Mice in Boat

Tom J

Tom J

.
Sep 30, 2008
2,323
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
Cape Daysailor said:
Hello. My 1976 Helsen 22 is being stored on a trailer with a cover on it. I am not sure if this is an issue I would have, but what are the chances of mice or rats nesting inside? Like I said, the boat is covered, and there is no food inside.
Thank you.
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Like you, I am hoping that there isn't a big mouse problem on the Cape. I am storing my RV in Cotuit this winter. Last year, the mice made a huge nest in the AC/ heat plenum, and totally screwed up my conditioned air, but that was in Conn.
 
Cape Daysailor

Cape Daysailor

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Jan 19, 2019
34
Helsen 22 Waquoit Bay
There was a small mouse nest in our grill during the spring a couple years ago. They ran away once we opened it.
 
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shemandr

shemandr

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Jan 1, 2006
7,487
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
Mice are pretty athletic. We used to have them in a former house. They would come in under the garage door and then climb up, find their way through the ceiling wallboard in a very small hole and end up in a particular drawer in the kitchen. I disposed of many with traps but they would always come back. They follow the scent of urine from previous entries. I wouldn't rule out any method of entry by thinking a mouse could never do that.
 
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D

dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
12,761
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
We used to have a Jenn Air range with the grill top. The grill had a grease trap that was in a drawer well inside the range. One day I went to clean it and there were the remains of a well baked mouse lying in the grease. :yikes:
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Don’t worry about the mice, the snakes will eat them. :laugh:

Matter of fact, throw a black snake in there at the first sign of a rodent, they are very territorial and will eat copperheads and rattlers too!
 
Cape Daysailor

Cape Daysailor

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Jan 19, 2019
34
Helsen 22 Waquoit Bay
Thank you. Like I said I imagine the main way they could get inside the boat is climbing the bottom of the trailer and squeezing their way up the keel slot and into the cabin.
 
cb32863

cb32863

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Jun 29, 2010
1,287
Beneteau First 235 Lake Minnetonka, MN
Rick Webb said:
Poisoned bait works well along the periphery not in the actual location you are trying to keep them out of. I was told with what I remember as a credible explanation that the poison is of no danger to whatever consumes the unlucky rodent. Not sure where I heard that but I do remember it changing my thoughts on the poison route.

Keeping the vermin under control is only thing cats are useful for rescue a couple and stick them out there.
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Friend of mine is a wildlife rehaber. Poisoned bait for the likes of mice has killed its share of raptors and owls. Like lead shot and lead sinkers. Many a bird of prey have been victim of lead poisoning.
 
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Tom J

Tom J

.
Sep 30, 2008
2,323
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
shemandr said:
Mice are pretty athletic. We used to have them in a former house. They would come in under the garage door and then climb up, find their way through the ceiling wallboard in a very small hole and end up in a particular drawer in the kitchen. I disposed of many with traps but they would always come back. They follow the scent of urine from previous entries. I wouldn't rule out any method of entry by thinking a mouse could never do that.
Click to expand
We sometimes set up live traps in the kitchen. While we are watching TV, we will often see a mouse scurrying down the hallway and hide under the fridge. Next morning, the trap is sprung and I take it to a field to release the little guy. We joke that it is probably the same mouse coming back to snack on the bait.
 
Ron20324

Ron20324

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Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
cb32863 said:
.. . Poisoned bait for the likes of mice has killed its share of raptors and owls. Like lead shot and lead sinkers. Many a bird of prey have been victim of lead poisoning.
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Some states have banned lead shot. Maryland, I'm sure is one. I get mice so small their weight does not set off the traps. The gluey squares work well.
 
D

dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
12,761
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Ron20324 said:
Some states have banned lead shot. Maryland, I'm sure is one. I get mice so small their weight does not set off the traps. The gluey squares work well.
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Lead shot has been outlawed in NY for years. Waterfowl find it and think it is edible. Lead is bad for brain development.
 
31seahorse

31seahorse

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Aug 2, 2005
1,155
Pearson 33-2 & Typhoon 18 Seneca Lake
Tom J said:
We joke that it is probably the same mouse coming back to snack on the bait.
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You need a marking system!

True Story: A snake was eating the goldfish in a small water feature we have by the house on the farm. I played Frank Buck....Bring 'em Back Alive one day and collared the slithering thief using a noose of plastic bailer twine through a length of 1/2 inch plastic CPVC pipe. It worked like a charm! He never knew what grabbed him! I put the snake into a burlap bag, walked his butt to the creek about 150 yards from the house, and freed the culprit. The next day he was back on the same rock where I had collared him!
 
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D

DAVA390

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Jul 13, 2010
1,097
Precision 23 Perry Hall,Baltimore County
31seahorse said:
"I hate those meeses to pieces!"
On more than one daysailer we have found that mice have chewed the cushions, the foam flotation, and/or the wood. They are not very particular concerning what they gnaw on. The boat also suffers from their presence because of their reluctance to use the portapotty.

The best removal technique I have found is baiting mouse traps with peanut butter. It probably tastes better than Styrofoam or wood. As an alternative you could probably submerge your boat for several hours!!!!!

Best wishes on solving any mouse/squirrel/rodent housing problems.
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Ron20324 said:
Some states have banned lead shot. Maryland, I'm sure is one. I get mice so small their weight does not set off the traps. The gluey squares work well.
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Lead shot is banned for hunting but is still widely used for trap and skeet shooting and is still available for purchase.
 
williamtl

williamtl

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Jun 1, 2015
217
Macgregor 26d Trailer Estates, Fl
I would think that a mouse could easily climb up the tires and then use the trailer frame to get to a tie down or some other rope and get topside, deck, and then in any hole greater than 1/2”. Just a guess.
 
31seahorse

31seahorse

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Aug 2, 2005
1,155
Pearson 33-2 & Typhoon 18 Seneca Lake
Perhaps a clock on board would be the best solution......

Hickory, dickery, dock.
Two mice ran up the clock.
The clock struck one as down he run.
The other escaped with minor injuries.
 
rgranger

rgranger

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Jan 19, 2010
12,553
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
JamesG161 said:
:plus::plus:
In a netted type bag in at least 3 locations. Also helps with mildew.
Repeat often.
Jim...
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:plus::plus::plus:

Yep! And it also keeps out wasps, roaches, etc and as an added bonus, naphthalene (mothballs) also kills mold spores. I keep mine in several Tupperware containers and when I go sailing, I put the lid on the container and stow. When I leave the boat, I set the containers out again.

Make it part of your regular habit and your boat will stay much fresher.
 
TimFromLI

TimFromLI

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Jan 7, 2014
443
Beneteau 45F5 51551 Port Jefferson
I know someone who had ether rats or mice move into their 40' Jeanneau over the winter. He thinks they got in from a nearby dumpster. They did a lot of damage to the upholstery. I always put poison in the corners of my garage - They aren't hard to find once they die, just follow your nose. Even if you don't find them after a week or three they are gone.
 
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