Seagull poo and sprayhoods.

[tom52]

Seagull poo is making a horrible mess of my sprayhood. Nasty grey stains and white stripes just like the sprayhood has been attacked with a bucket of white wash.
Often when I arrive at the boat the poo has been in contact with the hood for days and is well dried in.
Once I have brushed off the lumps, what is the best way of removing the residual stains ? Any tips or magic solutions please.

 

[gardenshed]

Don't know about cleaning the stuff off but to here's a tip to prevent it from happening.
Paint up an old piece of hosehipe (3/4") as a snake (green yellow and black dashes/stripes)
Make a wooden head to stick onto one end and glue a couple of bright glass eyes (like those from a toy bear).
Leave this on deck and you'll be surprised at how few droppings you get. only needs to be a couple of feet long. Make it heavy enough that it doesn't blow away.
String a light (3mm or so) line from your backstay to your mast and to your forestay and this will stop them from percing on your sailcover and cr8pping everywhere.
Got these tips from an 80+ year old who's been sailing for most of those years on the West Coast of Scotland.

 

[Piers]

In Jersey, I saw a large Herring Gull standing on a what used to be a blue canopy right next to a dangling CD. It was now streaked with poo. "Must be its favourite CD," commented my crew....

 

[tom52]

I haven't tried the snake but the boat is already a cats cradle of string and flapping tesco bags !

What does everyone else use to wash the seagull crap off their sprayhood ?

 

[Rabbie]

I'm the one you might see around Chi harbour with a plastic crow by the spreaders. I found it in a gunshop - sold as a decoy. Cost me a fiver and has reduced my seagull goano (bad in Emsworth) by 80p/c. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Danny]

The remaining 20% is probably from all the crows it attracts. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[alanporter]

In Canada I use a spray bottle of "Mean Green" which works wonders on gull poop. I don't know whether it is sold in the U.K.

 

[gerryl]

I had the same problem and found that normal canvas cleaners work well. There is a spray on formula which I think is marketed as 'BirdS**t remover which I have used - available from most swindleries.

A cheaper option is to google for 'soft top' cleaners from the motor trade. a lot of hoods were/are made from canvas.

 

[ajt]

brush off dried carp, soak canvass then scrub off with mild detergent, washing up liquid worked on my hood but it the bird carp will take out the colour eventualy

 

[bobgosling]

If using the fake snake trick remember to paint the words "I am not an Eel" on its back, as Eels are a favourite snack of Seagulls ...

 

[thalassa]

Halfords (and other car stuff shops) sell products for car soft tops (convertibles), which seem to work well.
P.S. do NOT shoot the gulls. A Dartmouth man was fined 400 pounds recently for shooting a seagull which had dive-bombed his wife's dinner.

 

[tom52]

Thanks everyone.

Bird S*** Remover from their website appears to a product available locally for me so I might give it a go.

Soft top car products were not something that had occured to me so will also investigate them.

Thanks again