KeelCrab - a new way to clean the hull

Why do you need KeelCrab?

Often, to clean the hull of the yacht, it is necessary to completely remove it from the water and carefully clean out all the growths, look for corrosion, etc. That is, basically it is a dreary manual work with tools. KeelCrab aims to correct this misunderstanding.

The main task of KeelCrab is by no means to completely exclude manual care of the hull. The drone should reduce manual intervention in the care of the yacht. As planned, with regular use, only the most important inspections and cleanings will remain for the owner of the boat. For this reason, divers and shipyards have already started ordering the KeelCrab system. In some marinas kroon is already available for use. 

How a drone works

KeelCrab collects all the dirt from the body in a special nylon filter bag. The bag has a different distance between the structural fibers (180 or 50 microns). This is necessary in order to prevent the leakage of garbage and waste into the environment. Powerful brushes of the device clean off algae and other debris well. According to the company, the drone is able to clean up to 95% of the surface of the ship's hull. The main working surfaces are the hull and keel. 

To clean the bead there are three different types of brushes for three different levels of cleaning. There is a white soft nylon brush, a yellow medium nylon brush, and a stainless steel brush.

Before replacing the brush, you have about 100 hours of device operation. According to the company, the life of the brushes can be an order of magnitude longer. The main condition for extending the “life” of brushes is that cleaning is carried out on regular boats and not on heavy pollution.

To clean the rudder blade or propeller, the company offers the Ultracrab device. This device uses ultrasound to fight algae and adhering shellfish. Ultracrab can be easily installed on the stern. 

The device will emit constant sound pulses of high frequency and variable power. This will help in the fight against hull fouling.

Features of use

At a speed of 2.5m²/min, the drone cleans a 12m (40ft) boat in 1.5 hours, a 18m (60ft) boat in 2 hours, and a 24m (80ft) boat in 3 hours. 

The Keelcrab is powered by a 20m Kevlar cable and uses a standardized 110V to 220V plug. Overall, the specifications of the drone are in line with global marina standards. An inverter power generator can be an alternative to power supply. Such a generator can be ordered as a separate kit. 

The manufacturing company provides a remote controller that connects to the drone. Thanks to this, it is possible to remotely control the device. There is also a KeelCrab App available on iOS and Android. With it, you can monitor the cleaning of the case in real time and record the process on video. 

However, the company reminds that this device is more suitable for regular preventive cleaning than for cleaning a heavily soiled case.

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19.10.2022