Birds and spreaders

[Harrison]

Anyone have a good remedy to keeping birds off the spreaders. Apparently my boat is the one of choice to sit and @#$% on.
Thanks

[Russ]

You could hang one of these "eye" balls from the spreaders.
Bird spikes might not mix well with sails.

Bird wire?
http://www.birdbgone.com/products/bird- ... -wire.html
Bird gel?
http://www.birdbgone.com/products/bird- ... d-gel.html






--Russ

[Obelix]

My experience of 3 years in San Francisco Bay was that they prefer Macs because most of us have a bare mast-top, where they can land on easily. We had our Mac in the slip next to some bigger boats with all kind of mast-top gear and were the only one to get significantly pooped on. The same was true for other Mac’s in the marina.
I am in the process now to install an anchor light to minimize the top surface.

Obelix

[FinallySailing]

I've never tried this out myself. A few years ago I was looking at a potential boat to buy. It was the middle of summer, the boat was with the mast up on her trailer in the owner's garden in the country side. No birds and no bird droppings on the boat. The gentleman had put a dozen or so bright coloured toy rubber snakes all over the top of the boat and swore by this trick to keep birds away. It seemed to work, just strange because we here have hardly any natural snakes apart from the odd adder.

[Harry van der Meer]

Uncut tiewraps sticking up

[RobertB]

Rubber snakes held on the spreaders with uncut wire wraps sticking up

[Catigale]

from the odd adder.

...funny species, only works once.....

[Russ]

Temporary solution: Kid with an airsoft gun.

[Harrison]

You could hang one of these "eye" balls from the spreaders.
Bird spikes might not mix well with sails.

Bird wire?
http://www.birdbgone.com/products/bird- ... -wire.html
Bird gel?
http://www.birdbgone.com/products/bird- ... d-gel.html






--Russ

I like that "bird wire" trick. Maybe put a couple of screws an inch or two off the top of the spreader at each end and run some safety wire or fishing line between the two.

The rubber snake idea is interesting too. Keeping them on in the wind may be a problem but still a good idea.

My mast top has a anchor light, VHF antennae, and a static whip on top, and still they seem to sit on my Windex and break it. I made one out of aluminum and so far so good. They even drop what's left of their dinner on the deck. I find chewed corn cobbs and all kinds of open seed shells. Grrrrr!

[The-strikes]

Fishing Line. At the beginning of the season, before I raise the mast, I tie fishing line from the starboard shroud, around the mast to the port shroud about 5" above the spreaders. It screws up the bird when they try to land and they learn pretty quick not to sit there. You can't see it unless you really look for it but I haven't had any seagulls or other birds for three years.

[seahouse]

I hang DVDs from the shroud at about head height above the deck. Drill a hole just inside the periphery and feed a piece of cord through it. I let it hang down about 8” so it can flit around in the wind, but not hit the mast. The flashing and movement has kept the birds away, judging by the amount of bird turd on my dockmates’ boats, and not on mine. I also had one at the stern last year, but didn't put it up this year.

One thing about this method is certain – it keeps away 100% of the birds that are afraid of it!

One disadvantage - the DVD’s edge sometimes strikes the shroud when it’s windy and plays it like a piano string. It’s quite loud belowdecks because it resonates inside the cabin (like a piano sounding board). A clothespin used to clip them to the shrouds solves the problem if we’re sleeping.

When the DVDs succumb to UV degradation, I have a couple of shiny hard drive platters drilled, ready and waiting as permanent replacements.

- Brian.

[Highlander]

On my I used to fly small flags just above the spreaders off the shrouds
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/m ... CN1406.jpg

J

[DaveC426913]

One disadvantage - the DVD’s edge sometimes strikes the shroud when it’s windy and plays it like a piano string.

Perhaps you should try soft rock instead?

[seahouse]

Perhaps you should try soft rock instead?

Dave!

-Brian.

[Catigale]

The Byrds or the Eagles, surely....