Crackling Noise From Under The Hull - Barnacles or Roaches?!

[demonboy]

Whilst in the marina I often hear crackling noises coming from all around the hull. I asked a sailing mate what he thought they were and he said general concensus says it's the sound of barnacles.

Anyway, I've recently noticed the odd cockroach scrambling around down below (you should have heard my mum freak when she found one in the heads the other day - I opened the door to find it running up her back!). Big ba$tards too! Could these mysterious noises be roaches building an empire in my hull?

A search on the net suggests that it is actually a breed of shrimp called Pistol Shrimp, or a type of fish called drums or croakers. I wasn't aware of these in Turkey.

Someone please confirm they're barnacles or shrimp /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

(And does anyone know how to eliminate roaches?)

 

[cliffb]

The best way to eliminate roaches is to stop smoking the hash.. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[cliff]

Sounds like polymites eating your hull - better get her lifted out while there is anything left to lift.
--------------------

"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"

 

[demonboy]

Polymites my ar$e /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[cliff]

Well I do hope you sdo not get any polymites up your arse as they have very sharp teeth and abrasive shells. - they have to have to deal with the GRP hulls.
--------------------

"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"

 

[oldharry]

Its the osmosis bubbles forming in your gel coat...... causing the individual strands of glass fibre to snap.

There was a long thread on this a couple of months ago, with explanations ranging from the sound of propellors, to that of frustrated Gribble gnashing their teeth at the lack of wooden boats to eat.

 

[demonboy]

Huh, the one time I didn't search my question first /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Link to the thread is HERE

and I'm happy to say it seems my ar$e is safe. For the time being.

 

[meddite]

I reckon they are prawns. We've heard a similar crackling/tapping on two or three occasions at different ports in Portugal and the Med (particuilarly noisy and lasted about an hour in Barbate, Portugal two years ago). I don't think they were barnacles because when our boat was lifted there were very few, and none on the hull under the aft cabin where we heard the noise. We only noticed the tapping noise at night-time.
Did the "pistol prawn" website say if they are edible or big enough to be worth catching? There must be hundreds of them to make the racket we heard. Maybe some kind of reverse toilet pump arrangement could be used to vacuum them into the boat!

 

[Major Catastrophe]

Try searching for "Snap crakle and Pop" and note the mispelling of crackle.

I think this thread will answer any question will will ever think of asking.

 

[Sailorbuoy]

Yea, I get them in the Med, a quick dive with a paint scraper and clean off the hard white 'trails' seems to quieten things down.

 

[jcumming]

I first heard this in the Med and thought the crackling was a fire on board. It turned out to be sea urchins crackling their spines. You can hear them when you snorkel near them though it is louder inside a hull.

 

[cliff]

[ QUOTE ]
Huh, the one time I didn't search my question first /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

and I'm happy to say it seems my ar$e is safe. For the time being.

[/ QUOTE ]Hence my reply /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif - I was really surprised YOU asked the question in the first place. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
yup, tis the little critters feeding either on the bottom or on your hull (the growth that is not the actual hull)
--------------------

"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"

 

[ShipsWoofy]

[ QUOTE ]
Hence my reply - I was really surprised YOU asked the question in the first place.
yup, tis the little critters feeding either on the bottom or on your hull (the growth that is not the actual hull)

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh god, déjà vus, Cliff makes a closed statement and please God no, lets not do that ever again! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[cliff]

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
--------------------

"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"

 

[alafloat]

Hi,

When I was younger, slightly more evil and working on flotilla, we used to convince our 'guests' that the 'med crackle' was the build up of static on the hull of the boat, this was of course down to the higher salt content of the med. We would advise our guests that when taking a swim around the boat that it might be a good idea to earth themselves on the anchor chain before they climbed back onboard to avoid a nasty shock from the swim ladder. How we laughed as they made a quick dash from the anchor chain to the transom, before tentatively getting hold of the swim ladder......

As far as your roachy problem goes, the best way to deal with these little critters is to use 'bate' (not my spelling!). Unfortunately you cannot buy this unless you are an acreditited pest control agent in the UK, and it costs about 70 quid a tube. But this does work and is what we use on our charter boats. There are a number of guys offering an application service in Turkey, which marina are you in? maybe I can give you a phone number???

 

[Swagman]

[ QUOTE ]
There are a number of guys offering an application service in Turkey, which marina are you in? maybe I can give you a phone number???

[/ QUOTE ]

What is this forum coming to?

JOHN