Cleaning the boat using pressure washer

Rogershaw said:
Its not me I pay some one to wash my boat.

I do have a deck wash hose on deck with either fresh water or sea water but mostly use that to cool the deck in summer otherwise its just too hot to walk on in bare feet
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Oh my heart bleeds for you! :D They say we might have frost tomorrow.
 
If I had the time...

+1 to the washer. Have to be extremely careful around wood (it can remove varnish in a fraction of a second) and ropes. Does wonders with old threadmaster.
 
I think like many things it is the way the tool is used. As others have said pressure washers can do considerable damage, but always as a consequence of too higher pressure and too close to the "subject". Turn down the pressure and keep a distance and all will be fine. Put your bare foot under the lance and you will soon get the hang of it! A little higher pressure for non teak decks and that will also work a treat.
 
Mrs D and I had a yacht with non-slip surfaces and we bought numerous guaranteed cleaners and brushes to try and get the non-slip clean and none of it worked.

Then one day I used a pressure washer on it and it was amazing - instant clean.

Someone explained it as the non-slip originally was like mountain peaks, but after almost any use the sharp peaks wore off and the whole surface then resembled volcanoes. It still worked well as non-slip but dirt could collect in the top bit of the volcano (caldera?) and the caldera would be too small for a brush to get into. Hence scrubbing and cleaners had little effect whilst a pressure washer simply blasted it out.

Used on teak it removes the softer bits between the ridges, the ridges then break off when trodden on and the pattern repeats until no teak deck. I think I'd keep it clear of any electrical through deck fittings too.
 
Daedelus said:
Mrs D and I had a yacht with non-slip surfaces and we bought numerous guaranteed cleaners and brushes to try and get the non-slip clean and none of it worked.

Then one day I used a pressure washer on it and it was amazing - instant clean.
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My decks have basketweave non-slip moulded in. Scrubbing brushes work, slowly and when you use them in both directions, while a pressure washer clean it instantly. I have a fairly low powered Bosch one which can't do much damage, but I still keep it well away from teak.
 
I do own a pressure washer but have never found a need for it on the boat .
A bucket/cloths/mop and some detergent does the job.

I have a 'twist mop' which the chief officer bought. Its great for the boat as it has telescopic handle for easy storage and you wring its neck to squeeze out the water. Not sure where it was from but I would guess any hardware store or Amazon etc.
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This time of year don't even need the bucket as the boat is usually wet enough from rain. In any case the marina has cut off the water on the pontoon so the the pressure washer is redundant and even the use of the bucket would require a walk to the utility block .

A battery powered pressure washer might be useful, but I am not convinced a pressure washer of any sort is the best tool for the job.
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I use a very high pressure spray to clean off all the slime weed & shell etc once a year (usually April) before applying new antifoul and it has worked very well for the last twenty years.
I also use it once a year to clean off all the bird droppings, stains etc on the deck, but not at the same high pressure.
Works for me.
 
only time a pressure washer goes anywhere near my boat is when removing fouling , the pressure washer will terminate with extreme prejudice anything and everything not firmly attched to the hull.
 
I do use a pressure washer but only on the grp deck, particularly the nonslip bits - never on woodwork. On a previous boat it was excellent for the treadmaster.
 
I use a baby pressure washer on my decks. The pressure is high enough to do a great clean and low enough to avoid damage. Being small, it is easy to transport to and from the boat. When I am using it, I am reminded of the old TV adverts for Flash, where a mop cuts through the grime on the floor and leaves a lovely bright line as it goes. As I wave the water lance across the deck, it is so satisfying to see the before and after look. Dirt and green slime are gone in seconds.

The advantage of a pressures washer is that the jet lifts the dirt and then flushes it away. It’s a one step operation. When washing by hand, shifting the dirt after releasing it can be a bit of a chore. Now the local hosepipe ban has ended I’m due a visit to the coast where I will literally have a blast.

Here’s a pointer to the baby Nilfisk cleaner. It’s often on sale so do shop around. While other brands are available, I’ve found the yellow variety to be unreliable. I’ve both a small and a large Nilfisk pressure washer and find them both to be reliable.

MC 2C-120/520 T UK | Nilfisk
 
LiftyK said:
I use a baby pressure washer on my decks. The pressure is high enough to do a great clean and low enough to avoid damage. Being small, it is easy to transport to and from the boat. When I am using it, I am reminded of the old TV adverts for Flash, where a mop cuts through the grime on the floor and leaves a lovely bright line as it goes. As I wave the water lance across the deck, it is so satisfying to see the before and after look. Dirt and green slime are gone in seconds.

The advantage of a pressures washer is that the jet lifts the dirt and then flushes it away. It’s a one step operation. When washing by hand, shifting the dirt after releasing it can be a bit of a chore. Now the local hosepipe ban has ended I’m due a visit to the coast where I will literally have a blast.

Here’s a pointer to the baby Nilfisk cleaner. It’s often on sale so do shop around. While other brands are available, I’ve found the yellow variety to be unreliable. I’ve both a small and a large Nilfisk pressure washer and find them both to be reliable.

MC 2C-120/520 T UK | Nilfisk
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I think a small pressure washer would suit me although your Nilfisk at 27kg is no lightweight and, drawing 10 Amps, I'm not sure it wouldn't trip the power supply in the French boatyard where I keep my boat.
 
I have intentionally used my Karcher for about 10 years to try and destroy my teak cockpit to eventually be able to replace it with some synthetic product (I -next to- hate wood), it has been impossible to harm it in any way, just a couple of <10cm broken interstitial fragments have been removed , all the rest is unfortunately in very good health.
Please do tell where I can find a pressure washer which can destroy teak at the speed described in this thread. :)
 
I tend to use one , once a year to clean around engine bay and to blow off decks before boat goes back in the water. last year i used it on my Teak toe rail/ Big mistake as highlighted here. it really ruined a small area of it. Other than that there is little need to use a power washer. i always wash the decks with a soft brush that takes no time at all. Just another thing to drag along the pontoon, which I try to avoid.

Steveeasy
 
I have cleaned my cockpit teak which is 10mm thick for 10 years with no obvious ill effect. If one takes care it is perfectly Ok.However, the marina now are very insistant that owners do not use washers on the hard so the work has stooped .I now use some very old (50 + years) commercially obtained much stronger than current versions, brick cleaner.
A pressure washer is great for the edges where the aluminium toe rail meets the deck & hull & green mould collects
 
Poignard said:
I think a small pressure washer would suit me although your Nilfisk at 27kg is no lightweight and, drawing 10 Amps, I'm not sure it wouldn't trip the power supply in the French boatyard where I keep my boat.
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Oops! Well spotted. I chose the smallest available today, as that’s what mine is. Unfortunately I was mistakenly in the section covering professional machines. Let’s try again.

C 110.7-5 X-TRA UK | Nilfisk

5.1Kg :)
 
I have two pressure washers. One that is petrol driven and will cut concrete I suspect it would cut paint from the deck and ruin the hardwood capping..I use it to clean hull prior to antifouling.

The other is a tiny karcher that is great at cleaning, it is low powered and cleans without destruction. It is particularly good at getting grime and mould out of crevices... (The birds seem to love my boat)

A soft brush and detergent will do the job equally well but the small karcher is so much easier....
 
Much like there's a big difference between a wire brush wielded by Geoff Capes and a soft bristle brush in the hands of the borrowers, so is there a difference between a narrow or point jet at close range and a wide fan jet from several feet away.
 
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