Date: 9 December 2021 Daddy's Bottom Scraper.

© janice142
 

Growing up aboard our 40'er, it was my job to keep the bottom of the boat clear of barnacles, grass, and gunk. This was not a favorite chore. Once I even tried to "lose" the scraper. That was unsuccessful as my folks had rather rigid ideas about taking care of tools. Repeated diving relocated the missing torture device.
 

This is the scraper Daddy made out of stainless steel more than a half century ago.

 

Perhaps calling a barnacle scraper a Torture Device is a slight exaggeration. To be perfectly fair about the matter, diving with a mask and fins to remove bottom growth is not a whole lot of fun.
 

Suffice it to say, I currently hire a young fellow to do the job for me. Seaweed's underside, including running gear and through-hulls are cleaned once per month year round. I told you about how great my diver is in the To the Boatyard article.

Check out this fancy bottom, courtesy of Craig Edwards Dive Services in Gulfport, FL.

Craig's phone number is 727-394-9043 ... without a doubt I have been pleased.
 

But I digress...
My scraper is sharp. Originally  the main edge had been beveled on both sides. Then I loaned it to a fellow boater who "helped" me by sharpening it on only one side. The scraper does not perform as well now.

DO NOT EVER TAMPER WITH SOMEONE'S TOOLS.
 

Daddy made this tool. The scraper portion is an offset triangle 1/8" (3mm) thick. This allowed me to get into those nooks and crannies of thru-hull covers to clean them out. The handle is a leftover from a bow-rail project.
 

A half-century later I try to do the same thing: use what I have on hand before looking to purchase something new. Rather than buy more I am attempting to utilize what I have at hand. There are of course exceptions...

For instance, this year I purchased a new wall sticker for my cabin. This is what I bought:

I love these fuzzy looking little critters. They are silly, plus they make me smile.

Yes, gearing up for the holiday season is in full swing aboard Seaweed. This is my favorite time of the year.
 

Though decades old, this gem from my past still is ready to serve its original purpose.

 

Many choose to use an ice scraper (for car windshields) when cleaning the dinghy bottoms. Mine is hanging from my running light on Algae. It is the blue gizmo behind my paddle.

Yes that is my Buddy, getting ready to have a hotdog wafer.
 

For fiberglass hulls a plastic scraper is a good option. There is less likelihood of damaging or gouging the surface when compared with a hard metal scraper. Many professional divers do utilize metal scrapers though theirs tend to be more flexible than my own gem from the past.

Thank you for visiting my world today. I appreciate that. Happy boating.
 

Do you hire a diver to clean the bottom of your boat and how often does he come?
Price per foot, plus what area are you?
 

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