Anti Bird Spikes for Spreaders?

[Flightsport]

I have a 26' Columbia 26T sloop with a single set of spreaders. By the end of the summer, the Cormorants here in the Northeast will roost all over my boat, but they love the mast head and the spreaders. The spreaders are round round 2" pipes. What would be the best product to keep the birds off the spreaders? I was hoping to screw some spike strips to the spreader tops but I'm a little leary of having spikey things near the sails. Also, not sure if there is a product out there that can be screwed successfully to a round surface. Any help? Here is a link to what WM has to offer

Mike

BIRD B GONE Bird Spike at West Marine

[sailingdog]

You'd be beter off tying a piece of monofilament fishing line (i prefer berkely fireline) about four inches above the spreaders from the shroud to the mast. When the birds try to land, they'll hit the monofilament and won't land... after a few tries, they'll stop.

[Flightsport]

Great idea dog, thanks!

[KindOfBlue]

Yup, monofilament works great. Sometimes the birds will try to land, get tripped up and fall 20 feet onto your deck. It's sad cause they can get hurt, but they do learn fast that they shouldn't try it again.

[WanderingStar]

I use the bird spikes, secured with wire ties. A neighbor uses wire ties on the spreader so the ends point up. Cheap and effective.

[BarryL]

Hi,

I have the same Bird B Gone spikes. The first year I attached them with wire ties. That worked great, but at the end of the next year the wire ties broke and the spikes fell off. The birds came back right away. So during the off season I screwed the spikes to both spreaders. No problems since then.

FYI, the boat I race on uses the monofilament. It works great, but needs to be replaced often.

Barry

[capecodda]

We use stainless single strand wire a few inches (knee height to the birds) above the spreader. Put a padeye or equivalent on the mast, and attach the other end to the shroud. Do a few twists, cover the ends with sail tape. This works, is hardly noticable, and the stainless lasts a long time.

We also have used the spikes on the top of the mast, on anything that might be a perch for an osprey. The osprey's don't seem to leave "deposits" like the comorants (what do they eat anyway, how can they create such colorful ....), but the osprey's do tend to break off wind instruments.

I've also found that if the comorants or osprey's "find" your boat, they keep coming back. If your lucky, they'll find your neighbor's boat .

[sailingdog]

This is why I use Berkely Fireline, since it is Dyneema and doesn't get the UV damage that nylon monofilament does. Also, it is thinner for the same strength, so is harder for the birds to see...

Originally Posted by BarryL

FYI, the boat I race on uses the monofilament. It works great, but needs to be replaced often.

Barry

[Flightsport]

Thanks everyone. I think i'll try this season (which is half over) with monofilament, the "Fireline" as suggested. I would rather bird poop than bird carcasses on my deck, so I may try putting a couple of knotted strands of plastic strip as deterrent so they can see it, then maybe they will land on the neighbors boat. It may look a little disco but you should see the boat otherwise! When its on the mooring, I attach a couple of strands of those colorful "triangle flags" hanging above each life line from bow to stern on both sides, then another strand from mast to boom end. This works great! It looks like a used car lot but it works. If I can just get the spreaders taken care of ill be in business! My first year of boat ownership I didn't take any precaution and by mid august the cormorants had pretty much told me what they thought of my boat. It was pretty much unusable. Thanks for all the great tips!

Mike - plymouth, ma