X!#%&@ Birds

[tartansailor]

Droppings on my covers and deck have reached an alarming proportion. Additionally a big bird on landing on my Windex actually turned its mounting bracket, rendering the windex useless.

It is at a point where I believe the boat to be a serious health hazard.
The plan is to move it to a dock for pressure washing, unstep the mast to reinforce the Windex bracket,
but,
What can be done about the birds?

I am thinking of fixing spikes to the mast-head casting and Windex bracket.

A power boat neighbor suggests an owl aloft.

Anyone have an effective solution?

Bombed on the Broadkill.

Dick

[Oswego John]

Dick,

My brother used to keep a cat on board. That worked below. It's a scientifically proven fact that most cats have trouble shinnying up an aluminum mast.

I have heard or read of people stretching SS wire across possible roosts.

Good luck. You'll need lots of it.
O J

[Gary M]

Dick,

I had reasonable success with this.

First I used a little piece of epoxy putty to install a spike at the top of my spar fly. The spar fly still worked and the spike kept the birds from landing on it.

I stretched SS wire from my uppers, to my mast just above the spreaders and that stopped birds from landing on the spreaders.

I hoisted a leaf rake to the top of the mast so the tines of the rake were above everything on the top of the mast and that worked very well.

To get the rake up there I rigged it in a way so I could hoist it up handle first then at the right moment I could spin the rake around so the tines were pointing up.

I can't remember how exactly I did it but it wasn't hard. I believe I had a small line attached just below the balance point where I would attach the main halyard. This would hoist it handle up, tines down. Then I had a small line at the handle end that I could pull to spin the rake tines up.

If this isn't done the tines will snag on anything on it's way up.

The sailors on my dock didn't have much luck with rubber owls or rubber snakes, but many have installed spikes at the top and say that solved their problem.

Another sailor just has a ribbon up there flying in the breeze and he says it works. That's so easy you might try that first.

Good Luck,

Gary

[tartansailor]

Gary,
Those are great creative ideas which are sincerely appreciated.
Thanks!
Now to implement. Will try the rake idea using my spinnaker halyard.
I have to lower the mast anyway to straighten out the Windex, and that will afford an opportunity to install the spreader guards.

Dick

[Gary M]

I can't take credit for the ideas, I "borrowed" them while looking around the dock.

Gary

[Mike Wainfeld]

Dick-I have heard that nylon fishing line also strung about the birds roosting spots on the spreaders, will keep them away.
Mike

[tartansailor]

It is times like this that I feel honored to be associated with Cape Dory Boat Owners, and this board.

Dick

[bottomscraper]

We have stainless bird wire about 4" above the spreaders and it seems to help. I took this picture last year of another boat proof that they don't work . Our wires are parallel with the spreaders, not like these if that makes any difference.

<img width="540" src="http://sailmahalo.com/picture_collectio ... NOT_01.JPG">

[Kurt]

I've had problems with birds roosting on my furled genoa sheets and other lower parts of the boat. I use plastic clothes pins to dangle shiny compact discs from the genoa sheets and mainsail sail cover. Rap music seems to work the best.

[Troy Scott]

An inflatable owl in the rigging seems to help around here.

[jneely]

We have a terrible problem around here with cormorants whose fecal output can be prodigious. I followed the lead from another sailor in our creek and tied about 10 nylon wire ties to each spreader with the tails facing upward. On the masthead I doubled a piece of stainless wire from the front of the masthead to the back. I twisted the wire and inserted wire ties into the twists with the tails facing up. I trimmed each tail so that there was a point at the end although this was done more from a sadistic wish for revenge rather that for practical necessity. The WindEx indicator I installed came with a spike on the top which also discourages perching and pooping.

The system has worked extremely well. I have literally not seen any bird droppings on the boat this season. However, this week I noticed that the wind indicator was broken off at one end. My guess is that a frustrated cormorant attempted to land on the vane and it snapped off. I am now contemplating a method of replacement. I am leaning toward going aloft in a bosun's chair. Never having done so, I have some questions about the advisability of doing this. I will ask these questions in a separate post.

[Jack Carr]

I have a solution but it probably is not a sailboat solution. Property managers have found that there is a substance in purple grape juice that repels birds. Folks use a squirt gun and spray roosting area with unsweetened purple grape juice. Unsweetened to keep flying insects, ants, etc. away. The juice seems to wash off most building surfaces over time with no stain. I'm not sure I would want purple gel coat.

[Sea Hunt]

I do not yet own a Cape Dory, so my thoughts should be taken with a grain of salt or, as you read on, with a few grains of gun powder.

At the risk of being labeled “politically incorrect”, have you given thought to directing some well placed buckshot at the problem? A Remington 870 12 g shotgun with 00 buckshot directed at the intruders should scare them away. Repeat as needed. After a few days of this, the offenders should get the idea and move on to less dangerous sailboats. Of course, you will have to be careful not to hit the rigging, spreaders, etc. - “collateral damage”. This may be tactically impossible. Also, timing is important. Too early in the day will wake the neighbors in adjacent slips. Too late in the day and you may interfere with cocktail hour. Also, depending on your location, you may have “issues” with discharging a firearm in an unauthorized place. You also do not want to be known as Dick Cheney's "other" hunting buddy.

If a Remington shotgun is viewed as unnecessary overkill (no pun intended), you could always use a .22 rimfire. Felt recoil and noise will be less, allowing you to operate earlier in the day and later in the evening, however, your shots will have to be “dead on” (pun intended).

Of course, as a true believer in the Colin Powell doctrine of “overwhelming force”, with emphasis on the word “overwhelming”, I would go with the Remington 870.

OK, the above was intended in good humor. It’s late and I remain depressed about still not being able to find a Cape Dory I am comfortable with that I can afford. I apologize to any who are offended.

On a serious note, although I do not own a sailboat yet, I have been around docks in South Florida for many years. Plastic owls attached to the spreaders are very popular, as are shiny objects hanging from spreaders. There is one sailboat that has 3-4 shiny CD discs hanging from the spreaders. They twirl in the wind and are apparently troublesome to birds, etc. Something, anything, appears to be better than nothing. At a local marina I frequent weekly for races, there is one sailboat that has nothing visible to dissuade birds. His burgundy mainsail cover is coated with $#@%, whereas, boats nearby that have owls or shiny objects, etc. seem untouched.

I guess I will have this to look forward to once I get a CD.

[tartansailor]

Sea Hunt
I have an 1100, and my preference is lead dust @ 1 dr. eq. but that approach is futile, as our mooring is surrounded by the millions of birds in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge.

But thanks for the support.

I'm going with the strings recommended above.

Dick

[Bill Romeo]

I have had TREMENDOUS problems with cormorants up until this year. At the beginning of this year with the mast down, I secured cable ties vertically to the top of my mast (around my mast light as well as on the arms supporting my wind transducer and Windex). Prior to installing the cable ties, I cut the top facing tip at 45 degree angles such that ties are very pointy and sharp. So far so good!!