Boat cleaning - Any advice?

[greentech]

I am going to a marina to clean a 35 foot boat. The boat is in the water.

There is water and electric on the dock. I am going to use a portable.

First, any advice that you have in general would be a help. Anything to look out for?

Second, I have no idea how long this is going to take. I know that I have to include the logistics in the price, driving to the marina, humping equipment down the dock to the boat.

They told me is about 200 square foot, here is the floorplan:

 

[Ron K]

MAke sure Power is OK. Did a 50' Grand BAnks had to use portable blew the breakers every 30 second it was a real pain. Logistics are also a pain so figure on added time and space is usually real tight so take that into consideration too! Enjoy the view!

 

[Chris A]

That boat should have 50 amp service from the dock. Usually the outlets are split between port and starboard (left and right side of the boat.) Make sure you plug each cord in on the opposite side of the boat. There might be 200 square feet of actual carpet in the boat, but most of your work is gonna be with an upholstery or stair tool, as theirs gonna be a lot of small crevices like a motorhome. If that's the boat I'm thinking (Carver 35) your gonna need 50 ft of hose since the entrance of the boat is to the side, but the door to the cabin is towards the back. Your not going to be able to get a porty INSIDE the boat because the side decks aren't wide enough. Honestly if the docks not a mile away from where you need to park you might be better off using the TM running 200 ft of hose just because of the pita factor...

 

[dealtimeman]

I agree, use the truckmount if at all possible. And use caution cones and tape/ribbon to mark hoses clearly for liability issues. And don't block any handicap accessible areas.

 

[NobleCarpetCleaners]

Done several boats myself, tight quarters. Be mindful of your safety and workmanship, your general liability policy has aviation and marine EXCLUDED. You won't be able to make a claim on your policy should something drastic happen.

 

[GeneMiller]

a boat that small will need a stair and upholstery tool. it will be slow but easier than a wand.

gene

 

[Goomer]

What's your plan with the dirty wastewater???

 

[handdi]

30 amp power on that one
take ya maybe 45 min max
i have a 34 ft
piece of cake
see if they will take to the loading ramp
and use your truck mount
then 20 or 30 min

 

[glenboy]

pro chem stair tool and lots of bungee cords to tie hoses to dock pole.be very careful my buddy slipped dropped everything in the water and cracked a few ribs on the side of the boat.i would also consider water soled shoes like docksiders or so. and bring a barf bag incase u get sea sick.the water in the lake st.clair in the spring is pretty rough and i got sea sick from being on a docked boat that was goin UP-DOWN

 

[BradFenstermaker]

Ross I do boats several times a year. You must have them move the boat to courtesy dock or an empty slip closer to the parking lot.

I have them find a close to shore slip, 100 ft to the boat then 50 ft to finish the job.

Be VERY CAREFUL with your tools in these boats. One cabinet door may cost more than you make a day.

DO NOT be in a hurry. Pump up sprayer with narrow spray tip so you don't spray other things.

Stair too and upholstery tool is all you need.

I charge 100 to 125 an hour with a 1.5 hr minimum.

Tie off your hose so they don't end up in the water. Take blankets to cover boat so hose doesn't scratch the finish.

Good luck they usually clean up great. Upsell Protector.

 

[greentech]

So I did the boat today and all wen't better then planned, TG.

What I did learn was no big deal, just like any other job except you are doing it with either a upholstery or stair tool on your hands and knees. I switched my 2 inch hose and run with a 1 1/2 leader because 2 was too stiff and bulky.

It was 81 degrees here today, which was nice, but the boat had A/C that made it a pleasure to work inside. Wish I had my camera, couple of dolphins were swimming around, that was very cool.

The marina was an island so all the boats dock in a circle around the parking lot which made pulling the truck right up to the boat no problem.

Got another small job while I was there and the marina manger asked for my cards to keep in the office.

Thanks to everyone for their help!

 

[glenboy]

i hope you didnt leave all those footprints for the customer to see,i always leave a clean slate

 

[greentech]

i hope you didnt leave all those footprints for the customer to see,i always leave a clean slate

I hand brushed them out as best I could.

Man, what have you got a jetpak!

It is very hard not to step anywhere in such a small space.