Snakes, Rats & Bugs, Oh No!

Lucy54 · #1 07-03-2008

As a brand new sailboat owner, I've read with great interest many references on this forum and other places about various critters that find their way aboard. While I'm a lover of dogs, cats, horses, and other animals, rodents, insects, and reptiles are another matter.

I would love to hear from Northeast boaters out there regarding what type of the above we may have visiting our docked boat, and also any tried-and-true remedies to prevent them from coming aboard in the first place.

Just finished reading the thread about the snake, and all I can say is

Thanks everyone!
Lucy

Boasun · #2 07-03-2008

Here in the south land we have the water moccasin. A rather large poisonous snake that is up to 6 ft. Along with Snapping turtles and Alligators. Now in the North East you have the ferocious guarder snakes (non-poisonous) and all of 18 inches at the most.
And you problem is what??

teshannon · #3 07-03-2008

Green flies! No remedy, even tried increasing my alcohol content.

Lucy54 · #4 07-03-2008

Do you mean house flies? Horse flies? Biting?

teshannon · #5 07-03-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucy54

Do you mean house flies? Horse flies? Biting?

Big green New Jersey horse flies, and yes they bite. You can sail 5 miles off the coast and they'll still find you. Luckily they are not there most of the time.

wdtracey · #6 07-03-2008

I grew up sailing in the N.E. and then the Great Lakes, didn't worry about critters except for an occasional Muscrat. Couple of years ago moved to Ft. Lauderdale and discovered that another NON-NATIVE to floridia had become a nusciance and like to sun & relieve themselves on my boat. O.K. I lived with it, and it gets pretty bad when certain fruits are ripe. One afternoon when checking out the boat from the King's throne, I had a HUGE Iguana stick his head in the porthole of my sanctuary, and being in this somewhat unathletic position, I could do nothing more than stare back at him. Those who know these prehistoric looking lizards, know that you practically have to step on them to make them move, and the longer they are around boats/humans the harder it is to stomp your foot and make them leave. This time the Iguana won the staring contest, and I gave my ground. Thankfully, he was too large to fit through the porthole. I tried the hose and it worked a couple of times, but then it seemed to me that this big one, (about 4-5 feet long) was coming to the boat every afternoon and raising his head at me. He wanted a SHOWER. Eventually I just found another slip with no apparent Iguana problem. I just never told anybody why I moved. Not really a wimp, but not worth the effort to continue fighting the battle.

teshannon · #7 07-03-2008

Good story WD, now I'm ok with the flies!

Lucy54 · #8 07-03-2008

Me too. But a "muscrat" sounds like a "rat" to me. Have never seen one. Do they resemble or are they any relation to a rat?

wdtracey · #9 07-03-2008

I have personal experience with green/black/etc flies growing up on Cape Cod. I have heard that this new non-deet insect repellent works, (sorry don't know the name, but all the drugs stores carry it now in a pump spray container in dark blue bottle). I haven't tried it yet. But since boat is in N.C. for the summer and I'm going out to the outer banks soon, I will have some on board.

teshannon · #10 07-03-2008

Lucy,
Early one morning the other week I saw 3 "critters" swimming in my marina. They kind of looked like sea otters but a neighbor a few slips down said that they were probably muscrats. There are apparently muscrats in the marsh lands a few miles away and he said he's never seen them in the marina before and they must be lost. It was hard to get a close look at them and I've not seen them since. I'm not quite sure what muscrats do in a marina but no one seem bothered by them being there.