Rodents are the devil
 

I unwrapped my MA a few weeks ago and I am still dealing with the damage that happened over the winter.

The boat gets stored in what you guys in Florida might think of as back country. Bear, moose, fisher cats, fox, owls, squirrels, mice, etc all hang out there.

This winter was really warm. No news flash there. That means the rodents didn't hibernate.

I had 4 mesh bags of moth balls in the boat under two tarps.

The damn things made a nest ON TOP OF THE MOTH BALLS.:mad:

They chewed the sealing caps on my switch panel, crapped all over the VHF mic, made a nest under the timing cover of the Yamaha and pissed and crapped everywhere. And ate carpeting. I have spent TWO DAYS with a vacuum, hose, soft scrub and scotch brite. I will have to replace some carpet.

So far, the wiring seems intact. Which is a good thing.

I haven't dared unwrap the 25 yet. :eek:

This put me two weekends behind in boat prep.

Just had to vent.

Can't blame ya what a Pain in the ass!!

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger...My boat sits on a lift and gets used weekly. Damn if I didn't smell something and went to check where I keep my life jackets...you can finish the story.

Those little shi*s...are in every state of the union!

That's terrible. I've had good luck with dryer sheets. Maybe worth a shot next year.

Moth Balls
 

I am surprised the moth balls didn't prevent your rodent problem. I used moth balls to chase squirrels out of my attic, before I repaired their entry point. When I went up to eliminate the nest I found it right next to a slit in the HVAC supply duct. They had an air conditioned and heated nest. Did the squirrels slit the duct?? :):)

I've used both moth balls and dryer sheets and it doesn't seem to work for me.

I bought a Squirrel trap and trap them, take them about 10 miles away and release them. You have to take them that far or they will come back.

I can think of an easier way!

I am the inventor of the one and only squirrel bazooka. I had always heard that released squirrels would return, so I decided to test it. Caught one in a Have-a-Heart trap and sprayed him with orange fluorescent paint. He did not take this well, and was mostly a blur inside the trap. A few blocks away, with the trap pointed toward the woods, I opened the door. Instant squirrel rocket. He must have shot out 20 feet before hitting the ground in full-on squirrel sprint mode. Never saw him again, but there were soon rumors of a mutant squirrel in the neighborhood.

Well, conventional mousetraps are working overtime. 7 kills so far. Never had this problem before. I will have to vacuum out the boat again. Lots of mouse crap everywhere.