Pressure washers

[Bristolfashion]

Was every yachtie given a pressure washer for Xmas? Have Temu been giving one away free?

The sound of the marinas isn't tinkling halyards, seagulls or the singing of drunken sailors - it's pressure washers from dusk to dawn.

Can no-one wield the humble deck brush any more?

On a denizen of this marina discovering our tragic, pressure washer less state - he offered to lend us one! I'm not sure that the delicate balance of dirt, crumbling sealant and duct tape that keeps our 42 year old pride & joy dry could withstand such an onslaught!

Surely teak replacement merchants ready the cash till when they hear the poorly wielded washer start up.

As for the bloke who appears intent on sanding his 29' yacht down to 25' .........!

 

[johnalison]

Just give me your email and bank details and I'll warn you when I start polishing.

 

[Boathook]

Pressure washer seems to be only thing that shifts the green muck that has accumulated over the winter. This year has been very bad where I am.

On a positive point of view, it finds leaks before you go to sea !

 

[DanTribe]

When a guy gets a jet washer he can clean an area in 4 hours that used to take him 30 minutes with a bucket and brush.

 

[Stemar]

Pressure washer seems to be only thing that shifts the green muck that has accumulated over the winter. This year has been very bad where I am.

On a positive point of view, it finds leaks before you go to sea !

They're also very good at finding voids in the gelcoat

 

[colind3782]

Illegal to wash boats at all in Catalunya at the moment, never mind with a pressure washer!

 

[ctva]

What's this boat cleaning lark that is being discussed?

That's what rain and wind does!

 

[littledancersadhu]

Found my working pressure washer in a skip!

 

[ChromeDome]

Wouldn't an owner be the first to worry about damaging the boat?

I have two high pressure washers and some accessories for various uses. One is old and light enough to carry, the other is a 42 kg thing on wheels, with a 12m hose. I don't find it difficult to chose the right tool or pressure setting for the task and the one with built-in water heater (warm, not steam) really makes a difference when the feature is turned on.

Noise wise it emits up to 75 dB. Not very different from random orbital sanders, dual action polishers, sanders, angle grinders and whatever else people use. Or people firing up their outboard motors on the hard.

Granted, a bucket of water and a sponge are less noisy.

 

[Mudisox]

I find that the water is the key. Green growth around the deck is best left to a bucket of free salt water and a brush, sometimes sided by a rotating firm plastic brush in awkward places. However the pressure washer is needed below the waterline and fresh water used as I think that the salt water will not be good for the pump. Maybe it is the salt and sunshine that does the trick.

 

[Graham376]

What's this boat cleaning lark that is being discussed?

That's what rain and wind does!

Not where we are, rain seems to dump half the Sahara on it.

 

[Skylark]

What's this boat cleaning lark that is being discussed?

That's what rain and wind does!

Plus, a good beat to windward in a lively sea should do the trick.

 

[Bristolfashion]

I'm beginning to think, from our observations here, that there are 3 groups of boat owners with very little overlap,

1. Boat Cleaners - owners of pressure washers, scrubbing tools of every description and every cleaning chemical in the chandlery (and a few that are banned under UN convention). Scared to go sailing 'cos the boat might get dirty - and, anyway, it would interrupt the cleaning schedule.

2. Fixer uppers - arrive at boat at 6am, switch on a range of power tools until midnight. No sailing here 'cos the boat is in pieces & half is back home in the garage anyway.

3. Sailors. Basically drunk pirates who haven't noticed that half the bits on their filthy boat are missing/broken/hanging on by a thread.

 

[BobnLesley]

What's this boat cleaning lark that is being discussed?

That's what rain and wind does!

When those let you down, there's always the getting married option; good quality wives can scrape and antifoul too.

 

[BobnLesley]

I'm beginning to think, from our observations here, that there are 3 groups of boat owners with very little overlap,

Mark me down as a 3

 

[Boathook]

I'm beginning to think, from our observations here, that there are 3 groups of boat owners with very little overlap,

1. Boat Cleaners - owners of pressure washers, scrubbing tools of every description and every cleaning chemical in the chandlery (and a few that are banned under UN convention). Scared to go sailing 'cos the boat might get dirty - and, anyway, it would interrupt the cleaning schedule.

2. Fixer uppers - arrive at boat at 6am, switch on a range of power tools until midnight. No sailing here 'cos the boat is in pieces & half is back home in the garage anyway.

3. Sailors. Basically drunk pirates who haven't noticed that half the bits on their filthy boat are missing/broken/hanging on by a thread.

I alternate between 1 and 3. 1 at the start of the season with few chemicals and then 3 onwards.

 

[Bristolfashion]

My wife likes to work at those difficult little cleaning spots on the boat with a toothbrush.

If I'm really in her good books, she'll use an old one rather than my current one!

 

[Stemar]

I alternate between 1 and 3. 1 at the start of the season with few chemicals and then 3 onwards.

For me, it's 2 and 3. Fortunately, Madame does as much of No 2as she can, and "encourages" me to do the enough of what she can't to keep Jazzcat from getting too disreputable.

 

[flaming]

The state of the boat when it was launched 2 weeks ago was unbelievable. The green was just everywhere. I've been doing the 1st clean of the season for years, and this was by far the worst. Think it was just down to how wet and mild this winter has been.

An hour with my cheapo pressure washer and all gone. Then finished the clean with a 3 hour beat from the Nab to Cowes in 30kts of breeze... Nothing cleans fibreglass quite like saltwater delivered by waves....

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Condition 3 here. Navigator says she will do more once berthed in strange parts (condition 2.5) , but apart from tidying the deck and hiding rubbish so we look smarter as we approach, she is readily seduced by ancient wine bars where real sailors lurk, fancy wine bars or creperies where they sell nice food also seafood markets or if we are anchored remotely then walks along the cliff and archeology or botany (RHS student and Orchard keeper).

I have deferred launching for the first time in 39 years to enable works to be completed, having been lead astray by Laminar Flows remodelling idea, but only deferred by a fortnight, and will launch without antifoul if needed.

So an aggregate 2.9 perhaps