How to bid on cleaning contracts?

Lake Erie/Freshwater scuba inwater hull cleaning information?

• I'm currently a commercial diver working out of Cleveland, OH and I'm looking to start up hull cleaning and boat maintainece company. I'm looking for anyone that has information on hull cleaning in fresh water since the majority of information I have found comes from the east or west coast. I have lots of questions so here we go... what material are being removing from the hulls (zebra mussels, quagga mussels, algea)? How long does the hull cleaning season last? Do the ore boats or tugs that travel the lake drydock for cleaning? Is hull cleaning in the lake legal? What is insurance and licensing going to cost for start up? Are these insurance and license mandatory if I'm starting solo? Are there any hull cleaning or inwater boat maintainence certification classes running in the michigan, ohio, pennyslvania, or western NY area? Is there a need for hull cleaning in lake erie? Are there any companies currently working the great lakes? How does someone bid on large hull cleaning contracts for companies like great lakes towing or the coast gaurd? Do marina's have problems with divers cleaning hulls? Are green scrubbies and scrappers primary tools in freshwater also? Well that's about it for my questions. I know that I have a lot but anyone who can help will be greatly appreciated. Also if I missed anything important that you could think iit would be great if you could fill me in. If anyone is in the Cleveland or Pittsburgh area doing this I would be more than happy to come out and work for you in exchange for your knowledge.

• Answer:

  I'm more familiar with salt water bottom cleaning as well, but one of the things that I've done in the past is to take the boat up into fresh water for a few days. That will normally kill and clean any growth that's on the bottom. I know that barnacles won't grow in fresh water and I don't think you have the same problems with grass as well. I went to school on Lake Ontario and you just didn't see the same kind of growths on the rocks, pilings and docks that you see in salt water. I know they have problems with zebra mussels now, but that's a new foreign invader to the lake system that they've just begun to fight. Your best bet is to contact your states DEC and ask them your questions, but I really don't think it's as large a problem on boat bottoms in fresh water. You'd probably do better to check into cleaning water intake and outflow pipes. I understand that's become a major problem on the lakes. Another suggestion for your next question would be to divide your one question up into the approximately 20 questions you actually asked. That's the reason you haven't gotten any responses to your question before now. You were looking for a total solution to all your problems in one question, and it just isn't worth the time of the people who might be able to answer your question. One person who could probably answer some of your questions would be one of the top answerers, "scubabob", he's a commercial diver in the north east. Good luck with your search, but I don't think there's a market for cleaning boat bottoms on the great lakes.