Cleaning while mooring

[ghcpa9]

Any of you guys keep your boat on a mooring who clean your boat regularly? I don't have access to a dock with fresh water, was wondering what you guys do....

 

[ksgoldman]

Take a look at a Nomad 12 volt pressure washer (you can find them through Google) - Amazon has one for $39.95 at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UO5DDO (I paid over $150 when I bought mine a few years ago). It holds 3.5 gallons of water (which is enough to wash your entire boat). I carry water back and forth to my mooring in 96 ounce orange juice containers (bleach bottles would work just as well). To clean my boat I used about 5 gallons of water (three in the Nomad and two in a bucket of water with soap). I'd use the Nomad to rinse off the boat, then use a bucket of soapy water and a long handled scrub brush to wash the entire boat (hull, deck, superstructure), and then rinse it off again. Start to finish would take about 15 minutes on my old 21' boat (my new boat is a 27' so it will take longer). The Nomad worked great to give me running water. It's not high pressure (despite being called a pressure washer), but gives you about 1/2 the pressure you would get out of a regular hose. At a mooring it turned out to be a great alternative to having to bring my boat to a dock to wash it. The Nomad worked great - no complaints. There's a newer model that has a built in rechargeable battery (the one I pointed you to on Amazon is the older model).

Good luck.

Ken

 

[BobP]

I believe your model offers an optional FW washdown system.

 

[ghcpa9]

I believe your model offers an optional FW washdown system.

Yea I'm aware of that, it did not come with it. Is it even possible to have it installed after the fact fairly easily? Expensive? Didn't think it was.

Thanks Ksg, might look into something like that.

 

[ksgoldman]

My last boat was a 21' Striper (Seaswirl) Dual Console. It had as a factory option a freshwater washdown which my boat didn't come with. I had looked into installing the factory components as well as aftermarket components (like a flexible bladder storage tank and a pump). When I looked at all of the costs involved and compared it to the Nomad portable unit, I went with the Nomad. It's small enough to store on the boat and I had found it easy enough to bring water on the dinghy with me to fill it and to wash the boat.

It's not a perfect solution, but it worked.

 

[BobP]

As far as and OEM type retrofit, contact your local Grady dealer.

I don't see why the tank is not retrofittable, in case it leaks would have to be replaced (?)

Add just a washdown pump, some hoses, electric feed, fill and feed lines and fittings, and vent line and fitting. The fill fitting may be a combo fill and vent fitting too.

If you are a DIYer, go to a dealer who has your boat on display with the FW option, stick you head down back there and see where they fitted the tank, and where they located the fittings and hoses, take a camera and take photos, take notes, the dealer won't mind - ask first tell him why, then open yours up and take measurements, go to Tanks.com, for the polyethylene water tank, everything else at any marine parts supplier.

I'd say less 400 bucks DIY, 2-3x as much at dealer.

You should be able to do a final wash down of the boat for the day with less than a gallon of water, so a huge tank is not needed. When you pull the boat over to the gas station to get gas, water up at same time. Treat the FW water sys with non toxic antifreeze off season, one gallon will do it your case. If you cash and carry your gas, you can get a collapsible clear 5 gallon portable container used in camping to get the water onboard.

Good luck with the nice off season project.