Add More Efficiency To Your Hull With Underwater Boat Cleaning Fort Lauderdale

By Joyce Cooper


Boat owners well know the effects of a fouled hull. Growth on the bottom surfaces of your hull is something which is common just like heat in summer. Other than having the smooth sliding on water, marine growth drugs the hull and lowers the speed. But with Underwater Boat cleaning Fort Lauderdale, all these setbacks can be eliminated. Also, regular clean up on the bottom of your hull can be fuel efficient as well as save maintenance costs.

Marine growth is very problematic and results in fouling. This growth is constant and usually starts within four months. Even on newly painted hulls treated with one of the best toxic paint, fouling can occur affecting the smooth slipping by the hull through the water. Again, there is an extra demand on the engines in order to maintain speed. This means there will be higher fuel consumption to maintain the speed thereby adding to the fuel cost irrespective of the size of the vessel.

washing the bottom of your hull regularly helps to maintain and increase the performance of bottom paint, and reducing the rate of reapplying new paint. Regular cleaning also promotes fuel efficiency because of a smooth and a clean bottom.

When washing your hull it is important that you use fresh water and prevent dirt build up by spot cleaning. Avoid soaps and detergents getting into the water since they can add nutrients to the water promoting the growth of algae and suppressing important oxygen for fish as well as other aquatic plants and animals. The best practice is to pull the boat to a catch basin when washing the hull. This is ideal since you can prevent harmful toxic material such as mercury, tin, lead and chromium, which are contained in ablative paints from getting into the water and posing a risk to aquatic life.

Again, when washing the vessel, a lot of care need to be taken to avoid damage on the surface of the hull. Hiring a professional diver is necessary when you want to clean underwater. Use special materials and tools to clean the hull like soft sponges. This is because any cleaning process results in a minimal paint coming out. If much paint would be removed, it would put a threat to the marine environment. However, special material produces safe results.

If you reside in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, performing hull inspection is also important when doing the underwater clean up. Check the propulsion system and the bottom surface for any damage and have them repaired. This prevents further damage and reduces maintenance costs. Grounding may damage both the hull and prop.

Waterline cleaning would be an important point to start with. This is because the waterline is often the place where stains, slime and weed growth begins and accumulates faster. You can start to clean around the waterline first, and then go an arm length deeper on the bottom surfaces. This way, the hull is cosmetically better while at the same time you will have solved other problems without putting your head under the water.

Finally, make sure you burnish and shine as much as you can the underwater metal at the start of every season. This is because the slicker and shinier it is the longer it will keep off growth resulting into fuel efficiency.




About the Author: