Do owls work?

[Leighb]

Hello,
Yes I looked at garden netting but the stuff I saw had a bigger mesh size possibly 3". The netting that I got off ebay is 2" and a bit more of the job supposed to be UV protected too. You might get a sparrow sized bird through it but not a gull/pigeon and so far happy days.

Cheers, Col.

I don't think the gull got through the netting, but found a gap and then couldn't find his way out.

I had a similar open day racer and altho' gulls were a nuisance I found that some lines with plastic shopping bags tied at intervals above the side decks and another from bow to stern running up to the mast along just above the boom and down to the backstay seemed to keep them at bay.
However swallows were a major pest, they used to roost at night under the foredeck and the side decks and crap everywhere. I then had to rig a netting cover over the cockpit and that defeated them.

 

[MaserJon]

Arrived at my boat earlier in the year and as I stepped on board a loud flapping ensued from under the storm hood. A pigeon had been nesting under there and the debris was bad. He'd been walking around his 'new pad' for a long time without wiping his muddy feet!!

As an aside, took my Karcher pressure washer to the marina last Friday and that thing strips all the stains off in an instant. Guess that wouldn't be a lot of help on a swinging mooring though!

 

[duncan99210]

We were plagued by gulls when we had a mobo on the Menai Straits. We tried all the usual things, including netting. Nothing worked. Then someone pointed us to these http://www.gullstop.co.uk/daddi_long_legs.asp . Brilliant. One big one on top of the wheelhouse, one smaller one on the coach house roof, no more gulls. The mounts were fixed with screws to the deck/roof and the working parts lifted off, the legs were retained with an elastic band and they stowed away down the side of a bunk.
All the usual stuff about no interest, just a very pleased customer.

 

[Leighb]

We were plagued by gulls when we had a mobo on the Menai Straits. We tried all the usual things, including netting. Nothing worked. Then someone pointed us to these http://www.gullstop.co.uk/daddi_long_legs.asp . Brilliant. One big one on top of the wheelhouse, one smaller one on the coach house roof, no more gulls. The mounts were fixed with screws to the deck/roof and the working parts lifted off, the legs were retained with an elastic band and they stowed away down the side of a bunk.
All the usual stuff about no interest, just a very pleased customer.

I have seen these and they do seem effective, but I wondered how much bother they would be to fit and remove each time you go out. Sounds as if not too much.

 

[duncan99210]

I have seen these and they do seem effective, but I wondered how much bother they would be to fit and remove each time you go out. Sounds as if not too much.

Fitting the mount to the deck/roof took an hour or so: self tappers sealed with Sikaflex. The Daddi Longlegs bit is a push fit onto the mount and it take about 30 seconds to fit or remove, including the time taken to remove/replace the rubber band. If you were to use one of the various removable mounts, then the process could take somewhat longer.