Rather clean your own hull - or sailing remotely? here's a solution

by Sail-World Cruising on 23 Jul 2013 If you'd rather clean your own hull, or need to because of where you intend to be sailing, here's a new product that you should consider when making a decision. Its initial selling price maybe high, but in a year or two, by avoiding that expensive yearly haul-out, you'll be way ahead.

Hulltimo is a relatively new French company which was founded in 2010 by Eric Tardy and Sebastien Fontaine. They raised capital of around 800,000 Euros to create a robot for the cleaning of your boat's hull while underwater, thus saving the expense of lifting out, and creating the ability to clean your hull no matter where you are.

Tardy and Fontaine formed the company to address precisely these challenges - those often faced by boat owners wishing to maintain a clean hull throughout the boating season, no matter were they sail.

Now they have come up with their battery-powered, easy-to-operate boom-mounted brush: Hulltimo Smart.

The concept:
Boat cleaning, from dry dock operations to the ever-changing compositions of anti-fouling paints, is a burgeoning market. As a pioneer and leader in this market, Hulltimo has already sold more than 40 Hulltimo Pro robots throughout the world. Hulltimo solutions allow boat owners enjoy the benefits of a clean hull at all times, for a more pleasurable boating experience.

Accessible to all boat owners:
Hulltimo Smart is designed to clean the hulls of small watercraft and boats up to 12 meters in length.

For larger craft, it is the ideal solution for cleaning difficult-to-reach areas such as the waterline, rudders, and bow, etc.

Fast, mobile and lightweight:
Equipped with a very low voltage, portable and rechargeable battery, the Hulltimo Smart brush has 60 minutes of autonomy. The unit is small in size and weighs approximately 4.5 kg. The unit comes with a resistant, ergonomic storage pouch for easy onboard storage.

Clippable tubes with a variety of curves can be assembled to adapt to different hull shapes, facilitating access underneath all types of watercraft. Cleaning operations can be easily performed in port from the boat deck or the dock.

Its slightly positive buoyancy makes the Hulltimo Smart is extremely easy to handle. Hulltimo is also working on optional video accessories to allow boat owners to visualize the results.

Ecological:
The Hulltimo Smart boom-mounted brush is equipped with a filtration bag to comply with current environmental regulations. The debris removed is collected, filtered and retained in the filter bag to ensure no débris is left in the water and no harmful substances released.

It should be noted that the brushing process is gentle and protects hard matrix antifouling.

Where to get it:
The Hulltimo Smart boom-mounted brush is available from boating professionals, at Hulltimo Service Points and on the Hulltimo website www.hulltimo.com. To ask Hulltimo where the nearest supplier near you is, http://news.nauticexpo.com/press/hulltimo/hulltimo-introduces-in-water-hull-maintenance-all-the-hulltimo-smart-38604-207567.html?utm_source=insight&utm_content=news_title&utm_campaign=5-equipment-16-07-2013&utm_medium=email!click_here.

The recommended retail price is €2 500 (exc. VAT).