Challenge: Bloody Barnacles . . .

[SaltyMonkey]

I was thinking maybe you could rig a fresh water hose over the side of the boat and keep a spray on the barnies to help erradicate trouble spots. Not sure what the water bill would be.

[Waltermorl]

I see a new 12VDC tool called a Waveblade. Made by some Scottish guy. It looks like several different blades that resemble a putty knife. It's suppose to be able to go 5-6 ft underwater. I'm wondering if anyone has used it or seen one being used?

Walter

[zeehag]

when i have to cut barnies off my formosa i use a plastic scraper-- does a great job and no damage to hull. or to thru hulls.....

[E.L.Green]

there was something i saw online like a floating pen that you drive the boat into, then close behind you. it surrounds the boat with a heavy duty plastic type deal by floating on the surface and floats free under the hull. the theory behind it is that with no moving current around the hull, it will keep growth from forming or at least reduce the effects.

[zeehag]

that floating pen thing also provides ability to add chlorine to the water to kill off unwanted stuff, but then , when done, it all goes back into sea and chlorine kills fishies.....why not just have a diver scrape em off once monthly--or go sailing more often??

[avb3]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

was also going to suggest the fresh water idea, but also the bleach

I have no doubt bleach will work, but it's not exactly environmentally friendly at all.

I wonder if borax would be equally effective? It's often used in place of bleach.

[zeehag]

remember the easiest thing to do is the most unthunkof thing--- try a diver or dive it yerself. scrapes em right off. they WILL grow again. how much crap do we HAVE to add to the sea to make all fishiees dead and gone????

[avb3]

Originally Posted by zeehag

remember the easiest thing to do is the most unthunkof thing--- try a diver or dive it yerself. scrapes em right off. they WILL grow again. how much crap do we HAVE to add to the sea to make all fishiees dead and gone????

Agreed. Borax is natural and non-polluting, bleach is not.

People often think "My little bit of xyz compound won't matter, even if I know it is wrong".

That thought process results in overbearing laws that are then enforced by the groups such as the Florida "potty police".

[zeehag]

i dont like the overbearing laws made to protect anything--i think commomn sense rules....and ANY chemical placed into sea is not normal and does damage to sea life-- should be rethunk to include simple stuff and easy stuff that has always done the job-wont ever be a forever cure without killing stuff--- if it kills growth on boat, will kill critters in sea. makes sense to me. i use3 a diver, and i do my own waterline-- right now stuff is being eaten off my boat by wonderful fishies and i dont have to use a diver except for thru hull cleaning


i LOVE chemicals--was raised by a chemical engineer-and i DO spray bugs, but i dont add to the sea to specifically kill life --except withmy bottom paint. if barnacles grow despite paint, mebbe paint is old and dead. until haul, i use divers and scrapers. other fishies eat barnacles...makes a good end to em until we kill off the fishies that eat em.

kali has potty police also--is called uscg--i met them onmy boat on my mooring--they brought a goggie and skeeereded my gato. not cool.

[Jim Cate]

G'Day all,

Won't get into the environmental argument here, but I do remember that "boat bags" were quite popular in the SF bay area back in the 70's. Popular for a while, and then the owners found that while their yachts were clean, the bags soon developed growth on the outside... lots of growth, since they had no antifouling on them. Within a shockingly short time they had such a weight of barnies and shell on them that they began to sink. Turns out that getting them out of the water so that they could be scraped was a bitch of a job, and finding somewhere to do it was awkward.

They slowly disappeared from the marinas.

Now, as to using bleach... does not sodium hypochlorate rapidly decompose when mixed into seawater? My ill-remembered chemistry says it should.

Cheers,

Jim

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Waltermorl

I see a new 12VDC tool called a Waveblade...

➥ Waveblade: World's First Power Barnacle Remover | Waveblade

[Billy Higgins]

For the most productive use of your time underwater getting the barnacles removed, concentrate on removing the ones on the stem and cutwater, and also the leading edge of your keel, and (if you have one) the leading edge of your skeg/spade rudder. Having clean leading edges makes a big difference.

[Waltermorl]

Originally Posted by GordMay

➥ Waveblade: World's First Power Barnacle Remover | Waveblade

Yes that's it. Wow I thought I heard waterproof but the ad shows up to 15 ft underwater. I would imagine the vibration helps out quite a bit. I sure would like to hear from someone who has used it.

As far as chlorine in the water .............. Let's not go there, if it's not biodegradable and green don't put it in our ocean.

Walter

[MarkJ]

We better be careful about whats environementally friendly or not. Bleach is fine. If you need to pop a search into Google.

One wouldnt think its ok but it is.

[svcambria]

I use windshield ice scrappers for the hull, work well, float if you let go, cheap at any auto store. For snorkel use, I tie a line from one stanchion to its counterpart on the other side of the boat, passing under the keel; I hold on to this line while scraping, keeps me from pushing myself away from the hull, stops the effect of currents, and I don't have to fight to get down deep or stay there... I move the line from one stanchion to the next, cleaning vertical rings of the hull... And, a little bit at a time. In Mexico in the summer, cleaning the hull is actually something to look forward to as it is a lot nicer in the water than out of it...

Michael