Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

[FusionFrank]

Well I just finished my first year boating, winterized my boat and put it away in the garage for the winter. I am worried about mice getting in the boat & chewing up the wiring - I have seen what they do to a car and it's not pretty. Does anyone do anything to prevent this? The guy I bought the boat from said he would put moth balls in it - but I have never heard of this. I do have the boat covered with the canvas cover, I really don't see how they could get in there anyway but I thought I would ask.​

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

Moth balls work great. Go to Wal-Mart and get a case of them, and open up a few boxes and stuff them here and there. Also, if you have transom drain holes plug them with rubber, and not cork. Put the moth balls, while leaving them in the box, in every nook and cranny of your boat. Put so many moth balls in there that you can't hardly stand the smell. If you can't stand it then a mouse can't either. They have 20X the sensitivity to smells than we do.

Don't worry. Next Spring all you will have to do is reverse the process with leaving a few dryer sheets in the boat after your outings to rid yourself of the smell. You can speed up this process by leaving the boat, with dryer sheets in place, in the sun for a day or so with the cover on. The heat circulates under the cover acting like a huge dryer.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

Mothballs, decon, dryer sheets, electric rodent repellers (they do work) and a cat (preferably a hungry one).

 

[FusionFrank]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

Thanks guys! I'm off to Walmart for mothballs & dryer sheets.​

 

[j_martin]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

In my 18 ' bass boat, I use 1 box of mothballs. I put a handful in each of about 8 cloth bags. Put one in each enclosed space, one under the cowl, and one in the prop. (mice can crawl up there and really make a mess.)

You just have to have it smelling like mothballs, not saturated in it.

hope it helps
John

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

tasha , takes care of my mouse and rat problem. the never make it to the boat.

 

[edthearcher]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

I also have a cabin in northern wisconsin, I keep my bass boat at home but have my duck boat and motor at the cabin also a kobata tractor lawn mower a lot of my hunting gear. In the past I have had mice in my cabin, they also chewed up the wireing on a riding lawn mower and twice got at the wireing on my old out board which I had to junk. some one put me on to a product called HAWKS it comes in a plastic pail and has many small packets of mouse poison in it cost about $25.00 for the pail, cats and dogs do not eat it, it has reduced my mouse problem about 80 to 90 percent, I put it into the coweling of my motor, a couple of pacts in the boat ect. in the cabin under the cabin you get the picture. I swear by it

 

[FusionFrank]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

I also have a cabin in northern wisconsin, I keep my bass boat at home but have my duck boat and motor at the cabin also a kobata tractor lawn mower a lot of my hunting gear. In the past I have had mice in my cabin, they also chewed up the wireing on a riding lawn mower and twice got at the wireing on my old out board which I had to junk. some one put me on to a product called HAWKS it comes in a plastic pail and has many small packets of mouse poison in it cost about $25.00 for the pail, cats and dogs do not eat it, it has reduced my mouse problem about 80 to 90 percent, I put it into the coweling of my motor, a couple of pacts in the boat ect. in the cabin under the cabin you get the picture. I swear by it

Where do you buy "HAWKS", that sounds good for my cabin, the moth balls seem fine for in the boat, but I'd rather my cabin wouldn't smell like moth balls every time I go up, and I nearly always find a dead mouse or two in the cabin.​

 

[m&m252]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

living in the florida keys getting the boat ready for winter means finding a different fishing hole or just going for a ride on the boat and not getting 72 degree water splashed on you.sure sounds like a lot of things to consider when you cant use your boat due to cold weather. i dont regret living down here and being able to enjoy boating year round.take care of your boat...

 

[FusionFrank]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

living in the florida keys getting the boat ready for winter means finding a different fishing hole or just going for a ride on the boat and not getting 72 degree water splashed on you.sure sounds like a lot of things to consider when you cant use your boat due to cold weather. i dont regret living down here and being able to enjoy boating year round.take care of your boat...

Yea I did just put my boat away, but now I am getting my snowmobiles ready for winter! Ever been sledding? It is just as fun as boating... I boat in the summer / sled in the winter. I am living the dream.​

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

living in the florida keys getting the boat ready for winter means finding a different fishing hole or just going for a ride on the boat and not getting 72 degree water splashed on you.sure sounds like a lot of things to consider when you cant use your boat due to cold weather. i dont regret living down here and being able to enjoy boating year round.take care of your boat...

We have zero mouse problems here in the PNW...or Hurricanes either..(rather "F" with a mouse or a mountain blowing up..plus insurance is still cheap, and electric hydro power here for a year is 2 weeks same price you running an A/C summer)..always felt a Smart "A" reply deserves another...(year round)..also not the refugee rats ya gotta deal with from that island just south of ya...

 

[m&m252]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

a little bit of a racist remark on your last response. especially when the person posting is making his statement and all i stated was " that being in the keys i had never had to go thru what he was having to do to prepare his boat for storage..."

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

a little bit of a racist remark on your last response. especially when the person posting is making his statement and all i stated was " that being in the keys i had never had to go thru what he was having to do to prepare his boat for storage..."

Jezz..sorry dude, PC people need there azz kicked. He's IN DAMN NEW YORK with freezing winters, you with the cuban drug runners and humid climes 3000 miles south....yet you....uggg..(later..aint got time for fools..)

 

[OscarNav]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

How about us who do NOT have a garage...? Do mothballs and dryer sheets work when storing the boat outside with just a boat cover..? Do they need to be changed periodically..? I will be getting a tough duck outboard cover as well.

So the question is....Store the outboard in the tilt (trailering position) or the vertical position..? Wouldn't the vertical position discourage mice from climbing on..? Please advise...

 

[mole2]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

I store my boat with the bow up, plug out and drive/OB down to drain. I put mothballs in Ziplock containers (small) and drill holes in the covers. I then place about 6 of those containers around in various places on the boat. Since I have a cuddy, I place the dehumidifiers in the cabin and leave the portals partially open under the cover to prevent mildew.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

I use lots of mothballs all over every nook and cranny of the boat. I also use downy sheets as well. During the winter i will get one arm inside the winter cover and launch another handfull of downy sheets and a few more packets of mothballs. I also put a steel mesh vent plug in the drain to allow a little "breathing" and to let any water that may make it through straight out again. Bow up, Outboard down.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

living in the florida keys getting the boat ready for winter means finding a different fishing hole or just going for a ride on the boat and not getting 72 degree water splashed on you.......

May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your boat.

 

[amynbill]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

living in the florida keys getting the boat ready for winter means finding a different fishing hole or just going for a ride on the boat and not getting 72 degree water splashed on you.sure sounds like a lot of things to consider when you cant use your boat due to cold weather. i dont regret living down here and being able to enjoy boating year round.take care of your boat...

I'll take the change of seasons and the allowance to do other things besides boating...like snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowball fights, ice skating, fall foliage, spring's rebirth etc...over the same season year in and year out.

 

[amynbill]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

Yea I did just put my boat away, but now I am getting my snowmobiles ready for winter! Ever been sledding? It is just as fun as boating... I boat in the summer / sled in the winter. I am living the dream.​

Where do you go? I am on the VAST trails all of the time up in VT. I have to say, it is as much if not more fun than boating <ducking for cover>

EDIT: Sorry, didnt answer the q...i have used dryer sheets in the shed with all of the tractors and other equipment, and some glue traps. Never a major problem yet.
My boat is going to be in a 4 car garage where i have not had a mouse problem yet. Besides, Ill be using the boat in the garage to hang out and have a beer in one in a a while and pretend.

I also have 2 indoor/outdoor cats that roam the property, so they kinda help too.

 

[dalman]

Re: Mouse Proofing a boat for winter

Not totally boat related but I am getting my travel trailer ready for winter too...I am guessing moth balls would do the same for mice in my trailer as it would for boats?

cheers,
P