Do Any of You Use a Pressure Washer to Clean your Boat?

[SDSeville]

I am thinking of buying a pressure washer to make cleaning my boats easier. Do any of you use one? Do I need to worry about max PSI (too high) and are there any areas I should be careful with?

Thanks

 

[Lightwin 3]

I do not. I like to keep the paint on my boats. Ok, for bare aluminum.

A while back, I watched my neighbor destroy a few of the tape stripes on his brand new Challenger SRT 8 with a pressure washer. Too lazy to get out a bucket and a garden hose.

 

[Scott Danforth]

been doing it for years.

you need a good quality turbo tip (or dont use the pressure washer)
used a 2000 psi electric in the past until it fell off the bow of the boat and died, currently using 3000 psi gas.

 

[jkust]

Wouldn't think of pressure washing any of my boats. Power assisted pressure is not necessary for my annual pre launch detailing. Garden hose and boat soap and hand wash is about all I've needed in freshwater where I boat.

 

[roscoe]

Clean a boat?

 

[garbageguy]

I don't, but my son does (on a couple of our boats), and I've seen a mobile detailing service uses them on other boats all the time. I think you've gotta know what you're doing, what not to blast too hard (if in doubt, don't blast it hard), and don't harm any people, the environment, or your boat.

 

[joeanna]

I also use one occasionally, just be careful where you use it on....ex; don't do your gauge panel with a pressure washer.

 

[redneckgearhead]

How dirty does your boat have to be to require a pressure washer to get it clean?

 

[Scott Danforth]

How dirty does your boat have to be to require a pressure washer to get it clean?

depends on how far you had to go to dispose of a corpse.

 

[SDSeville]

How dirty does your boat have to be to require a pressure washer to get it clean?

It's mostly for the Maxum, which is in a slip at the harbor. It's right next to a Marine base and they kick up a lot of dust, which makes a mess with all the moisture. Plus, there are some giant prehistoric looking birds down there that love to crap on my boat and that stuff just about turns into cement.

 

[444]

I don't. Mostly because I try to keep water out of the inside of the boat and the outside cleans up fine with a garden hose. If you use a pressure washer, try to set your regulator down to 1000psi or so. Much higher or with a turbo tip and you could potentially start blasting decals.

 

[joe_nj]

I tried a power washer and it took off the dust that accumulated while she sat outside over the winter but a hose, soap, and a brush work better for me.

 

[SDSeville]

I tried a power washer and it took off the dust that accumulated while she sat outside over the winter but a hose, soap, and a brush work better for me.

I also try to use as little soap as possible because it goes straight in the harbor. My neighbors always give me dirty looks (from their dirty boats) even though I am using biodegrade soap.

 

[H20Rat]

I wash the hull a couple times a year with a 3500psi gas pressure washer. Zero issues, I don't go much above the waterline, so no decals to strip off. Gelcoat on a boat is strong stuff, you aren't going to damage it with a pressure washer unless you really try.

 

[DouglasW]

I used a pressure washer once on my sailboat and it worked perfectly in getting the dirt/crud out of the crosshatch non-slip deck surface. Otherwise, not of a lot of use. 2700psi/gas

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I do from the water line down. I'm dealing with Zebra Mussels here. A garden hose isn't getting them off, sometimes neither is a pressure washer.

 

[Sea Rider]

Use a Karcher washing machine that counts with a pressure regulator to clean hulls with algae adherences, decks, crap off boat covers which birdies love to rest on, flushing powerheads water passages that counts with dedicated flushing ports. Just be aware of what you are cleaning, with which nozzle and at which pressure setting. A must have one.

If boat will live moored need to clean lower hulls more frecuently, say once every 2 months as not to built huge deposts of whatever likes sticking onto it which demands more cleaning time.

Happy Boating

 

[BRICH1260]

Garden hose, pole brush and a bucket of suds for me.

 

[bruceb58]

I use one all the time. Be careful and keep your distance on certain parts.

 

[82rude]

Hey old ironmaker remember when the mnr use to be at certain docks with washers to clean off boats going in and coming out of ramps.I have no issue using a powerwasher if that's what you chose to do.just be carefull that's all.My boats small enough I just use the brush and garden hose.Also spay down boat with ZEP fast 505 degreaser which works fantastic .