CONTINUOUSWAVE

Before running in a new SONAR transducer cable, I wanted to clean debris out of my [boat's] rigging tunnel

I found an expanding hose at the local home improvement center called the "Pocket Hose Silver Bullet". The Pocket Hose Silver Bullet hose is nice, flexible, and when it's under pressure it is also stiff enough to run up the rigging tunnel. The Pocket Hose Silver Bullet hose has an adjustable spray nozzle that sends a jet of water strong enough to dislodge crud. Running the Pocket Hose Silver Bullet hose forward from the stern six inches at a time then back a bit, then forward more, until you go the length of the tunnel, then back down doing the same thing, the job was done in 15 minutes. I ran the Pocket Hose Silver Bullet hose up and down twice.

I liked that Pocket Hose Silver Bullet hose was much easier to handle and work into the tunnel than a heavy garden hose. and it has a small nozzle.

A helper to clear the bilge through-hull [drain] would have helped cut down the time.

For reference, my 1983 rigging tunnel was full of crud, rotted leaves, dirt, compost, and who knows what. The mechanical steering cables, all wiring for a 1982 Johnson 115 outboard including tilt and trim, fuel line (from mid-sole aft), speedometer tube, and wiring for navigation lights are in the rigging tunnel.

Hope this advice helps someone who's facing the job of cleaning out a rigging tunnel. The Pocket Hose Silver Bullet hose stores in the space of maybe a half-gallon and is a nice little companion for the boat.

Crusty

If I understand the expanding feature of the hose, it just expands in length, not in diameter. Is that correct?

The Silver Bullet Expanding Hose flattens out when it’s empty as well as shortening up and is very compact. It has a some sort of fabric covering, Something between a slinky and a fire hose. Diameter when full of water is like a medium garden hose. The hose I bought is 50-feet long.

Another aspect is that the nozzle is no wider than the hose, so it is easy to snake the nozzle along without too much fear of damaging small gauge wires or hanging up on the way back.

The hose fits easily and neatly into an old one gallon paint bucket.

Reviews [by others] are mixed. I doubt I’d use it for daily use—not sure it would hold up—but great for my purpose and for onboard storage should one want a hose and jet nozzle.

Rod

So this hose does not expand in diameter. I don’t see what makes the hose especially useful for flushing the rigging tunnel compared to a regular hose. The small nozzle sounds like it is more advantageous than the hose.

It’s soft and has sideways give that a regular hose doesn’t. Use whatever works for you. I also like that I can store it in a small space.