Diver

Not wanting to sound like a party-pooper, but if it's within the harbour limits it's likely to be pricey as mentioned above as it will need to a commercial dive , unless you can get a "friend" to do it. I worked in the US for years where it was common-place to get divers in, but it is rare over here.

I'm not sure what the local availability around Falmouth is for your boat, but most yards do a summer special for lift & scrub which maybe worth inquiring about?
 
Graham376 said:
Maybe best to contact your local BSAC branch and see if anyone's up for it. Commercial diving would now entail a team and be more expensive than lift out.
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When I was into diving twenty years ago the BSAC was warning members to be careful about this sort of thing unless done on a genuinely - and provably - non-profit basis.

I don't know what attitudes are today (especially in Cornwall ;) ) and it can't hurt to ask, but don't be surprised if you don't get a very enthusiastic response.

Pete
 
prv said:
When I was into diving twenty years ago the BSAC was warning members to be careful about this sort of thing unless done on a genuinely - and provably - non-profit basis........
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Agreed. AIUI, current BSAC policy is now a definite "NO" for this sort of thing..
 
For many years I donned scuba gear and gave my boat a mid season scrub. It's such a lousy job that I've stopped doing it. I put lines under the hull as hand-holds and as a cleaning pattern/marker. As a recreational diver, I've spent a lot of time under water but this task almost always made me nauseous. A dedicated drying / scrubbing pile is a much better idea.
 
Skylark said:
For many years I donned scuba gear and gave my boat a mid season scrub.
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Despite my dad's best efforts with various anti-fouls, our prop still tends to have a healthy crop of barnacles by the summer. Once the water gets warm enough I breath-hold dive to scrape them off with an old chisel. Doing the whole hull that way doesn't seem feasible though, at least for someone as unfit as me ;)

Pete
 
Last summer I scrubbed the entire underwater area of my Moody 30 whilst at anchor on the River Stour - as the tide flow and better than average visibility for the East coast was quite appealing. It was quite hot weather too. It took maybe two hours with a scrubber pad and gave an excellent result. I was wearing a face mask and old diving gloves. It wasn't easy going, but neither was it that unpleasant either. I have never used a scrubbing post, the idea fills me with the fear, and I dislike the idea of paying for a mid season scrub when I can do it myself with a face mask. I hope to be able to do it again soon. I did actually do most of the waterline whilst swimming in the river Crouch through HW the other weekend, lots of jelly fish though......
 
I'm not sure of the situation in Falmouth but in Portsmouth it costs about £200 to get a professional dive outfit to clean a hull up to 37' which seems pretty reasonable to me particularly as I'd need to take a day off work or lose a day's sailing at the weekend to use a scrubbing grid.
 
Let me know where you can get the boat collected, lifted out, jet washed and returned to the mooring in Portsmouth for £200 and I'm all ears! ?
 
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Just get in the water and do it yourself using mask and snorkel. (fins if you want) Perhaps a wet suit. It can be quite pleasant and good exercise. By doing it yourself you just do as much as you can when you can. I have been doing my little boat for 38 years in the water often several times per week. But then weed grows like crazy here.
At least give it a go. You need ropes around the hull to give you something to hold on to. A strong tide flow makes it difficult. ol'will
 
William_H said:
Just get in the water and do it yourself using mask and snorkel. (fins if you want) Perhaps a wet suit. It can be quite pleasant and good exercise. By doing it yourself you just do as much as you can when you can. I have been doing my little boat for 38 years in the water often several times per week. But then weed grows like crazy here.
At least give it a go. You need ropes around the hull to give you something to hold on to. A strong tide flow makes it difficult. ol'will
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Aye, in the limpid and lukewarm water of the tropics, not the <10C opaque soup of the western approaches.
 
Graham376 said:
I'm surprised they can afford to work so cheaply. IIRC, HSE regs require a team of four - 2 in the water, 1 reserve, 1 supervisor.
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It surprised me a bit too but that's for a pukka professional outfit. I suspect they need to keep it below the cost of a haul out and it's the sort of thing they can fit around bigger jobs. There's also an awful lot of boats in the area which allows them to group jobs together. I imagine it's not too dissimilar in Falmouth and every yard will have a list of approved diving contractors.
 
Ammonite said:
It surprised me a bit too but that's for a pukka professional outfit. I suspect they need to keep it below the cost of a haul out and it's the sort of thing they can fit around bigger jobs. There's also an awful lot of boats in the area which allows them to group jobs together. I imagine it's not too dissimilar in Falmouth and every yard will have a list of approved diving contractors.
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That's a different matter to just doing one for £200. Cost six of us €150 each to inspect and service 6 moorings last year, would have been €900 for one. Four divers + supervisor + paid for police presence + license.
 
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