Pier 88 Diving recommends having your boat’s bottom cleaned on a regular basis.

Some of the Benefits of Hull Maintenance:

Protect Your Investment
With a monthly cleaning and inspection, you will be kept informed of any issues that may exist with your hull and running gear (props, shafts, rudders, trim tabs, intakes and thru-hulls) before they become major issues.  Your boat will also be assured to have the necessary zinc anodes installed in order to prevent any pitting of metallic parts due to electrolysis.

Conserve Fuel
By keeping the hull and the running gear clean, your boat will run better and use less fuel.  It takes very little growth on a hull to slow down your boat, making it work harder, thus consuming more fuel.  Also, most boats have no paint on the running gear and this is where hard growth (barnacles, oysters, worm tubes) starts, which can drastically affect performance.

Go Longer Between Paint Jobs and Haul-Outs
Many boat owners think a new paint job means they don’t need to be cleaned for periods of 6 months to a year.  However, while the new anti-fouling paint will slow down new growth, it will not stop it.  We typically wait 6-8 weeks following a paint job for the first cleaning, and then we’ll use a non-abrasive pad to remove any algae from the hull.  By keeping the algae growth to a minimum, scrubbing with a more abrasive pad will not be needed, as it would for algae that has ‘baked in’ over time. 
It is also less likely there will be any hard growth on the paint, which would require scraping.  By avoiding hard scrubbing and scraping, less paint is removed and the paint lasts longer. Our customers typically get 1 1/2 to 2 years more life out of their paint, which of course saves them money.

Hull cleaning prices vary in different regions due to climate, currents, hull conditions, etc.  Please contact us for pricing and availability. Pier 88 can recommend a local provider if needed, just call (877) 348-4644.