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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Birds and Poop

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Bortiquai
1st Mate

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88 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/07/2008 : 11:24:15

Ok, I don't mean to be vulgar here, but down here in PR, we've got these birds... I'm not sure what they are called. But they poop... alot. And it's not like the regular white bird poop i'm used to. It's black. These birds like to sit up on my spreaders and poop on my deck. The problem is that this black poop really stains the deck. Even getting on my hands an knees scrubbing with hand brushes, scotch brites, etc... and it just doesn't come out. Eventually, the stains will fade out with time, but by then, a few more birds have deficated on the boat.

So, what is the best way to keep the birds from perching up on my spreaders? And, of course, not putting something up there that is going to chafe or tear my sail?

Thanks
MATT

Edited by - on

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2008 : 11:43:50

Matt,

I had the same problem in our club marina with hawks and eagles eating fish and dropping roe on the deck. It would literaly fry onto the deck and be next to impossible to get off. Eventually I moved my boat out of the marina and back to a mooring in front of my house.

I have since learned that attaching monofiliment fish line from the end of the spreader to the mast, about 2 to 4 inches above the spreader, keeps them from perching and doesn't interfere with sails.

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2008 : 12:06:46

I've found black streak remover works well in removing bird crap stains. Works pretty good on removing black streaks also.

Edited by - on

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3478 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2008 : 12:35:18

I have bird problems as well. I have it mostly from swallows and purple martins having a party on my lifelines or deck. I am using a beachball with large eyeballs on it attached to the genoa furling lines and an owl attached to the stern stay. I also have CDs strung from the bow pulpit and along each side in the vicinity of the lifelines. But each year, some of the birds go away for Bird Preventer Training 101 and come back not so disturbed by the above bird preventers. I have switch locations of the owl and ball occasionally but that has not helped all that much. I find the above about 30-50% effective.

So, now I am considering buying one of those Bird preventer Daddy Long Legs with the SS tentacles that turn in the wind. I do not have problems so much with my spreaders but elsehwere on the web, monofilament line strung in that area seems to do the trick - as was mentioned in the above posting. coincidentally, I just bought some zip ties and dowels from Home Depot and when i get a chance, i am going to experiment attaching short dowels to the stanchions so i can string fishing line, etc about an inch above the lifeline and see if that helps. My thought was that i may be able to slide the dowels up or down depending whether the boat is sleeping in the finger slip or I go out sailing. That way, if i can slide down the short dowels succesfully, they won't interfere with the genoa while sailing. if I am successful, I will report back with the status.

Edited by - OLarryR on 08/07/2008 12:37:45

cat1951
Admiral

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USA
636 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2008 : 12:59:10

First thing that came to mind when I read your post was "PULL"

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dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 08/07/2008 : 13:31:09

You could also fashion a tarp/boom tent with a hole for the mast and a zipper to the side, big enough to go out to and secure to the lifelines on each side, up to the bow pulpit, and about 9' back over the boom. Let the tarp catch the bird poop. Then hose it off/let rain wash it off. Doubles as a dandy sunshade at an anchorage.

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Gambit
Navigator

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USA
160 Posts

Response Posted - 08/08/2008 : 07:54:54

I like the fishing line idea from the spreader to the mast and/or stays. We use an owl strapped to the mast just above the sail cover. I change the orientation so she is facing different directions. BTW, her name is Lilly Hooters.

We have not had any (knocking on wood now) deposits on the decks this year.

Your results may vary, good luck.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 08/08/2008 : 09:18:01

The monofilament above the spreaders worked for me. I also had trouble with little swallows sitting on my taut genoa sheets (from the furler), so I just loosened the sheets a little--they didn't like that. To compensate, I wrapped a bungee around the genny at the clew. I also fixed a lightweight line from the collar of the sail cover to its end, so that when the sail cover was tightened (line to the boom-end), the line rose slightly above it. No more soft bed for the sea rats (gulls).

Lifelines... Hmmm... I didn't have that problem. Coil a rubber snake around 'em? I think I'd need to come up with something that wasn't a project every time I went out or came in.

As for plastic owls, I saw a picture somewhere of a gull sitting on top of one.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 08/08/2008 09:18:40

farrison
Navigator

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USA
166 Posts

Response Posted - 08/08/2008 : 10:27:15

After you try all of the above methods, and they still mess up the deck, try a little Soft Scrub with Bleach on the stains...

Paul

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knightwind
Navigator

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Canada
114 Posts

Response Posted - 08/08/2008 : 22:31:48

People round here put up life-like statues of owls on the dock-posts.
Seems to work...don't see many gulls etc...
but why do spider's seem so attracted to boats?
I cleaned out a gazillion of them after she sat at the dock for a few weeks...a little clay nest even fell out of the mainsail when I undid it... Thank god I'm in Canada! and none of these scary looking buggers can kill me...Imagine sailing in Australia or South America...

Edited by - on

cat1951
Admiral

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USA
636 Posts

Response Posted - 08/09/2008 : 07:27:54

knightwind - We have the same problem with spiders. Once every few months we spray the rubrail with something will kill them. They tend to nest in that area and then spread throughout the boat. We also spray the docklines to keep them from climbing aboard for a free ride. It doesn't get rid of them all, but the population is much smaller.

Edited by - on

Joel37027
Deckhand

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USA
21 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2008 : 15:31:54

I just started using a Gull Sweep to keep Blue Heron off my boom. It works well.

http://gullsweep.com/

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Deric
Captain

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USA
408 Posts

Response Posted - 08/11/2008 : 20:49:26

We are very lucky in the NorthEast, in Central New York, because it rains every day, and thus, our boats are cleaned daily. No expense paid for a solution.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3478 Posts

Response Posted - 08/12/2008 : 05:21:49

I took down my CDs along the port and starboard and put up the wood dowels w/zip ties attached to the stanchions. Then attached the monofilament/fishing line onto the slit at the top of each dowel. So, today will be first day to see how it works out. The way it is attached, it should be easy to raise and lower the line...at least that is the idea. The 4" dowels held by the zip ties can be pushed down to hide them along the stanchions so they do not interfere during sailing. Anyway, it is an experiment...I'll have a better idea how it works after a few days. Then I may buy the Daddy Long legs...maybe the 4' version and see how that additionally works.

One would wonder why go to all this trouble ? However, the purple martins and swallows are all over the place. Keeps the mosquito population down considerably - like zippo ! The marina has at least one purple martin house and it appears to have no vacancies ! The other day I came back from sailing and the boat next to me had about 10 purple martins having a party on his bow rail. the boat next to it had 6. Each boat had a proportionate amount of bird turds and that stuff if left for long on the deck is a pain to get off.

Edited by - on

Stardog
Captain

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USA
319 Posts

Response Posted - 08/12/2008 : 20:13:44

A live-aboard cat would take care of the problem. I've seen a few and there were no bird problems there, but you have to house train (or boat train) the cat.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3478 Posts

Response Posted - 08/13/2008 : 05:48:18

I am going to hold off of the cat idea....but does sound good ! Frank Hopper once mentioned to throw some fish aboard boats 3 or 4 away from me and that should do the trick....I am not gojng that route either but the cat idea sounds better.

Update on the monofilament line on the dowels attached to the stanchions with zip ties. This definitely works ! This is first time I had 0 turds along the deck near the rail ! Okay...it was only after one day but it is apparent this works.

Now the down side....Pushing the dowels down to drop the line to level of the lifeline to go sailing is easy enough but I have the monofilament line tied to the bow pulpit directly and the line is then slightly above the lifeline up near the pulpit. After sailing, the monofilament line held together on the port side but broke on the starboard side. Not a big deal, i just added a new line on the starboard side. But i want this to be easy and not a chore each time I go out...so I need to tweak this arrangment before i remain committed to it. Maybe the answer to this is to attach a few twisters (those are the little paper/wire thingies you use to close a plastic bag) to the monofilament line to hold it to the lifeline when going sailing and then take them off when I leave for the day. that would be easy enough. If it ain't easy to resolve this, then I ain't doin it. I may give the twisters a shot.

Edited by - OLarryR on 08/13/2008 05:50:04

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