For boat owners
Dilapidation and fouling of the underwater part of the vessel are the main causes of the increase in the roughness of the boat hull, which has a great impact on increasing the frictional resistance of the ship.
The share of frictional resistance in the total friction of the ship, in slow ships, can be up to 90%.
The mucus that is on the surface of the hull increases the resistance by 1-2%, seagrass increases it by 10%, while the shells on the bottom can increase it by as much as 40%.
Overgrowth not only causes higher frictional resistance but also reduces the ship’s maneuverability and increases fuel consumption which causes an increase in harmful gas emissions.
In order for the boat owner to achieve the highest possible economic efficiency of the vessel, it is extremely important for him to reduce the friction of the boat, and thus the fouling on the underwater part of the hull.
Drive-In BoatWash boat maintenance concept
As with all other mechanical methods of cleaning the boat hull in water, the basic idea of this method is to keep the boat clean throughout the year, thus ensuring constant optimal performance of the boat.
Therefore, in order to achieve the best results, regular cleaning is recommended.
The boat should be cleaned as soon as you notice the first fouling of the hull.
This will stop the fouling at the beginning and prevent further accumulation of marine organisms.
Regular cleaning will ensure that the boat is constantly clean.
A clean hull also means optimal performance – it will be able to reach the highest possible speeds with lower fuel consumption.
How often should you clean the hull of your boat?
To achieve optimal boat performance, hull cleaning is desirable as soon as the first fouling accumulates, usually every 4-12 weeks.
There are a significant number of factors that affect the frequency of cleaning, among which the most important are:
- Geographical location
- Regional variations
- Water temperature
- Water salinity
- Frequency and duration of boat use
- Boat speed
Boats that are used frequently will have much fewer fouling on the hull than boats that are moored. Higher boat speed will also help with hull fouling.
Due to the heat of the sea in the summer months, the fouling on the hull grows much faster. On the other hand, in the summer months, boats are used much more globally, which cleans the boats from fouling.
The speed of fouling also depends on the material of construction and the hull shape , as well as on the method of maintenance (regularity, types of coatings ..)
Which boats can be cleaned with Drive-In Boatwash: BIGWASH 16?
BIGWASH 16 machines clean the vast majority of motor boats and sailboats up to 16 meters long, up to 5 meters wide and draft up to 2.4 meters, with a few exceptions.
See the exact specifications and see if we can clean the hull of your boat!
Drive-In Boatwash and heavily overgrown boats
As previously mentioned, the best results of Drive-In Boatwash machines are achieved with their regular use, as soon as the first signs of fouling are visible.
But that doesn’t mean that even fully overgrown boats can’t be cleaned with Drive-In Boatwash machines.
The result of the cleaning will depend on the accumulations on the hull of the boat.
The vast majority of fouling, even the most stubborn, will be removed from the hull of the boat, which will greatly improve the performance and fule consumption of the boat!
Experience so far tells us that the speed of the vessel at half throttle (normal sailing) after cleaning is on average 25% higher than before.
In case the boat is very neglected and overgrown – the existing antifouling coating in most cases has already lost all its properties, so in places where the most stubborn accumulations / shells are removed, the old antifouling coating is usually removed with the shell.
Drive-In Boatwash and antifouling coatings
Drive-In Boatwash technology completely eliminates the need to use toxic antifouling coatings. In Scandinavia, the use of toxic coatings is completely banned in many marinas and stimulates the transition to vessel maintenance by regular mechanical cleaning of the hull.
Advantages of replacing the classic protection of the boat hull with toxic antifouling coatings with a new program of regular hull cleaning without toxic coating (eg epoxy resin coatings):
- Better boat performance with significant fuel savings (the hull is always clean!)
- Boat hull does not need to be painted every year, but, on average, every 5-7 years (significant financial savings – the price of cranes, the price of materials / labor ..)
- No service queues
- Simple and fast service, no need to do the work your self.
- Contribution to environmental protection!
Do you still want to use antifouling coatings, but occasionally also mechanical cleaning using Drive-In Boatwash technology?
Boats with self-polishing antifouling coatings
For boats with self-polishing antifouling protection, mechanical brushes almost completely remove the protective layer. Cleaning of these boats makes sense only when the antifouling coating completely loses its properties, or, due to too long standstill, the top layer of the coating can no longer be peeled off even at the highest speeds of the boat. In both cases, there will be more and more accumulations on the vessel over time, which will result in poorer performance and higher fuel consumption.
Boats with other antifouling coatings (hard coatings)
The Drive-In Boatwash system is very suitable for cleaning boats with hard antifouling coatings. The frequency and results of cleaning depend on the specific type of coating (there is a very wide range of products of this type on the market), but the harder the coating (eg Hempel’s Hard Racing TecCel) – it is more suitable for mechanical cleaning with brushes. While soft antifouling coatings are almost completely removed by brushes, with hard antifouling coatings this usually does not happen at all. If the hard coating is applied according to the manufacturer’s recommendation (number of layers, thickness of each layer…), occasional mechanical brushing enhances antifouling protection and prolongs its duration (the boat can be completely clean for up to 3 years!). It is recommended that you clean your boat as soon as you notice increased fouling – brushing will not only remove impurities, but will also remove a couple of microns of the overgrown layer of antifouling coating, which will reactivate its protective properties!
Price of Drive-In Boatwash boat cleaning (Luka Bunarina, Pula)
The price of cleaning depends on the size of the boat and the package of services of the user’s choice (individual washing, seasonal subscription, annual subscription, propeller propeller washing…). You can see the complete price list here.