Easiest way to remove barnacles?

Question

Easiest way to remove barnacles?

Answer 1

assuming your vessel is kept in a wet slip then the best way is to have a professional clean your bottom.  Usually when the water is warmer and/or high in salinity it needs to be done once a month.  the easiest way to prevent heavy build up is to run the boat often, meaning take it out at cruising speed once a week or so.  There are alot of hull cleaner divers out there so ask around...you'll find alot of them you do not want under your boat.  Then ask the one you pick for references.  Also, be there when he is cleaning your boat and watch the water.  You should not see a milky cloud in the water, if you do then stop him, the anti-fouling paint is being taken off.  Ask him to clean your through hull fitting intakes for your engines AND AC/heat.  Also, most will replace your zincs when needed for just the cost of the new ones.  A 3" scrapper is usually used for the props, rudders and other hardware and just a brush should be needed on the hull if it is well maintained.  And as always, boats are meant to be used....if they sit and look pretty you will have higher repair/maintenance costs..

Answer 2

There's no easy way. But I always powerwash to get most of them off. Then it's scraping time. I use a putty knife. The powerwasher gets a ton of them off though.

Answer 3

putty knife and a little determination be a man and really work to get your boat into the shape you want it it will make you proud to have accomplished such a task

Answer 4

There really is no "easy way" short of sandblasting. I always ended up scraping em off by hand, with the help of a lot of friends, and a lot of beer to motivate them.

Seriously, I learned that having the hull cleaned, in the water, once a month, by a diver using the proper brushes, coupled with a good "anti fouling" paint, prevents the formation of barnacles by removing them when they first attach and are not yet formed into the hard shells.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Hi there

There is as said before no real "easy" way of removing the troublesome lil buggers, but from the hundreds of boats I have hauled out of the water to clean I have found that sandblasting will provide the absolute best finish after the job is done. There are two basic types to think about when blasting your boat, wet blast or dry. Both will do the job but if you are in an area with lots of cars and other valuable things close by wet blasting has no dust to travel airborn and ruin there cars etc. with the paint being taken off of the bottom. Where space is available dry blasting seems to be the quicker of the two. Good luck to ya and hope this helps you out.

Answer 6

the easiest way i found was to put a scrapper in each of my kids hands and told them that if the barnacles were not removed the excess weight of them would cause the boat to sink and if that happens no more fun on the boat

Answer 7

scrape them off with a flat bladed shovel or ice chopper, then use Mary Kate eez off and wash the bottom.

Answer 8

Take your boat out of the water for a week or two.   They will all die.   Better yet, put your boat in fresh water- they will die and not be so dried out and hard to get off.

Answer 9

with a barnacle remover