Bird poop

Jul 1, 2014
252
Hunter 34 Seattle
Last year I felt under constant attack so I want to reduce the amount of time I spend cleaning it off this year. I considered an owl or stringing SS wire above the radar guard and spreaders but what about the boom. Does hanging CD's work? Then I thought, why not just net the whole damn boat in between outings. 2 giant cut-to-size bird nets, one fore and one aft of the spreaders. Haul up on the halyards, clip onto the lifelines, deploy and douse from a bag like a spinnaker. The admiral thinks I'm nuts but except for looking strange I think it would work. I'm wondering if anyone has tried something like that?
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
Please let us know if it’s effective. I use shiny Mylar streamers hoisted on a thin Dyneema line from the spinnaker halyard, they’re spaced about 18” apart. It works, very effectively, but my boat is kept on a mooring so it’s almost always headed in the wind. Might not work as well at a dock.
 
Aug 2, 2005
1,155
Pearson 33-2 & Typhoon 18 Seneca Lake
(1) Certain wildlife groups, both governmental and private, might find fault with your scheme.
(2) It might be a challenge to untangle a bird of prey that tried to make a meal of an ensnared Sparrow, Swallow, Pigeon, or Gull.
(3) Your lovely sailboat would be well camouflaged. shrimp boat? fishing trawler? plastic retrieval boat?
(4) Stick with the monofilament line. Mast to boom end works OK and there are attachments for on the lifelines as well.
 
Jan 25, 2011
2,391
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
Google bird spikes, or cat spikes, or defender spikes..they are all pretty much the same thing
 
May 7, 2006
245
Catalina 28 Mark 1 New Bern
I have used the CDs in the past above the boom with good success
 
Aug 2, 2005
1,155
Pearson 33-2 & Typhoon 18 Seneca Lake
RE: bird spikes......Those pointy things attach to the spreaders. Several years ago a friend "gifted" a set of them to me. I never used them, but would be glad to "re-gift" them to a member here. Send me a PM and we can discuss the particulars.
 
Mar 29, 2017
576
Hunter 30t 9805 littlecreek
I make a spider web of sort of old fishing line up the mast just on the halyard something like 10 to 12 lines and then tie off to lifelines random around boat.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
It might be a challenge to untangle a bird of prey that tried to make a meal of an ensnared Sparrow, Swallow, Pigeon, or Gull.
Why so worried about the raptor? What about the poor sparrow, pigeon, or gull that got entangled in the first place? They aren't even trying to kill something. But noOOo! It's all about the predator. If it doesn't kill for a living we don't want to hear about it.:cool:

How about a light piece of monofilament connected to an air horn. The bird lands on your boom and <《BREEERRRRR!!! It might annoy your neighbors at first, but soon the local birds will all be trained to not even think about it.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
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RoyS

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Jun 3, 2012
1,739
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
That is why we moved from a yacht club mooring to a marina slip over 20 years ago. Here in progressive Massachusetts they are about to install bird grinders that also produce electricity. That may give some relief to the boaters on moorings.
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
A deck cover is our solution. We put it on when we close up. Birds aren't the only problem. Spiders and other insects contribute as well. Plus it helps keep the heat load off of the cabinspace. A good wax helps too.
 

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Maybe when Lockheed-Martin figures out how to make the F35 an airworthy bird someone will have to worry about what it can do. In the meantime, it is a very nice jobs program!
 
Oct 4, 2010
159
76 Catalina 22 Three Mile Harbor, East Hampton, NY
These plastic flags worked great for me while on a mooring. Quick and easy install.
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Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
When I moor in Cotuit Bay on Cape Cod each summer, I see every kind of bird deterrent imaginable. Pretty much everything mentioned here is being used on boats there. No owls or plastic snakes, though. It only takes a couple of days for the cormorants to realize they are not real.