Cheap Tarps. Do they Scratch?

[delevi]

I am getting absolutely sick and tired of cleaning up the massive amounts of bird crap off my deck. It seems to be a real issue in my marina, even after just a few days. I don't want to spend thousands on a boat cover and West Marine has these really cheap tarps which can be bunjied to the boat. I figure two tarps will cover the boat at a cost of about $50. I heard, however, that these tarps make nasty scratches on the gelcoat. Anyone have this problem or can speak to the contrary?

Thanks.
Leon

[eric3a]

..

[Night Sailor]

It's not the poly tarps that scratch gelcoat and acrylic windows... it's the dirt that's trapped between tarp and surface. It gets blown in by wind, or washed inbetween the two by rain and any movement of the tarp saws teh sand grains back and forth which eats at the surface.

Cheap poly tarps will often shed little scales of plastic onto the boat when the UV attacks them. I kept a tarp for 6 years because I parked the boat under overhanging oak trees, before I finally gave up because it damaged the boat and didn't keep it a lot cleaner. The wind blew dirt and leaves under the tarp, but the rain never got a chance to wash it off. Going without the tarp, and once per week sweeping the leaves off the decks and hosing it down kept the boat clean better than anything else.

The fish net idea does work to keep bird off, but may attract spiders, which will eat bugs and crap on your boat with black and green stuff. There seems to be no avoiding the work of washing the boat to avoid stains. A good coat of wax, including the nonskid type for the nonskid surfaces will help the cleaning a lot.

If it makes you feel better, bird crap is a lot easier and better to clean up than sea bird vomit with partially digested remains in it. That, when dried is extremely difficult to remove. I know more about that than I ever wanted to know......

[kmclemore]

...bird crap is a lot easier and better to clean up than sea bird vomit with partially digested remains in it....

Thank you for that lovely bit of imagery... gaaaakk.... fortunately I've finished my dinner...

As for me, thanks to the help of several advisors on this forum I now have a support structure made of PVC pipes formed in large hoops (attached to the staunchions) that keeps the tarp off my boat, so no worries about scratches (not that I've ever noticed any in the past, mind you). The tarp is a large "Harbor Freight" silver one and runs from past the bow to past the stern, so no leaves, no water, no nuthin' gets under it, apart for the odd insect or two.

[pokerrick1]

I do something to ward off birds I learned from a Coast Guard Guy moored next to me. I stretch and tie thin lightweight fishing line between the safety lines fore and aft - - - then I put an old CD on the line. The wind makes it move on the line and it has a "twirling" effect from reflections off the sun. In any event, I have no bird problem. It shocked me but it worked

Rick

[Catigale]

Back in the heydey AOL would ship you enough free CDs to last for a lifetime for this mod...

[delevi]

Thanks Rick. I'll give that a shot. Sure is a lot faster than putting up and taking down a tarp. Too bad I didn't keep those AOL discs. Probably had dozens of them at one time.

Leon

[Craig LaForce]

I am waiting for West Marine to come out with a small radar automated laser beam tracking weapon that can be turned on to blast any critters that board without permission. Squirrels, seagulls, pidgeons, racoons, spiders, mud daubers, radio thieves, fall leaves, enjoy yourselves, your days of invading our boats are numbered.

On the downside, we would have to upgrade our shore power to power the photon pumps.

[David Mellon]

Great idea Craig! I've been a LASER safety officer for near on 20 years now. My only concern is that it has to be powerful enough to ablate a sea lion. Hey, perhaps we could use an Nd:YAG focused to a point and photodisrupt in air bursts over the deck, I'm sure we could get approval. Plus, it would be pretty.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

You should have seen all the nasty crap I used to have to clean off my O'Day which had a much larger mast than the Mac and was a favorite perch for our local osprey. Not just partially digested fish, but whole skeletons and other body parts, crab shells, you name it....this was the neighborhood seabird bar and grill.

Luckily, they don't bother the Mac much, probably due to its smaller mast and the nifty lightning defuser I have on top..as well as windex and masthead antenaa. My newest windex installed last week also has a bird spike on it now so all that interference on the mast does keep the birds away. Of course, now I just installed an anchor light on a mast cap, so that may make it slightly more popular...we'll see.

I also have some problems with tree frogs. Found the first one on my Mac the other day. I had quite a few of them that tried to make a home on my O'day...usually in the anchor locker. On the O'day, I also had a rat that kept coming on board to eat my cotton string that held the helm cover shut. Fearing even worse damage, I had to poison that guy since I replaced the string and he came back and ate the new one too. Lots of critters down in these parts...hopefully, I won't find a possum or racoon shacking up on my boat one of these days!

[baldbaby2000]

I've had those cheap tarps leave a residue on my boats that was hard to remove. On the one I use now, I put slit foam pipe isulation over the edges and tie wrapped it so the edge of the tarp doesn't touch the boat.

BB

[Frank C]

.... I also have some problems with tree frogs. Found the first one on my Mac the other day.
.... also had a rat that kept coming on board to eat my cotton string that held the helm cover shut.
.... Lots of critters down in these parts...hopefully, I won't find a possum or racoon shacking up on my boat one of these days!

Guess you might have tried to find a rat with a taste for frogs?
Or hire a cat that fancies both frogs & rats!

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Problem is that the cats (2) are too fats to catch rats...

You see, the kids all compete to feed the cats and so I think they get about 6 meals a day. Rats are just play toys....not serious eats..

The frogs can be pretty nasty too...you try to move them off the boat, and they pee on you.

Found a snake once too...luckily, it did not get into the cabin..never find anything there except some bugs. The snake was probably a water snake (was in the motor well of the Mac) but the rest of these critters all did a tightrope walk onto the boat via the dock lines.

[Catigale]

I just cant pass this one up..

CHeap Tarts, do they scratch??

[kmclemore]

I just cant pass this one up..

CHeap Tarts, do they scratch??

Gee, I hope so.