Blood, guts and decks - Moderated Discussion Areas

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: Post-Classic Whalers
  Blood, guts and decks

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   Blood, guts and decks

diveorfish posted 09-01-2005 06:46 PM ET (US)
Last time I went fishing my deck looked a war zone. There was ton of fish goo and blood everywhere. It was truly a freak’n mess. Once it dries, it is very work intensive to clean off. I do have a raw water washdown that I could put a hose on and wash off the mess as it occurs. The problem is that the raw water is salt water. If I start washing down the deck with salt water, some of it will get into my bilge and coat the rigging (pumps, wires, metal buckles, etc.) needlessly with more salt. By doing this over time, will I just be asking for a corrosion problem before its time? Does anyone else wash down their decks with salt water while fishing?
phatwhaler posted 09-01-2005 06:55 PM ET (US)
I use my washdown pump constantly when fishing. I also have a couple of rags handy to wipe up fish blood with. The way I look at it, you're not really doing any harm to anything by using the washdown pump. It's better than getting home and having to use soft scrub and bleach to get your boat clean. On a 23 Outrage all of your wash down water should flow out the scuppers anyway.
phatwhaler out.
jackswhaler posted 09-01-2005 07:04 PM ET (US)
More to the point -- I don't know of anyone who doesn't wash down with salt water while fishing. Several friends have built in salt water wash-down units. My Nantucket is new and I haven't bothered to install one. I just slosh it down with buckets of water from the bay when it gets bloody - just like every commercial party boat in the area does it.
We either hose them down with fresh water or wash them (not in the bilges) when we return and I've never seen any noticible deterioation on any of the things you mention. This includes boats that are about 15 years old.
Use the raw water wash down and enjoy a clean boat!
bigjohn1 posted 09-01-2005 07:08 PM ET (US)
yes - don't sweat the small stuff. It is much easier to "clean as you go" (with saltwater). Letting fish blood and guts remain till you get back home is only cool if you enjoy hard work and excessive sweating while trying to clean that stuff up.
WT posted 09-01-2005 09:41 PM ET (US)
I use my raw water washdown in the ocean. I bought the washdown to make my life simpler. If it breaks, I'll by another pump for a few bucks.
My 2 cents,
Warren
aubv posted 09-01-2005 09:52 PM ET (US)
Diveorfish,
Fished on Tuesday with a friend, 6 Bonito and 14 blues(about the messiest fish known to man) After every fish was dispatched (cooler or released) the deck was washed down with small buckets of water, it only takes seconds.
On my boat, one pump has a dual purpose, the raw water wash down or the live well. I don't use the raw water for the following reasons:
1) I bleed fish in the live well(when not being used for live bait) When doing so I run the water in the live well with the drain plug removed.
2- I don't like having a hose on deck, as the less things on deck when fighting/handling fish the better.
3) You might spray fishing rods/reels with salt water.
I do have an 11 gallon shower that I use to spray everything down with fresh water just before heading in. However, a couple of 2 liter soda bottles w/squirt caps, filled with fresh water would work well also.
Chuck Tribolet posted 09-01-2005 11:17 PM ET (US)
You're gonna get salt water in the blige anyway. Don't sweat
it.

Chuck
crawl posted 09-02-2005 12:19 AM ET (US)
I tapped into the livewell plumbing on my nantucket it was quick easy and I keep about 15' of hose neatly coiled in the bin. never have got any real ammount of water in the bilge for any reason ( other than forgetting the plug ) cleanup is sure easier if you do it as you go.
bsmotril posted 09-02-2005 10:06 AM ET (US)
I agree with others, you have to clean as you go if you don't want to spend hours afterwards. But, the best post fishing cleanup for blood and guts is "SprayNWash" laundry presoak. It has an enzyme that rapidly breaks down and softens organics like blood and guts. Moisten the stains with a mist spray of water, spray on the pre-Soak and let it sit for 10-15 minutes while you flush the outboard and clean your rod/reels. Then, go after the stains with a pinpoint high pressure water spray, and maybe some light brushing with a deck brush. This stuff even works on MahiMahi blood which dries to a grey-green supler glue consistency, and on Galf-Top catfish slime which is even worse. Also works great on dried bug guts on your windshield after those long tows to the launch. BillS
phatwhaler posted 09-02-2005 10:42 AM ET (US)
One other comment,
I have a second piece of hose with a fitting on it that allows me to snap onto the suction side of my raw water washdown. When I am diving or hanging out at an island I fill the livewell with freshwater and dip the hose into the tank. Viola, freshwater washdown. This could also work if your not using live bait. Then you could wash down the blood and guts with fresh water. Actually, you can have most of your gear rinsed before you even get home.
Last year I stopped at Pennekamp to do a quick dive on my way out of the Keys. Pennekamp has showers, so I used the fresh water in my livewell to rinse off the boat and flush the engine in the parking lot.
The same hose, if long enough, could be rigged as a back up bilge pump.
phatwhaler out.
ps: I like the spray and wash idea. I'll try it.
Liteamorn posted 09-02-2005 01:06 PM ET (US)
Buckets of salt water here,
diveorfish posted 09-02-2005 10:33 PM ET (US)
Thanks for the comments. I just have to stop being paranoid and hook up that hose.
Aubv: My boat is set up like yours. Are you talking about your transom shower?
Some of my paranoia comes from watching others at the ramp. Many folks as soon as they pull out high-tail-it to the water faucets and frantically wash their boats with soap and water like their boat was going to dissolve if they didn't. It reminds me of that Sci-fi movie Alien Nation. (The aliens were deathly afraid of salt water because they would dissolve in it)
macfam posted 09-03-2005 08:42 AM ET (US)
diveorfish,
I have a salt water washdown on my 1988 Revenge.
Use it all the time. That's 17 years!!
However, for the past 2-3 years, I do wash everything with fresh water back at the mooring.
No unexpected corrosion problems evident.

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: Blood, guts and decks
diveorfish	posted 09-01-2005 06:46 PM ET (US) Last time I went fishing my deck looked a war zone. There was ton of fish goo and blood everywhere. It was truly a freak’n mess. Once it dries, it is very work intensive to clean off. I do have a raw water washdown that I could put a hose on and wash off the mess as it occurs. The problem is that the raw water is salt water. If I start washing down the deck with salt water, some of it will get into my bilge and coat the rigging (pumps, wires, metal buckles, etc.) needlessly with more salt. By doing this over time, will I just be asking for a corrosion problem before its time? Does anyone else wash down their decks with salt water while fishing?
phatwhaler	posted 09-01-2005 06:55 PM ET (US) I use my washdown pump constantly when fishing. I also have a couple of rags handy to wipe up fish blood with. The way I look at it, you're not really doing any harm to anything by using the washdown pump. It's better than getting home and having to use soft scrub and bleach to get your boat clean. On a 23 Outrage all of your wash down water should flow out the scuppers anyway. phatwhaler out.
jackswhaler	posted 09-01-2005 07:04 PM ET (US) More to the point -- I don't know of anyone who doesn't wash down with salt water while fishing. Several friends have built in salt water wash-down units. My Nantucket is new and I haven't bothered to install one. I just slosh it down with buckets of water from the bay when it gets bloody - just like every commercial party boat in the area does it. We either hose them down with fresh water or wash them (not in the bilges) when we return and I've never seen any noticible deterioation on any of the things you mention. This includes boats that are about 15 years old. Use the raw water wash down and enjoy a clean boat!
bigjohn1	posted 09-01-2005 07:08 PM ET (US) yes - don't sweat the small stuff. It is much easier to "clean as you go" (with saltwater). Letting fish blood and guts remain till you get back home is only cool if you enjoy hard work and excessive sweating while trying to clean that stuff up.
WT	posted 09-01-2005 09:41 PM ET (US) I use my raw water washdown in the ocean. I bought the washdown to make my life simpler. If it breaks, I'll by another pump for a few bucks. My 2 cents, Warren
aubv	posted 09-01-2005 09:52 PM ET (US) Diveorfish, Fished on Tuesday with a friend, 6 Bonito and 14 blues(about the messiest fish known to man) After every fish was dispatched (cooler or released) the deck was washed down with small buckets of water, it only takes seconds. On my boat, one pump has a dual purpose, the raw water wash down or the live well. I don't use the raw water for the following reasons: 1) I bleed fish in the live well(when not being used for live bait) When doing so I run the water in the live well with the drain plug removed. 2- I don't like having a hose on deck, as the less things on deck when fighting/handling fish the better. 3) You might spray fishing rods/reels with salt water. I do have an 11 gallon shower that I use to spray everything down with fresh water just before heading in. However, a couple of 2 liter soda bottles w/squirt caps, filled with fresh water would work well also.
Chuck Tribolet	posted 09-01-2005 11:17 PM ET (US) You're gonna get salt water in the blige anyway. Don't sweat it. Chuck
crawl	posted 09-02-2005 12:19 AM ET (US) I tapped into the livewell plumbing on my nantucket it was quick easy and I keep about 15' of hose neatly coiled in the bin. never have got any real ammount of water in the bilge for any reason ( other than forgetting the plug ) cleanup is sure easier if you do it as you go.
bsmotril	posted 09-02-2005 10:06 AM ET (US) I agree with others, you have to clean as you go if you don't want to spend hours afterwards. But, the best post fishing cleanup for blood and guts is "SprayNWash" laundry presoak. It has an enzyme that rapidly breaks down and softens organics like blood and guts. Moisten the stains with a mist spray of water, spray on the pre-Soak and let it sit for 10-15 minutes while you flush the outboard and clean your rod/reels. Then, go after the stains with a pinpoint high pressure water spray, and maybe some light brushing with a deck brush. This stuff even works on MahiMahi blood which dries to a grey-green supler glue consistency, and on Galf-Top catfish slime which is even worse. Also works great on dried bug guts on your windshield after those long tows to the launch. BillS
phatwhaler	posted 09-02-2005 10:42 AM ET (US) One other comment, I have a second piece of hose with a fitting on it that allows me to snap onto the suction side of my raw water washdown. When I am diving or hanging out at an island I fill the livewell with freshwater and dip the hose into the tank. Viola, freshwater washdown. This could also work if your not using live bait. Then you could wash down the blood and guts with fresh water. Actually, you can have most of your gear rinsed before you even get home. Last year I stopped at Pennekamp to do a quick dive on my way out of the Keys. Pennekamp has showers, so I used the fresh water in my livewell to rinse off the boat and flush the engine in the parking lot. The same hose, if long enough, could be rigged as a back up bilge pump. phatwhaler out. ps: I like the spray and wash idea. I'll try it.
Liteamorn	posted 09-02-2005 01:06 PM ET (US) Buckets of salt water here,
diveorfish	posted 09-02-2005 10:33 PM ET (US) Thanks for the comments. I just have to stop being paranoid and hook up that hose. Aubv: My boat is set up like yours. Are you talking about your transom shower? Some of my paranoia comes from watching others at the ramp. Many folks as soon as they pull out high-tail-it to the water faucets and frantically wash their boats with soap and water like their boat was going to dissolve if they didn't. It reminds me of that Sci-fi movie Alien Nation. (The aliens were deathly afraid of salt water because they would dissolve in it)
macfam	posted 09-03-2005 08:42 AM ET (US) diveorfish, I have a salt water washdown on my 1988 Revenge. Use it all the time. That's 17 years!! However, for the past 2-3 years, I do wash everything with fresh water back at the mooring. No unexpected corrosion problems evident.