Boat Hull Cleaning; Equipment Needed

How do you clean the hull on a boat when it is out of the water? As a boat cleaner or detailer there are ways to speed up the process of boat hull cleaning. It is important to do a perfect job if you are to later detail the boat or put wax on it. You must protect yourself and you will need safety equipment. First, you'll want some protective equipment as you'll be using some harsh acids to remove the algae growth that accumulates on the bottom of boats. Some very strong nitrile gloves, goggles, and/or respirator are all recommended. Here are some of the best places to buy safety equipment, we have used all these companies and they are all fast, responsive and knowledgeable:

http://www.hullsafety.com/products/index.htm

http://www.micronsafety.com/page2.html

http://www.polywater.com

http://www.ahsafety.com

http://www.alimed.com

Make sure that you keep any acid from splashing up on your skin. First-aid eye kits can be purchased at: Wal*Mart, Target, ACE Hardware, K-Mart, etc. You should have a first aid kit with eye flushing fluid with you if you are going to use muratic acid or acetone. For more information on this please go to:

http://www.chargar.com/ab.htmOSHA

You'll also want to do this in an approved area where runoff can either be reclaimed using a vacu-boom system or where it can go into an approved waste area. To do a bottom wash for a boat on a trailer or on a hoist, try to get to the boat as soon as it comes out of the water. It is against the law to allow wash waste water to enter a storm drain as chances are it leads directly back to the ocean or the lake.

By Lance Winslow