Cleaning barnacles, afloat

Grehan

Grehan

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 Jun 2001
Messages
3,729
Location
Inland France + Oxon.
www.french-waterways.com
Shamefully, yesterday was first trip out for a while.
Boat speed apalling so anchored and dived under to take a look - hull reasonably clear, but prop has loads of barnacules. :-(

I have to don the wetsuit and scraper to give the thing a good going-over.

Has anybody any recommendations (other than grit teeth and get on with it!) (or get someone else to do it) to make a tricky job any easier?

Thanks folks
 
Wear some fairly stout gloves. Barnacles are incredibly sharp. I use a paint scraper on minor problems but for really thick encrustation I use a brick layers bolster. That is a wide cold chisel used for cutting bricks. The weight of it will give some enertia to smash your way through the barnacles. You will need a snorkel of course and good lungs. but it must be good exercise.
i am encouraged none of the UK boaters seem to like to get under their boat. Something to do with cold water. olewill
 
WEAR EAR PLUGS!

I won't bore you with the story about the time I was scraping barnacles and one of the little critters decided to make a new home in my ear. Wear ear plugs.
Wear ear plugs
Wear ear plugs
Wear ear plugs
Wear ear plugs
 
DON\'T wear earplugs!!!

Even just a few feet down there is increased pressure and they could be forced into your ear. The chances of a barnacle taking up residence are extremely remote!!
 
Re: DON\'T wear earplugs!!!

Just wear the cowl for your wetsuit and your ears will be fine. As a diver I would have to say never wear earplugs as you will have difficulty equalizing which is rather painfull. I use a windshield ice scraper when cleaning our boat. Less chance of scratching the prop, rudder fixtures, etc.
 
Never EVER wear solid earplugs if you might go down more than a foot or two. They will be forced into your eardrums by the pressure.

If you're frightened of creatures getting in, poke little wads of cotton-wool in (leaving enough outside to get them out afterwards) . That way the pressure can equalise without creatures getting in.

Basic BSAC training, lesson one, 1958.

Geoff
 
Thanks folks.
I was intending to put my 'balaclava' hood on anyway . . but I didn't think in keeping my bonce warm I'd also protect my ear holes. wow!

Do I need a clothes peg or one of those springy nose clips as well?
Guess I'll probably wear two layers of swimming trunks under the wetsuit. Don't want anything creeping in down there either.

Scary or what?
 
For what it's worth . .
I did an hour and a half's cleaning the other day.
1. Got legs scratched badly by a barnacle encrusted lazy line lying alongside the hull. Gloves are essential in actually attempting the job.
2. A rope passed under the hull at the prop position and with both ends tied on deck is essential to hang onto, under the water and at the surface. I weighed it down at the centre point.
3. With that in place and held onto, the prop is not too far under the surface to get to. I found that an old heavy breadknife was reasonably effective . .
4. . . . but not perfectly so. After a fair time and some results clearing barnacles, and also some old polypropylene rope, off the prop and shaft, I got tired and fed up. Other worst thing was my mask kept filling with water (fishing harbour water, bit ughh) and of course also my nose.

May try again, or bite the bullet and book in for a lift-out. Guess it's due, anyway. ;-)
 
maybe a bit late but -

anchor in a nice clear area with the prop at a nice height to work on when your feet are on the sand

weight yourself to a maximum of neutral - preferably one weight over - or put a weighted belt or similar on the sea bed under where you want to work to hook a foot under

you use a lot of energy otherwise in keeping in place

you now have 2 hands to work with, which helps enormasly in getting so pressure to bear on anything

shuld cut the job down to 20 mnutes!
 
Many good tips....I did mine along the club hard a few weeks ago, muddy Thames water, wet suit and goggles. Couldn't see a damned thing, but did most of the hull upto the turn of the bilge. Agree you need ropes to pull you under, and I was wearing a Kayaking buoyancy aid. Used Marigolds and a wide paint scraper. Bestway though is to go aground about an hour before low water, wear outdoor sandals, then you can walk around the boat and it's dead easy!! make sure the sea bed is flat and hard...
 
Probably no good for propellors, but I remember reading somewhere that the small size Fray Bentos pudding tins (empty of course) are very effective for scraping the hull. Always assuming you can keep hold of them!:D
 
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