Keeping birds away

[Mark & Lindsay Paterson]

Hi all - does anyone have any good ideas for stopping birds (seagulls) from roosting on our boat whilst we are away from the boat.:smt100

 

[VTSeaRay]

Hi all - does anyone have any good ideas for stopping birds (seagulls) from roosting on our boat whilst we are away from the boat.:smt100

I've seen boats in our area with a plastic mesh netting (I'm not sure where they got it) over the entire boat, that birds don't like landing on. Others I've seen use fishing line, but that's a pain to put on/off everytime you want to go boating.

Friends of mine had one of those rotating (from the wind) whips, but they said they didn't do the job. I saw them a couple weeks ago, just as they brought their boat in from it's mooring to their dock, and it was coated in bird dung. It was disgusting to see.

Here's some of that meshing - you can get it at Lowe's

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"A piece of Deerblock is attached. It is a nylon mesh that is seven feet wide and a hundred feet long. The last time we bought a roll (1998) it was $15.96 at Lowes, and we re-use the same roll each year.

[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]We won the war on seagulls![/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"
[/FONT]
-VtSeaRay

 

[raffles]

I use a "daddi long legs" and it works pretty good for me

http://www.birdbusters.com/pigeon_control_repellent_boats.html

 

[Zorba]

Not sure how persistent the egulls are in Australia, but were we dock our neighbors use plastic bags tied to their rail. Tacky but it seems to work. I think it looks ridiculous but so i don't use them on my boat but i am tucked in between two boat that do and it seems to keep the birds off my boat as well.

 

[Beer Thirty]

Years ago we lived on a lake where ducks would crap on our dock like crazy. After a while my dad put these flower pots we had laying around that looked like swans on the end of the dock and one on the hoist. we never had a problem after that.

 

[VTSeaRay]

My parents put a duck whirlygig that basically spins it's "wings" to the wind. Keeps all the birds off their dock.

 

[Mark & Lindsay Paterson]

Thanks to all those who responded with some interesting ideas- I guess it will be a case of trial and error. We put some plastic snakes over the targa and bimini last weekend, so I am looking forward to seeing if they have worked when we go down to the boat next weekend - I will let you know how it goes.

 

[out-n-aboat]

Throw a bunch of breadcrumbs on the boat next to you.

 

[swilson]

I've heard a rumor that hanging a couple CDs from the bimini will deter birds. Apparently the reflection scares them off.

 

[out-n-aboat]

I've heard a rumor that hanging a couple CDs from the bimini will deter birds. Apparently the reflection scares them off.

especially Michael Jackson CD's

 

[saltydogz]

Throw a bunch of breadcrumbs on the boat next to you.

That's why he has the birds and the neighbor's boat doesn't...:lol::smt043:lol::smt043

 

[Mark & Lindsay Paterson]

Hmmm...interesting solution...and I hate cats!!

 

[george daley]

I purchased a mylar baloon and tided it to ancor lite on the arch (silver or gold color) at a 99 cent store it moves around with the breeze and keeps the birds away

 

[Mark & Lindsay Paterson]

Now that sounds interesting - I'll give it a go - by the way, what's a mylar balloon?

 

[Larry&Leisa]

mylar..shiny metallic looking

 

[b_arrington]

I tried a bird spider (daddy long legs). It didn't work well and was always getting tangled.

This year I used a gull sweep - the rotating thingy. It has worked extremely well with ZERO bird poops on the top or rear canvas. The only poop so far is from an aerial attack.

I attached it via u-bolt on the bimini frame. I also fashioned a "keeper" for the gull sweep so it wouldn't blow off in high winds.

 

[Mark & Lindsay Paterson]

Thanks for the tip - I bought a daddi long legs and it works great.

 

[Captain Wicked]

I tried a bird spider (daddy long legs). It didn't work well and was always getting tangled.

This year I used a gull sweep - the rotating thingy. It has worked extremely well with ZERO bird poops on the top or rear canvas. The only poop so far is from an aerial attack.

I attached it via u-bolt on the bimini frame. I also fashioned a "keeper" for the gull sweep so it wouldn't blow off in high winds.

Can you elaborate on this keeper? I use 3 gull sweeps, 2 on the bimini and one on the deck. I've already lost one gull sweep in the wind and they are expensive so don't want to lose another. Gull sweeps work great, no poop.

 

[b_arrington]

Can you elaborate on this keeper? I use 3 gull sweeps, 2 on the bimini and one on the deck. I've already lost one gull sweep in the wind and they are expensive so don't want to lose another. Gull sweeps work great, no poop.

Being somewhat cheap and not wanting to wait for the shipping, I fashioned my own in about 20 minutes with about $6 of parts. I modeled after the one that Gullsweep offers. They had a nice photo of it in the Gullsweep package. Works great.

Theirs is about $11, plus shipping. Here's a pic from their site: http://gullsweep.com/MountingOptions/GS-RK.html