to go steaming in with scotchbrite pads is scary. Try reading this :

http://www.coastal.ca.gov/nps/in-water-hull-cleaning-3-14-2012.pdf

You're supposed to be cleaning most paints with soft carpet.

So, the "professional" divers who first use the Scotch Bright - are they also receiving commissions on the boats they are bringing in for new bottom paint at the boatyards? Guys like me who are on a regular cleaning schedule have our boats cleaned with carpet. Scotch Bright is used for cleaning props and shafts only.

The hull cleaner's choice of cleaning media is based primarily on two factors; paint condtion and cleaning frequency. And in California, unless the paint is in great condition and being cleaned monthly or better, a piece of carpet just simply isn't going to do the job. Both George and Mark are clients of mine and they both have their boats cleaned quarterly. While both of them would benefit from having their bottoms cleaned more frequently, I don't think either of them would complain that I have been scrubbing their paint off prematurely and that they aren't getting long life from their anti fouling paints. It might shock them to know I have never used anything but 3M Doodlebug pads to clean their hulls. In fact, the California Coastal Commission Best Management Practices document to which Mark provided a link specifies that frequent cleaning and both carpet or pads are acceptable. I quote:

Clean monthly or when sufficiently fouled to prevent abrasive scrubbing with inappropriate pads (soft white pad or carpet is preferable.)

To the OP I say; always use the least abrasive cleaning media possible to get the job done. This is the heart of any hull cleaning BMP. Know that relatively frequent, gentle cleaning will keep the paint on the hull, where it belongs. Less frequent, more abrasive cleaning means shortening the paint's lifespan. But this is, in large part, not your call to make. It's the boat owner's dime and his boat to maintain. The best you can do is to try to steer him in the right direction.

 

[rcontrera]

I love it that a pint is an important tool!!