leaving sails on the boat during winter...horrible idea?

[smurphny]

I left the sails aboard this year for the first time. Stowed them in sail bags. Has anyone actually had mouse problems? I have never seen any evidence of mice getting aboard. I put a strainer on the bilge drain hole so critters can't get in and don't see how they'd ever get up the sides which would require climbing up over the painted surface upside down. They can do a lot of damage, chewing on stuff to build nests. If there were any danger of mice, it would probably be a good idea to take sails home.

[MedSailor]

Originally Posted by smurphny

I left the sails aboard this year for the first time. Stowed them in sail bags. Has anyone actually had mouse problems? I have never seen any evidence of mice getting aboard. I put a strainer on the bilge drain hole so critters can't get in and don't see how they'd ever get up the sides which would require climbing up over the painted surface upside down. They can do a lot of damage, chewing on stuff to build nests. If there were any danger of mice, it would probably be a good idea to take sails home.

If you're worried about mice, take measures to keep the mice from coming aboard. It's fairly easy because you start with a moat. The dock-lines are the way they usually come aboard and they're easy enough to fortify.

Take a 99c funnel from an auto store with the narrow end sized to your dockline diameter. Duct tape the puppy on with the wide side facing the dock and voila! you're rodent-proofed.

I couldn't find a picture of the easy funnel setup but plastic plates and strings work as well, they're just not as quick and easy to set up.



MedSailor

PS I leave my sails on and have for over 10 years on 2 boats in the PNW. No detectable damage. No mold except the spinnaker which got wet in its bag in the lazarette due to a hatch drain failure.