Unwelcome visitors

[seaesta]

Having read the previous posts about rats and squirrels boarding boats and leaving a mess I would be interested in hearing about other people's experiences with such stow-aways. My own nadir was a pied wagtail which came in through a porthole when I was moored on the River Axe at Weston Super Mud. The little blighter sh*t everywhere.
Any tips on keeping my current chief pests at bay (Gulls being fed on fish and chips by grokells at Whitby) would also be appreciated. Having to scrub their faeces
of the decks every week is a real drag.
Martin

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[jwaldin]

I've seen boaters use plastic owls to keep sea gulls from landing and some run fishing line here and there.

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[Stemar]

Everything I've seen and read suggests that plastic owls are ineffective, as are the CDs spead along a line.

I started to get visiting cards --or something beginning with C -- on my boat. The visitors were perching on the boom, so I ran some shock cord about 3 ins above the top. It's too floppy for them to land on, and gets in their way if they try to land on the boom. It certainly seems to work - the b******ds moved to my spreaders, so when I drop the mast, I'll give them the same treatment!

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[wooslehunter]

Dad made the mistake of leaving the sail on his dinghy for a few weeks.

When he went to sail it a family of mice had moved in & turned the head into a nice fluffy nest.

It gave him the excuse for a new sail though since the old one was on its way out. Being a resourceful chap he then cut the old one down to make a heavy weather sail - he's not as fit as he used to be being nearly 80 and still racing so a smaller sail helps.

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Do you see how effective the owl is /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk/movies.html>Dolphin Movie From Top Cat</A>

 

[longjohnsilver]

Taut fishing line does the trick for me, the little b#######s cant see it and it resonates in any breeze which also seems to discourage them.

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[Rabbie]

Thats exactly what I did - and it works!

<hr width=100% size=1>I admit to spending a fortune on women, booze, gambling and my boat. The rest I spend foolishly.

 

[AndrewJ]

I've heard that rubber snakes work amazingly well.

<hr width=100% size=1>The only easy day was yesterday

 

[richardandtracy]

A shotgun works wonders. Shoot the grockles and the chip shop owners, then there'll be no food for the gulls, and the gulls will move on!
See, an environmentally sound solution is possible.

Regards

Richard.


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[Trevor_swfyc]

I use a hydrid of the idea of a snake and a line run over the boom. The line I use is yellow and black, the idea I had was that the line is left slack making it difficult to land on and gets in the way if the little sh1ts try to sit on the boom, also yellow and black I think are danger signs. Anyway it works to keep them off the boom maybe I could get some plastic snakes for the pushpit.

Is it true seagulls prefer motor boats to yachts?

Have a good one!
Trevor

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[roger]

This possibly works only for motorboats. At Totnes we have a dreadful gull problem. The most effective solution appears to be to rig a net over the whole boatheld up clear of any solid surface. The gulls cant get through it and don't like standing on it. Mght work for sailing boats too.

<hr width=100% size=1>Roger

 

[catmandoo]

My visitor was definately unwelcome. Please do not underestimate the trauma that followed . I arrived tired off the plane in the early evening to find devastation . I had intended to sleep on the boat and do a week's maintenance work . The bunks cabins and galley ,apart from chewing ,had been urinated and defecated on . It felt like rape, not to mention Weils disease and other nasties. A very kind couple on the next boat gave me a bed for the night and I spent the next 2 days cleaning and disinfecting everywhere during which time Icaught and killed the rat . I still remember the rat's face when I raised the hammer to send him off to Rat Valhallah to the extent that I later composed the following saga in his honour:-

Oh Roland Rat! Oh Roland Rat!

Why did you have to chew my hat?

You slunk on board at dead of night.

You nearly gave my wife a fright.



One month later, a month too late.

I cried with despair at what you ate.

A rip up there, a nibble here,

You¹d even tried to drink my beer.


Can with a hole, wine corks chewed,

Washing up liquid lying spewed.

Cushions torn and mattress ripped.

Goodness gracious what had I shipped?


Its over now, you are no more,

I caught you; sticky handed, on the floor.

The lesson learnt, a hard one that.

Beware, beware of the Med sea rat.


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[seaesta]

Thanks for all your helpful and interesting comments. I think I will install some small hole chicken wire over the portholes (which I leave open all year for ventilation) to deter any wandering rats -what a nightmare to find such a mess and destruction. I will also try the fishing line on the pushput.
I should have mentioned one minor mod that has served me well - putting a long 5mm machine screw point up from the masthead light - this keeps gulls from perching atop the mast which was previosuly thier favorite spot.
Martin of Seaesta of Whitby (p.s. Have a good Xmas and 2004)

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