How to wash boat with no shore water

[zpaul]

So, I was spoiled having water at the dock in my previous marina.
Now I am on fresh water lake dock with shore power but no shore water. Boat on the HydroHoist lift that I absolutely love.
Now the problem is how do I wash the boat? I can technically bring fresh water from the house in some water cans but that is not very convenient. I can use lake water by getting some pump into the lake attach the hose and wash that way.
Saw some guy washing his boat with electric power washer but no clue how he supplied water to it.
What do you guys use in this situation?
Any pumps or handheld battery power washers with hoses dropped into lake?

 

[johnso30]

I wash and wax mine real good at the beginning of the season at home. Then through the summer when it’s at the lake I’ll clean it with Boat Juice spray while on the lift. I’ll do it at the end of the week or weekend (whichever we were down for) to keep it from getting too dirty, and making it fairly quick to clean each time.

I know others use Hot Sauce similarly, and I’ll still use it when in the garage to remove water spots, but it left some hard to remove streaks when I used it in direct sunlight.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

So, I was spoiled having water at the dock in my previous marina.
Now I am on fresh water lake dock with shore power but no shore water. Boat on the HydroHoist lift that I absolutely love.
Now the problem is how do I wash the boat? I can technically bring fresh water from the house in some water cans but that is not very convenient. I can use lake water by getting some pump into the lake attach the hose and wash that way.
Saw some guy washing his boat with electric power washer but no clue how he supplied water to it.
What do you guys use in this situation?
Any pumps or handheld battery power washers with hoses dropped into lake?

I think @biffdotorg did a video on that… it was a portable battery powered unit that would draw water from the lake.. I don’t think it cut the mustard though.

Found it here…

Post in thread 'Cleaning while on the lift'

Jul 15, 2021

Foam cannon is your friend. I use it constantly to put a thick layer of soap on anything I am washing. That combined with a mitt, brush or turbo nozzle and my scrubbing is left to a minimum.

The SXS is much harder to clean than the boat, so the foam cannon is a life saver. It does require the higher GPM of my pressure washer.

I still want to be able to wash my boat on the lift, so I may just see if my electric pressure washer will suck water from the lake. It may work, as I have power down there for my Hydro Sweep. I just didn't want to drag 200ft of hose down there for a water...

• biffdotorg

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Since you have shore power I’d just get a RV style pump, they are diaphragm pumps and they will usually prime up to 6’ of lift from the water source. Get a high flow inlet side filter screen, I can help you source this if you need.

Get one that has 5 gallons per minute, these are usually in the 70psi range. You will have all the water you want with this set up.

 

[zpaul]

I think @biffdotorg did a video on that… it was a portable battery powered unit that would draw water from the lake.. I don’t think it cut the mustard though.

Found it here…

Post in thread 'Cleaning while on the lift'

Jul 15, 2021

Foam cannon is your friend. I use it constantly to put a thick layer of soap on anything I am washing. That combined with a mitt, brush or turbo nozzle and my scrubbing is left to a minimum.

The SXS is much harder to clean than the boat, so the foam cannon is a life saver. It does require the higher GPM of my pressure washer.

I still want to be able to wash my boat on the lift, so I may just see if my electric pressure washer will suck water from the lake. It may work, as I have power down there for my Hydro Sweep. I just didn't want to drag 200ft of hose down there for a water...

• biffdotorg

I saw his video like a year ago looking for some gentle power washer. I think Dewalt will be my last resort. Neat gadget but a bit underpowered.

 

[zpaul]

Since you have shore power I’d just get a RV style pump, they are diaphragm pumps and they will usually prime up to 6’ of lift from the water source. Get a high flow inlet side filter screen, I can help you source this if you need.

Get one that has 5 gallons per minute, these are usually in the 70psi range. You will have all the water you want with this set up.

So RV pump just straight to the hose or like an add on to some lower psi electric power washer?
Was hoping that maybe I can find power washer that can pull the water from the lake with some filters added similar to dewalt but with a bit more power.
Or maybe I should use the RV pump with the hose and forget the power washer?

 

[drewkaree]

So RV pump just straight to the hose or like an add on to some lower psi electric power washer?
Was hoping that maybe I can find power washer that can pull the water from the lake with some filters added similar to dewalt but with a bit more power.
Or maybe I should use the RV pump with the hose and forget the power washer?

Do you have shore power? I'm assuming so, since you mentioned a guy running a pressure washer, but you didn't mention having power. He may be running from a gennie or some other power source.

If you do have shore power, you can run the pump, with filters like you're envisioning, to an electric pressure washer. Here are two that are very similar to what I use for my boat.

https://www.amazon.com/TOOLCY-Compact-Pressure-Electric-Extension/dp/B0CPLLNW2G?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=AI8UWSU51T2JT&gQT=1&th=1

Amazon.com

That first link looks almost identical to mine other than the color. It's at the lake house, and I won't be there for another 2 weeks, so I can't tell you what brand it is or a model number or anything. I know I got it at Walmart long ago, in the time before the great disease, so it was something like $65 or some number that's far less than today's price. That second link is a better price, but I dunno about either of those items.

What I can recommend is to ditch the plastic hoses that come with the electrics, and get a better hose right off the bat. Rubber, thicker, less prone to kinks and tangling. The gun is often a weak link too, and I ended up getting a shorter gun-style, but that's for another day, if you decide to head down this route.