A pressure washer is a vital piece of equipment for anyone who cleans their own boat and the more powerful the better when it comes to blasting barnacles off hulls...
Most of the electric pressure washers I’ve tried just aren’t up to the job, and I’ve ended up borrowing a friend’s petrol one, but I’d heard good things about Nilfisk’s range of electric pressure washers and arranged to test one over the summer.
The Nilfisk Premium 200 is the Danish manufacturer’s top spec model for home and garden use and packs a mighty 200 bar maximum pressure rating from its metal pump (most have plastic pumps delivering 100-130 bar).
Other features include an extra long 15m steel-reinforced hose, two metal lance heads for rough and gentle cleaning, a foam sprayer for use with cleaning agents and a sturdy trolley with storage for all the accessories.
It’s a very impressive piece of kit that made one of my least favourite jobs considerably less onerous. The rough head proved very effective at blasting barnacles and slime off the hull while still being precise enough to winkle them out of hard to reach spots around the trim tabs, engine bracket and waterline.
This is vital because one wrong aim can strip decals, vinyl wrapping or even paintwork. The gentle head is more forgiving and ideal for use on the deck and topsides where it’s more about loosening sun-baked grime off the gelcoat and Flexiteek decking.
The extra long hose and cable meant I could work my way around the whole boat without having to move the trolley, and the lance itself felt robust enough to survive the usual clattering around my boat trailer’s axles and rollers.
The only downside of the Nilfisk Premium 200 is that the trolley weighs a hefty 30kg – not a problem when wheeling it around the yard but quite a heave when lifting it in and out of a car. It’s still a lot smaller, lighter and less hassle than a petrol one, however, and just as effective.
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Verdict
Even though it’s at the top end of the price scale, I reckon the power, build quality and features more than justify the expense.
