What do you do to keep seagulls of your boat

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alohahugo said..
hi all
I have recently started using netting to keep seagulls off my boat. The trouble is it takes about 20 minutes to set up, when i get off the boat or want to get under way.
Last year I had a dead seagull that I hung on the boom that kept his fellow birds away for a couple of months, I think when he eventually stopped looking like a seagull his mates came back.
Any one have any smart quick to set up ways of getting rid of these pests.
Oh yeah I seem to have the worlds biggest seagull rookery on an old sh@t trimaran about 30 metres away, the owner has been unseen for 3 years but the RMS won't do anything about this ****ter, despite complaints from me.
Any ideas apart from the obvious.

Cheers

I've resorted to netting as well. I have a dream of making covers one day. In the meantime I thought I might adjust my netting so that it's quicker. Currently use a couple of long rectangles of netting and some little open clips in a C shape. Occurred to me that I could shape the netting better and split it down the middle so that it wraps around both sides of the mast and add some better clips that stay in place and are easier to put on and off. I think I'll do that as an interim and look into making one of those covers that clips in at the toe rail, up to the bottom of the boom (over centre cockpit). Covers also take time on and off but at least they'll also protect the boat from UV and won't catch in my toes and trip me over.

Also have a deserted cat in the bay which has an open hatch and another neglected boat which serve as rookeries. Actually, Maritime here are keen to move people on so perhaps they will take a suggestion that a seagull rookery is evidence of a mooring minder. Thanks for the idea.

Hmmm... unseen for 30 years eh? Boat like that could come off its mooring in a blow. Just sayin'. (Okay, okay, calm down everyone. Joke.) Can you cover the hatch if it has one? Also interested in others' suggestions. Seagulls are literally sh1tting me - flying at me and dropping poo bombs.

+1 for the netting.

Used to give my crew the S**ts at the end of the day but then they wern't the ones having to deal with all the bird poop all over the deck and boom cover. Being the understanding skipper that I am and always wanting the best for my crew I improved the netting set up by shaping it to fit and replacing what were chord ties to the toe rail with plastic clips. This made it much quicker and simpler to not only get on and off but also to get it in the right place.

I actually have 3 bits of it. 1 = forward of the mast to the bow, 1 = from mast toend of boom and 1= joins the middle one to cover the cockpit. The forward and middle pieces are held up off the deck / boom by a central chord that remains attached to the netting and is tied at either end to mast / bow / end of boom. Once that is tied it is just a siple operation of going down each side and clipping the edges on.

Having the separate piece for the cockpit means that if I am just visitng the boat to do some work and not going for a sail I can remove just that bit. It gives me access to the cabin and cockpit without having to wrestle with the whole netting set up.

Seems like every one is on the same page. There has to be a better way though. I still think that the mooring minders encourage the birds who find a safe place to nest. I just reckon something like a yearly road worthy by the BSo who can tell if a boat is being used would go a long way to getting rid of the problem.Has any one noticed the appearance of trailerable sized speed boats on moorings that now never move over the last few years. I reckon our bay would have 20% of the boats in this category. I don't have a problem with them if they are used but i reckon the moorings are becoming a cheap dumping ground for these toys.

Have a nice day I am sailing down harbour today should be good

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madmission said..
I park my boat in a shed 50 kms from the sea....has to be some benefit owning a trailer sailer

Do the Galhas chew on your boat Madmision The tomatoes are doing great thanks

I find birds like to sit on my spreaders and have a crap on the boat so I have cable ties with the tails sticking up in the air and they can't land. Works a treat .

Dayuum! And the cormorant be worth 30 gulls at that.
Living aboard tends to keep them away, soon as i spend a night somewhere, i count a handful of smit. Even just going shopping, i find one or two..
I wonder if we should shoehorn some homeless peoples into these mooring minders? Cant see why not

I hang a dead one between the shrouds.....

What about hanging a couple of your Cliff Richard CD's up with a bit of fishing line with swivels between them and a sinker on the bottom. Just a clip and a swivel hanging under the end of the boom.

Seagulls love hot chips! What about a hot chip with a bit of ratsack in it !! They are just rats with wings!

I have never seen a nest on a boat. I think they are too smart. The boats are used as observation posts to spot fish and anything remotely edible.

Whilst sitting on my boat contemplating the virtues of the seagull and how to come to a greater understanding between man and gull, I thought what do we have a lot of around here the is cheap and in abundant supply. Water I answered myself. How do we use water to repel seagulls. Water pistols I thought but that takes someone on guard 24 / 7. What about an automatic water spraying device that is movement activated to hose the sea pests off, or at least give them a hurry in the right direction.
What do we reckon can any of you incredibly talented gentlemen and ladies come up with a device that works of 12 volts etc ?

I can't wait to hear what you can come up with

The scarer noise thing is great but can you imagine that noise going of in a small bay every half hour or so. The people who live there would get pretty annoyed at the noise and probably knock a hole in your boat. I like my idea as it is quiet and targets the pests rather than the people. Surely just a motion sensor to drive a 12 volt pump would work. It should be kept simple like an outside light sensor.

Cheers

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alohahugo said..
The scarer noise thing is great but can you imagine that noise going of in a small bay every half hour or so. The people who live there would get pretty annoyed at the noise and probably knock a hole in your boat. I like my idea as it is quiet and targets the pests rather than the people. Surely just a motion sensor to drive a 12 volt pump would work. It should be kept simple like an outside light sensor.

Cheers

exaclty how i feel about car alarms that go off for hours because of a cat. i feel like smashing their windows...the irony of alarms. can cause a non thief to damage your vehicle while you are at work and your alarms going for hours...

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sydchris said..

Sectorsteve said..

exaclty how i feel about car alarms that go off for hours because of a cat. i feel like smashing their windows...the irony of alarms. can cause a non thief to damage your vehicle while you are at work and your alarms going for hours...

That's why this was developed...

hahahaha. see that would work.

Hi All
Well commenced clearing of sea pests from mooring minders around my boat. Went on board this morning after about 4 days and one or 2 seagull messages on deck and thats all. Maybe there is something in my mates idea that if you make it as unpleasant as possible for them they will move on to safer spots. I will paddle around bay and continue my work later this evening.
If this works it will be a bonus, if only these people who own these boats would come down to them regularly we would not have this problem.

Aloha