SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Otter problem, help!

16K views 75 replies 35 participants last post by  Audrybass 
#1 ·
I have an otter problem. They love my boat and really like to use my cockpit as a head. This is a recent issue maybe because there has been a high turnover of boats in our marina lately. Their favorite hangout might have moved on so they had to find a new place. What can I do? Never had this problem before. I have some ideas but I would like opinions.
 
#41 ·
Many electrified stock fences have no power in them: after a few (or more) times
getting zapped, critters learn to stay away from them, charged or not. E.B. White,
creator of famous yachtsmouse Stuart Little, wrote a humorous article about them.
 
#42 ·
Oddly enough it seems our horses are able to smell or somehow tell if the fence is on or not, weird. But clearly, River Otters are way down the evolutionary path from a horse. They even look pre-historic to me. Bet they have not evolved for a million years, the perfect killing and crapping machine.
 
#72 ·
well that ain't right...
the modern horse evolved in north america 3,4 mill years ago and did not change very much since...
giant otters arrived in north america via the bering street earlier but the oldest fossils of the modern north american otter did not appear before 1,9 mill years ago...
jump down to equus:
here the otter story:
 
#43 ·
does not surprise me if horses can tell. Electricity does have a certain smell to it. Ozone.

I remember my little sister making the mistake of touching an electrified fence. I think she was 10.. I didn't know eyes could get that big
 
#48 · (Edited)
I wonder how mousetraps in the cockpit would work. Wouldn't cause any serious injury ,but would sure hurt like hell, and startle the hell out of them. . They wouldn't trust your cockpit again.
My father kept the bears out of his driveway by sprinkling home heating fuel there. Covered any appetizing smells. My sister did the same with ammonia spray at sun down. Worked well.
 
#52 ·
Perhaps this could be scaled up to Otter size?

 
#53 · (Edited)
Update on the Otter situation:

Step 1: Remove access.
So we believe our furry friend has been entering the boat from the port side. We moved our hanging step and the stairway away and that seemed to stop the beast for now. We have had consistent North wind lately which pushes our boat off the dock. I fear that when the South comes around again (soon) that he may enter from off of one of my fenders. So far so good, a few days without any otter impact.

Standing by with a ScatMat and Fox Urine.

Thank you
for everyone's ideas. I have an ever escalating response package(s) standing by. Your creative ideas are the foundation:)

Another marina buddy told me the otter family is all camped under a tarp'ed up sailboat just a few fingers piers away. The owner is going to have a nasty surprise when he returns next month. I think I will have the dock master try and contact him.
 
#54 ·
Let me guess someone loves otters and attracked them like some of the Osprey lovers here on the Chessy and now you have otter problems...
Like the seal problem in the San Francisco Bay area..

Every one loves 'em cause their cute and fun to watch..but once they become attached to ones boat..a different situation
 
#55 ·
You will not find any friends of River Otters up our way. They are nasty and look like something that evolution just forgot about. Flat headed devil beast. My grand daughter saw one the other weekend and shrieked at the ugliness. Not one of Mother Nature's best products, gaads.
 
#59 ·
Hmmmm.....?

Friendly-to-you pitbull? Pest control flash-bangs? Home-brew Mustard gas? 106mm howitzer? Pet shark? Rattle snake? Punjii stakes? Accordion music...better yet, a recording of bagpipes playing 24/7 while yer away. Oughta scare the begeezus outta 'em. Spill a bottle of Rum in the cockpit?

Nah! Just kidding..... really !
Call Attenborough an' tell'im ta come get his cute little critters the he11 offa yer boat! ;)
 
#60 · (Edited)
Finally a local government is "thinking" about actually doing some good.

This story is not for consumption by MarkofSeaLife. Avert your eyes Mark.

BTW, as noted in the story
"Unlike sea otters, river otters are not a protected species. The U.S. Department of Agriculture handles situations involving wildlife. Because Oak Harbor has so many otters, the USDA's plan isn't to relocate them, but to kill them."

Oak Harbor mulling whether to kill pesky otters | KING5.com Seattle

And as normal in this neck of the woods, the River Otter has supporters, jeesh (I thought there were limits to this common behavior, apparently not). Nasty flat headed bastards! (referring to the River Otter not the supporters). I would never refer to Mark as a NFHB. :)
 
#61 ·
Can't wait for someone to try to introduce them to the north east because they are "so cute"! Yikes! I will take worrying about moose. Not likely they will come aboard!

There is nothing wrong with killing surplus critters. We all need our space. Apparently there is no shortage of the NFHBs.

We were being overrun by squirrels this spring until I put out lots of DECON in the sheds. Haven't seen a "tree rat" for two weeks! What do the otters eat?;)

Down
 
#64 ·
As if the otters weren't enough of a PITA, they leave the heads and guts of the fish they eat, and most of the legs of the crabs, on the docks. The gulls, herons, and eagles grab them and fly up onto; main cover, decks, cockpit, etc. where they proceed to smear said guts, etc on everything and then crap on everything else. The simple green seems to keep the otters away from the lines on the cleats though, so after I get done cleaning the boat I can at least untie the lines without rubber gloves on :))
 
#66 ·
We just moved to a new marina and I was fascinated to see that the scraps left behind from the river otters looked quite different from our last marina. Mostly a bunch of empty clam shells and remains of crabs. What was missing was the large mounds of otter crap,,,,, hmmmm. I started to think that maybe it was seagulls??? Where are the bastardly otters?? Then last night I had to run down to the boat and was shocked by a scampering Raccoon rampaging down the dock, wtf? Then it turned and stood it's ground, yikes. Soon it left, though only to return when I came off the boat.

Could it be that the Raccoons have kept the otters at bay? I will take a Raccoon over an Otter any day of the week. They are both mean beasts but Raccoons seem to be a bit more tidy.

(btw - we solved the otter problem at our last marina by removing possible entrance paths and washing the boat often with Simple Green.)
 
#67 ·
We just moved to a new marina and I was fascinated to see that the scraps left behind from the river otters looked quite different from our last marina. Mostly a bunch of empty clam shells and remains of crabs. What was missing was the large mounds of otter crap,,,,, hmmmm. I started to think that maybe it was seagulls??? Where are the bastardly otters?? Then last night I had to run down to the boat and was shocked by a scampering Raccoon rampaging down the dock, wtf? Then it turned and stood it's ground, yikes. Soon it left, though only to return when I came off the boat.

Could it be that the Raccoons have kept the otters at bay? I will take a Raccoon over an Otter any day of the week. They are both mean beasts but Raccoons seem to be a bit more tidy.

(btw - we solved the otter problem at our last marina by removing possible entrance paths and washing the boat often with Simple Green.)
A little Chile Powder sprinkled on deck at entry paths has a similar deterrent effect.
 
#68 ·
How about a few bowls filled with Clorox? Leave them right in the transom opening.

They will smell bad, yet evaporate. Even if spilled they'll dilute in the water and break down quickly.

Regards,
Brad
 
#69 ·
Originally from UK where otter’s were persecuted for generations and wiped out in much of the country. While still around where I lived they were almost exclusively nocturnal. I considered myself extremely fortunate on the few occasions I would see a wild otter.

One of the delights of sailing in the Pacific North West is the wild life. Including Sea lions, seals whales and otters.

Like all wild life, otters should never be considered cute and cuddly. They are wild. Have sharp claws and teeth and will defend themselves if cornered.
I enjoy having them around, I see them on the dock’s in the water and occasional get quite close.

They do have some unpleasant habits one of which is marking their territory by crapping regularly in the same place.
For some reason they like to crap on mooring lines dingy painters and if you are particularly unlucky your fore deck or cockpit.

Try the urine suggestions and just by a new deck brush.
 
#71 ·
I'd be extremely cautious about hunting them. Be careful to check your local laws. Ask a ranger. Don't trust a google search. And sure as hell don't post it online if you do decide to kill it. It seems like whenever I go to kill something there's a stupid law somewhere that says I can't. In which case hunting season simply is 4-430 AM

However, if you decide to, I have two heavily recommended methods. 1- get a fish, preferably one thats never been frozen, and cram that thing full of Valium, Xanax, percocet, oxycodon, Vicodin, or whatever opiate you can get your hands on. Simply leave it in your cockpit. Be sure to wake up before dawn to clean up before the marina gets busy.

If you find them on the river, I recommend arrows. No noise, same effect. Just make sure you buy the arrows with cash, you dont want one of these things washing up with an arrow in it that there's a record you paid for

As far as deterrents, fox urine is a good bet. Human piss might work (Mark your territory!) and ive always had good luck with human hair. drive to a local barber, get a trash bag full, works very well.

Secondly, I would encourage you to address the problem shortly and effectively. They are wild animals- they will bite you, your family, your pets etc if they need to. And they chew.

River Otters - Living with Wildlife | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
 
#73 ·
Well onto my third marina and guess what I saw, one of those pre-historic bastards. I just got off my boat and was moving quickly to catch a nearby ferry. And there he was, munching down on the brains from some fish head right in the middle of the dock where I needed to pass. As I approached he backed off a bit and looked seriously pissed off. We were each three feet from his feast when I realized I am WAY too close for this Mexican standoff. I was in a quandary, if I show fear he seemed ready to pounce. He did not look cute and clearly he and his brethren had long ago missed the last train to evolutionville. I made myself look big and let go of the biggest growl I could come up with. It worked, he jumped off the dock, I kicked his fish head into the water and walked on by. But... what are those little bubbles I see along the dock that seem to be following me, DAAANG, the little bastard was working up a plan to attack the rear guard echelon. I moved quickly on my path and sure enough he stuck his head up ready to jump on the dock to carry out his evil plan. Once again, I let out a huge growl and jumped up and down like a mad man. Away we went, yikes. I have been told the marina management has a plan to "relocate" "wink wink nudge nudge" my little buddy, apparently he thinks he owns E dock.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top