rodent deterrent during storage???

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rs1lollie

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what do people use to keep rodents out of their boat during winter storage??
I have heard of a product called Fresh Cab, does this work???
 

WAVENBYE2

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

Looks interesting, I clicked on their site and a live person got on there and I asked about boats, Ofcource they said it would work, People use it for their campers from what I saw
 

sho3boater

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

I put the old mothballs in there, the smell does not seem to stay in boats once you uncover them. Use a cover or tarp to keep it in there but I don't seal around the outboard and I leave the plug out. I often just take a box and open it, set it in the seat. It will not keep them out but they usually don't like to stick around it and it has proven to work well. If you have the boat outside, mow around it far as you can.

There is some other stuff they use in FL in houses but I can't get it here. It is a round block that melts away, I think it has formaldehyde in it.
 

rs1lollie

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

does dryer sheets work??
 

83Evinrude

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

+1 for Mothballs

Save your old butter tubs, and fill with mothballs. Place them in several places sitting on the lids anytime the boat won't be used for awhile. When your ready to use the boat take out the containers and snap on the lids.

We do the same thing for our RV putting the containers with mothballs in storage areas and a couple inside as well. Takes a bit more airing out in the spring to get the smell out of the RV than the boat but it works for both.
 

jaxnjil

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

does dryer sheets work??

they work for jack and i. i use bounce.
jack also takes aluminum foil and wraps the tie downs,cords, for the cover with it. this is to keep them from chewing on them. we had that happen a couple of times.
we also put wooden plugs with small holes in the drains for the deck because they are 1 1/2" or so and mice ect. can run right up them. the small holes let any water that gets in drain. he has a plastic plug for back bottom drain that is set up the same way.

years ago when i was s child, my dad had 3 metal drain pans. he would take the tires off the trailer and set one pan and a stand that set in it under each side of the axle. then one under jack on the tongue. he filled them with a little used oil. he never had any vermin, his boat was quit a bit smaller. jack leaves our boat in storage so it has to remain movable so we haven't tried this.
 

88steve

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

years ago when i was s child, my dad had 3 metal drain pans. he would take the tires off the trailer and set one pan and a stand that set in it under each side of the axle. then one under jack on the tongue. he filled them with a little used oil. he never had any vermin, his boat was quit a bit smaller and jack leaves our boat in storage so it has to remain movable.

Great idea your Dad was doing ! May have to try that one.
 

Thad

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

We also use dryer sheets. I don't even know how long now.
I heard about it at the race campground once when we were discussing mice and campers.
We tried it. I could not believe, not a single calling card the next spring.:D
So, we started using them in our boat as well. Never a mouse to be had.
Bounce was what we were told to use. But a couple of years ago, my wife picked up some cheapos' from Wallyworld. They also worked.

I put them EVERYWHERE. We use the entire box in the boat. Put them everywhere I can reach.

My buddy put them in his camper everywhere but in the furnace compartment. That was the only place he had mice.

Also on the plus side, everthing smells really nice the next spring.:p
 

jaxnjil

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

Great idea your Dad was doing ! May have to try that one.
steve; to give credit to dad is great. he had learned this trick from working for a crop duster in the "30". they did it to keep the mice from eating there canvas planes.
both mine and jacks dads died with in a year before we married and its funny at our age, but we both miss each of them more now than 35 years ago.
jill
 

WAVENBYE2

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

"Bounce" Hmm learned something new.
 

Jeep Man

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

We've used dryer sheets as long as we've had the cottage. ( minus first year ....learning curve ) It's rare to see any droppings when we open up in the spring. One year I forgot to put any down in the back storage room. What a difference and what a mess. So to answer the question, do they work? I'd say, without a doubt. Also, we have found that the no name ones work just as well.
 

sho3boater

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

If you have something like ants....I have put ant dust around the tires and jack before to keep them out. Make sure nothing touches boat like tree branches, and a few will still jump off the trees if they are above it.
 

gunner_54

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

Last year i used bounce sheets in my pontoon boat, in all the compartments and under the dash..... mice loved them, they made a nest out of them, chewed a bunch of stuff including wires, life jackets and ropes as well as my top.... 2500$ in damage... I wouldn't trust them again.... this year moth balls by the case everywhere i can stuff them
 

WAVENBYE2

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

Last year i used bounce sheets in my pontoon boat, in all the compartments and under the dash..... mice loved them, they made a nest out of them

I'm sorry I just had to laugh on that one, I just pictured the mice all snuggled up in the dryer sheets and smelling so fresh:D I don't think I'll chance it now!!
 

alumi numb

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

what do people use to keep rodents out of their boat during winter storage??
I have heard of a product called Fresh Cab, does this work???

no it's called demo crat.
oooohhhhh am i in for it.:redface:
 

Backyardhockey

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

Cats. But I also shove a piece of screen in the drain hole.
 

rbh

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

Stainless steel wool in all the drain holes and 3 or 4 good old snap traps. :)
Rob
 

sho3boater

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

Tom Cat ultra bait blocks, Menards had them. They even work on chipmunks. The mice here just carry the d-con pellets away and hide them, the blocks they have to chew on. They are green and about 1"x1x2. The d-con works in the middle of winter when they are hungry enough to eat and not store it. Note that dogs will eat the blocks, though one did not seem to hurt a dog I saw. That dog knocked a bunch of stuff over to get one, those hounds are something.
 

steddy

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Re: rodent deterrent during storage???

I've been in the RV industry for 13 years now. I was convinced I heard and saw everything.

This year, I heard a new one: Rubber Snake. I haven't seen it proven or even implemented, though. I guess it will work like a scare crow.

Steel wool in all the exposed holes (bilge, drain, etc) will stop the mice.
They chew it, and it cuts up their mouths and they bleed to death.

Mothballs in the vehicle: no doubt highly effective and widely used. I prefer to scatter them on the ground around the tires, tongue jack, and outdrive. Keeps the mice from gaining access in the first place, and keeps the boat/vehicle from smelling like Grandma's closet. There are some moth ball based products (i.e. Mouse Away) that work well, also. No substitute for straight up moth balls, though.

Heard a lot of good and bad about dryer sheets. Show me the proof that they work. Put a mouse in a closed container with a mothball. Put a mouse in a closed container with a dryer sheet. The mouse in the container with the dryer sheet will be much less pissed off. He'll have a comfortable bed, until he starves to death. Oh, yeah - remove your food and vacuum crumbs off the floor and out from between your seats. They're after something when they get in.

The sad fact is that if a mouse or any other critters want to get in, they will get in. A mouse can get through a 1/4" diameter hole. If it isn't big enough, they will make it bigger. They can jump, fall, or be dropped (by a bird of prey) into an open vehicle. In a boat, they will then wiggle under the mooring cover through a vent or between the snaps. The final defense: TomCat, DeCon or other mouse killer inside the vehicle. You don't want to bait them into your vehicle, but once they're in there, you definitely want them dead. Just hope you can find the carcasses.

Defend your territory the best that you can.
 
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