Rat guards

[oldvarnish]

I'm sure you liveaboards need these if you're in one of those harbours where Ratty pays an occasional visit.

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?447929-Rat-Guards&p=5572713#post5572713

 

[NornaBiron]

Cats are much more effective!

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

Cats are much more effective!

How do you get them to stay on the rope?

 

[RichardS]

How do you get them to stay on the rope?

First get them to swallow the bitter end and then just wait a few hours ....... possibly? :ambivalence:

Richard

 

[Gerry]

Hmm think you wuz dun mate! We used plastic funnels bought for around $2 each in the local market. Guess they worked OK as we never had a rat on board!

 

[sailaboutvic]

Cats are much more effective!

+1
There been times when boat next to us with the funny on rope job have had a rat on board , our rat guard have kept then well away .

 

[NornaBiron]

We've been the only boat in a busy anchorage without a rat on board at times!

 

[BobnLesley]

Hmm think you wuz dun mate! We used plastic funnels bought for around $2 each in the local market. Guess they worked OK as we never had a rat on board!

We too went the funnel route, though we haven't bothered rigging them in years after seeing rats climbing around/over 3' diameter rat-guard plates onto a cargo vessel in the Cape Verdes; we realised we were just wasting our time and storage space with them. No cat, but if we suspect rats might be likely, we're even more likely than usual to anchor off and come ashore by dinghy; we've had mice a couple of times, but so far avoided a rat-attack.

 

[duncan99210]

When putting long lines ashore at anchor, I now hang the scuba diving weight belts off the middle of the line, which sinks the line for about a third of its length, thus stopping the little things arriving on board. Just as well really, as SWMBO really does have a 'thing' about rats on board. The one time we had one, she left via the forward hatch at velocities resembling a Trident launch........

 

[oldvarnish]

We too went the funnel route, though we haven't bothered rigging them in years after seeing rats climbing around/over 3' diameter rat-guard plates onto a cargo vessel in the Cape Verdes; we realised we were just wasting our time and storage space with them.

Understood. The reason these guards were so pricey is that they spin if the rats tries to climb them, and they fall off - that's the theory.
They're not just fixed discs.

 

[Resolution]

SWMBO really does have a 'thing' about rats on board. The one time we had one, she left via the forward hatch at velocities resembling a Trident launch........

Wonderful description!

 

[sailaboutvic]

When putting long lines ashore at anchor, I now hang the scuba diving weight belts off the middle of the line, which sinks the line for about a third of its length, thus stopping the little things arriving on board. Just as well really, as SWMBO really does have a 'thing' about rats on board. The one time we had one, she left via the forward hatch at velocities resembling a Trident launch........

Rats can swim belive it or not ,

 

[duncan99210]

Rats can swim belive it or not ,

Only too well aware that they can swim, however, I operate on the basis that they're more likely to go visit a boat where they don't have to versus a boat where they have to swim....

 

[Boo2]

...if we suspect rats might be likely, we're even more likely than usual to anchor off and come ashore by dinghy; we've had mice a couple of times, but so far avoided a rat-attack.

When putting long lines ashore at anchor, I now hang the scuba diving weight belts off the middle of the line, which sinks the line for about a third of its length, thus stopping the little things arriving on board.

I read on these forums that the rats will actually swim out to the boats completely circumventing this approach ?

Boo2

 

[duncan99210]

I read on these forums that the rats will actually swim out to the boats completely circumventing this approach ?

Boo2

Never actually been approached by swimming rats. They'll tend to take the line of least resistance, going for the boat with lines ashore before embarking on long swims to get on board, hence my tactic of sinking the lines. Leastways, it's worked for us so far......

 

[KellysEye]

>Understood. The reason these guards were so pricey is that they spin if the rats tries to climb them, and they fall off - that's the theory.
They're not just fixed discs.

Free ones are what we made - cut a hole slightly bigger than the size of the rope in the bottom of a 1.5 litre water bottle, the neck hole fitted our ropes, then feed the waters bottles on to the ropes - it spins if a rat tries to go over it.

 

[Tricia]

Just wanna say re swimming rats and lines of least resistance. We've had rats swim across from the dhow they were living on, climb up our stern anchor line, in through the chain pipe and therefore having access to the whole boat. We tried poison only to find that the rats were inviting all their friends round to come eat the lovely pink stuff these kind and thoughtful boat owners were putting down for them. And they were really, really big rats as well.

 

[RichardS]

Just wanna say re swimming rats and lines of least resistance. We've had rats swim across from the dhow they were living on, climb up our stern anchor line, in through the chain pipe and therefore having access to the whole boat. We tried poison only to find that the rats were inviting all their friends round to come eat the lovely pink stuff these kind and thoughtful boat owners were putting down for them. And they were really, really big rats as well.

And don't corner one on board as they are not averse to attacking and biting!

Richard

 

[Poignard]

And don't corner one on board as they are not averse to attacking and biting!

Richard

They are not! My grandfather cornered a rat when he was a boy and it bit him. He had the scar for the rest of his life.