Sea Lions Haul out on YOUR Boat. What to do?

[Boasun]

On the west coast of USA there is the sea lion that is protected. Now how would you prevent your boat from being a haul out, possibility sunk in the process.
One other is the Osprey (a protected bird) a fish eating raptor. While you are at work an Osprey builds its nest on top of your mast. Now your boat has been lost to you until the chicks have left the nest.

And woe if you have both animals invading your space.

Now what are your recourses in all of the above?

Preventive Measures?

Any West Coast sailors solved these problems??

[Giulietta]

Put a photo of Chuckles on the boat so they can see it...

[Zanshin]

How would a sea-lion manage to climb aboard? Clear fishing line strung in strategic places works wonders to keep birds away.

[blt2ski]

For a bird on the top of the mast, there are spiked boards you can get to affix to area's like this that will keep 'most' birds away.

As far as sealions go. Not sure what to say about them, but I have seen them locally, puget sound on channel marker buoy's that are upwards of 3' out of the water! Not sure if lifelines spce closer together would work or not. At 1000-2000 lbs a piece, a smaller boat will not handle too many of them. Besides, they stink!

marty

[Idiens]

Rent out your mast head to a Greater Blackback. He'll crap on your deck, of course, but keep the Osprays away and leave (impolitely) when you go sailing.

Sealions - stretch plastic sheet around your life lines, makes your boat look too high to leap onto. Of course, sugar scoop sterns with no pushpit are a pure invitation to come aboard.

[capttb]

In Newport Beach they are using motion detecting sprinklers to keep them off the docks.
motion activated sprinklers

[jrd22]

The Ospreys aren't a problem as far as I know. They build a huge nest, bigger than the bald eagles, usually in the top of a 200' fir away from people. At least in the NW that's what they do, never seen one in a marina.

I think I did hear about sea lions getting onto some boats in CA and causing trouble, might have been here on Sailnet. We see them on nav. buoys all the time so they could certainly get on a boat with low freeboard and no lifelines.

John

[teshannon]

Originally Posted by Zanshin

How would a sea-lion manage to climb aboard? Clear fishing line strung in strategic places works wonders to keep birds away.

I've seen them on the pier in San Francisco, they climb over each other to get there. I don't think a boat would be much of a problem for them.

[Lion35]

Sea Lions are a problem in Monterey harbor, 22nm south of me, but it seems to be a problem mostly with boats left on moorings or at anchor for long periods of unattended time. I know of one derelict Call 22 that sank at anchor from the weight of a large Sea Lion that had taken up residence on it. Most of the boats I see moored at Monterey seem to use the orange safety netting (the stuff normally used in construction sites) strung around the life lines.

Every once in a while I see a Sea Lion on the docks here in Santa Cruz and chase them off with water from a hose. It always seemed weird to me that they're scarred of a fresh water squirt when they live most of their lives in the water.

[beej67]

orange safety netting

That'd be "tree save fence."