Power washer

[wl745]

My boat is in the tropics and is coming out the water for a bottom clean,it has not been anti fouled yet!!Is it safe to use a power washer on the bottom ?Also can you use scotch scouring pads ?its a fibreglass hull .What detergent to use?

 

[rafiki_]

Power washer is fine on the hull. Be careful above the waterline. A scourer is ok if you plan to antifoul, otherwise not,as it will help organisms to adhere to the hull.

 

[AndieMac]

have a look at a thread by Warpa, currently on page 4 called "left the boat moored up, gone green......"

If she has been in tropical salt for a while, it may take a fair bit to remove what has grown.
Have the washer (at least 2000 psi) ready to go as soon as the boat leaves the water, don't let anything dry on the hull.
You may need to use a product such as K&H Gelcoat Restorer with hydrochloric acid to bleach the strain out, but follow handling instructions carefully.

I've heard some good stories recently from people having boats renovated/restored at Phuket, apparently very inexpensively, and with good skills.

 

[DavidJ]

Agree powerwash on the hull is fine and done all the time at my marina. However in the Volvo handbook it does say don't powerwash the rubber gaiters on the drive (which I'm sure they do at my marina as well!!)

 

[wl745]

cleaning up

Thanks for advice!I will have everything ready when I haul it out,only snag is getting to the bits resting on the trailer,I thought I might jack up the hull a little to get to those spots,probably rest on axle jacks.

 

[AndieMac]

I thought I might jack up the hull a little to get to those spots,probably rest on axle jacks.

If it's really bad it may need slipping to allow good access to the keel area.
If not make sure you have solid timber between the upper edge of the jack shaft and the gelcoat of the keel to prevent pressure damage.
Depending on the trailer, but have plenty of pieces of timber on stand-by to support the chines so the boat doesn't list unexpectantly as it is raised.

 

[Warpa]

You can actually buy hull wash mitts of medium or coarse. I used those cheap spounges (ones with a green scour backing) and using my sun gun they produce minimal abrasions to the hull.

There are various products on the market to aid cleaning, starbite to a very good one im told, but i used my car shampoo as it has lubricants to avoid scratching. (not the wash and wax rubbish, but a detailers choice )