Keeping seagulls off bimini

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Pathfinder

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
25
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Pathfinder
Vessel Make
Mainship 400
This constant battle to keep seagulls off our biminis has been discussed for years on this forum.

I've think I've finally won the battle!

Two weeks ago I ordered these De-Bird Balloons from Amazon (https://amzn.to/3PhzeDl) and tied one so it bounces around the bimini with the wind.

My bimini has been clean for the last two weeks!

debird.jpg
 
We tried several things, first a Gull Sweep. The birds would just step over it as it rotated. Then we had a storm and the sweep tilted over but kept rotating. All the while it was cutting a nice round hole in the bimini top, well half a hole. $2K later and a new bimini top I was turned onto the spyder type, Bird B Gone. They worked extremely well in out application.
 
The problem we have in our marina is with iguanas. I chased one off the boat the other day. They grow up to 3 feet. Very annoying creatures
 
The problem with any bird "deterrent" is that they all scare the birds... at first.

Anyone ever have pet birds? We did. They hate anything "new" and will avoid it. For a while. Once they get used to it though, they ignore it. Streamers, sweeps, fake owls or snakes, inflatable eyeballs. You name it, I've seen gulls sitting next to or on it.

What they hate is to feel trapped. They always need a safe getaway path. Sting some monofilament line across their landing and take-off zones and they'll stay away for good.
 
A friend had his sailboat on a mooring in Maine. He said the cormorants would sit on the spreaders and poop out whole skeletons of the fish. He said they would get to the boat and have literally a foot of crap on the deck. Being on a mooring they had to use buckets out of the bay to wash it off. He had tried everything he could think of including cattle prods to keep the cormorants off but nothing worked. I suggested he use monofilament about 4” above the spreaders. He tried it and said it worked great. But the sun would degrade the monofilament and it would break so he went to S/S fishing leader. He said the birds would sit on the tight S/S and balance on it. So he put it up a bit loose. They would still land on it but they had to constantly keep balancing in order to stay on it so they wouldn’t stay. They would just go to someone else’s boat. People would ask him why the birds didn’t poop on his boat, and he wouldn’t tell them because he was worried that if everyone did that fix the birds would figure out how to still sit on his boat.
 
I have strung a kind of a “net” of zigzag monofilament before and it worked quite well. The trickiest part for me was figuring out attachment points.

Ken
 
My slip neighbor in Florida has a sailboat that attracts birds. The mess (mostly on his boat) is awful. I suggested he find out what smells they don't like and try that. He ended up rigging some plastic bottles with a wick effect that seems to work pretty well, not perfect. I would imagine the smell would be specific to the bird your trying to deter.

Ted
 
Another type of deterrent we haven't mentioned are sonic devices. They're supposed to work by producing a sound like, or a recording of, a predator like a hawk or eagle. Some are motion-sensitive or on a timer so you don't have screeching all the time.

I've talked to people who swear by them. No first hand experience.
 
However interesting all these other ideas are...did anyone take note of the OP's interesting tip, of the special ballon that bounces around the surface in question..? Which, thus far, appears to be a neat, clean, easy, effective solution, which does not require death-defying climbs, the risk of tripping over one's own deterrent, or tedious taking downs before you can use the boat..? :D

https://amzn.to/3PhzeDl
 
It is very interesting and looks easy to do. But there are lots of ways to keep them off and it is nice to learn how others have done it. A different method may work for someone else.
 
I'll wait for the long-term data. As I said, anything new will scare the birds away... for a while. Then they get used to it. Or maybe this is "the one." Only time will tell.
 
I'll wait for the long-term data. As I said, anything new will scare the birds away... for a while. Then they get used to it. Or maybe this is "the one." Only time will tell.

Agree...every bird deterrent I have ever have seen in real life...which is everyone mentioned here and many, many more wind up with bird shi* on them sooner or later. :rofl:

I have seen life size coyote replicas on wind vane mounts on top of buildings that worked for weeks..... then had bird droppings running down their faces at some point. :facepalm:
 
However interesting all these other ideas are...did anyone take note of the OP's interesting tip, of the special ballon that bounces around the surface in question..? Which, thus far, appears to be a neat, clean, easy, effective solution, which does not require death-defying climbs, the risk of tripping over one's own deterrent, or tedious taking downs before you can use the boat..? :D

https://amzn.to/3PhzeDl


Sounds great so far - did not work for us at all.
Hope it works for them....
 
I have strung used signal flags from the bow to the stern for a few years now. It has worked well so far. I always look for replacements when in consignment stores as the do get tattered.
 
I'll try the balloons - always up for buying anything for the boat that costs under $20! They should make a "marine" version and sell for $150. :)

I seem to be having some success keeping gulls off my bimini while not shading solar panels by running 100lb monofilament lines suspended over the bimini. For attachment points, I bought antenna pole clamps and 1" x 12" and 24" stainless extension poles which allow me to get the filament suspended.

If they work I'll augment with the bird balloons to keep them off my bow pulpit and stern davits & swim step.
 
Being under a covered slip with a lift which keeps the boat's top within a foot of the overhead, my bird problem is very different from those presented here, but for those who may have covered slips I offer the following:

Firstly, gulls and larger birds simply don't go there. The real problem is smaller sparrow-sized birds which after four years finally discovered my new roof arrangement which offers some perch points. Interestingly, they chose the four corners of the roof (no problem for the boat) and two or three other points over the center of the boat where the very short horizontal joists are high up (allows the boat to be hoisted higher).

I immediately tried the monofilament trick stringing it up under the short joists about 4-5 inches apart all along the length of the boat. Not a lot of help there, but at least if it does deter any birds, it will not soon deteriorate under the protection of the roof.

Then I learned about shiny mylar "bird tape" from a friend whose MS Pilot 30 sits out in the sun in Virginia. He ties it up in several foot long strips to hand rails and other places and funnily does not bother to remove it when getting underway making his neighbors wonder what the celebration was all about. :)

I elected to cut the stuff up in foot-long strips and to staple them up all over the perch areas. I think there must be 20 or 30 of them up there, and they make a soft rustling noise in the slightest breeze. No bird mess in several weeks so far.
 
I had a geese problem on my lawn, waterfront. Spool of welding wire, 2 strips 4" apart stapled to bulkhead. Plugged into 110v. They're too lazy to fly , and I got revenge when they ran to jump in
 
I have been using this for a couple years now! I had very small expectations, but it has been amazing! :) We have a park/public dock right across from us. So, kids constantly feeding the gulls/ducks. I put this up on my radar arch and within a few days all the birds had moved completely away from our docks... LOVE IT!!! :)

Solar powered and an easy on/off switch when we are on the boat. So, no wires to run either... :)

https://www.amazon.com/Broox-Repell...d=1693849069&sprefix=bird+rep,aps,198&sr=8-55
 
Fishing line strung all over the place works.
However, I can speak from first hand experience how easy it is to trip over all of the various lines. it is a long way down from the top of the hardtop!
trying the bouncing faces
TW
 
I have tried all the above techniques and other than fishline about 4" above my solar panels, the birds all return in a week or two. But a few years ago I found a solution that's 95% effective! Bought one of these on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Orbit-Enforc...eae8f9840&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1

I plumbed it into my fresh water system and just leave my water pump on when I'm off the boat. The spray only goes for a few seconds and uses maybe a cup of water each time. The birds hate it and they go to the next mooring over. Surprised someone hasn't made one specifically for marine use.

Roger
 
The endless struggle of humanity with birds...after we installed 2.4 kWe (6 panels) on the flybridge hardtop on Aquabelle, we luxuriated in 100% SOC batteries and surplus power sufficient to head the 35 gallon hot water tank provided we did it early in the day until...
I found the PV output was dropping by the day which was puzzling.
So I went up and had a look and found that seagulls had created a small guano island about the size of Nauru on the panels.
Further monitoring showed that the gulls found the panels the perfect early to mid morning place to warm their bums. Once the panels got hot in full sun, they pooped and pissed off. Like 10 or 15 of the buggers at a time. They did not do this on the hardtop, ever. Perhaps they enjoyed the view from the panels, dunno, don't care. They had to go!
Like other TF owners I began to look into options.
Lasers, OK, that sounds like a good start. For example,
Outdoor Bird Laser Control | BirdStoppers.com
There are seriously powerful agricultural anti-bird lasers available...
Bird Beam | Australia | Laser Bird Control Australia
but when I investigated, especially the University of Delft system, there as no actual data as to effectiveness, and they only work in shade or the dark. I didn't like the idea of broadcasting random laser firings at night, not to mention the risk to pilots, and the system was useless in the daytime (the only actual research was by a group in US NW that found in at at-sea trial that even direct hits on seagulls did not scare gulls away from active fishing nets/lines). Move on.
Many of the available gizzmos are not compatible with solar panels as they cast shade that interrupts power generation. So no to all the whirlies, DaddyLonglegs, motorized Marine Spinners, etc.
Then there are the acoustic devices. Is there anything other than anecdotal data for effects on gulls. Not that I could find and I looked hard and long.
Then there's humming tape. Now that was an idea worth trying, so I bought some, about $7 at Bunnings aka Home Depot in the US.
https://www.bunnings.com.au/jack-30m-pest-control-humming-tape_p3041148
The problem was that twisted, tensioned humming tape, well, hums, loudly. Humming tape is a great solution if you aren't on the boat much, so if you don't care about your live-aboard-neighbor and want a cheap solution, humming tape works. I gave it to another boat about five slips away so I couldn't hear it as he was under attack from starlings on his lifeline. It worked...until there was no wind, at which point it didn't. Still, nice try.
Then there are the electricals. The owner above who rigged 110V to his lawn system says it works. I believe him. I looked closely at the anti-bird "shock [similar to electric fence] tapes."
https://www.maintracgroup.com.au/products/shock-tape-kit-16-metre?pr_prod_strat=copurchase&pr_rec_id=4826133f4&pr_rec_pid=1374074994788&pr_ref_pid=1374063034468&pr_seq=uniform"]https://www.maintracgroup.com.au/products/shock-tape-kit-16-metre?pr_prod_strat=copurchase&pr_rec_id=4826133f4&pr_rec_pid=1374074994788&pr_ref_pid=1374063034468&pr_seq=uniform"]https://www.maintracgroup.com.au/products/shock-tape-kit-16-metre?pr_prod_strat=copurchase&pr_rec_id=4826133f4&pr_rec_pid=1374074994788&pr_ref_pid=1374063034468&pr_seq=uniform
Installed around the edges of the panels they wouldn't do much because the seagulls weren't landing on the edge. They were using my panels as an airstrip, landing in the middle.
What else? There are the foil streamers, CDs hanging by a cord. I could fly some of those from antenna adjacent to the panels, but they don't last long in the wind and I would need to festoon the area for it to deter gulls which are stubborn, stupid birds.
What about scary owls? We tried that on Pegasus, my boat in Berkeley CA. Pegasus is on a straight line landing approach from the end tie on K-dock in Berkeley that leads the gulls to the fish cleaning area for the guest charter vessels. We are about 1/3 of the way down from the outer end.
The gulls either overflew en route bombing as they went and ignoring the owl, or landed on its head and pooped on it. So I didn't have a lot of faith that an owl would have the slightest enduring effect on Aquabelle. I briefly thought about trying out the dead seagull deterrent (seriously, it exists
Dead Seagull Decoy - Visual Deterrent
but moved on in about 2 nanoseconds because the ad admits:
"Caution: Our Dead Seagull has been made to have the "dead" effect so that other birds sense danger. The wings on the bird are slightly skewiff so that it looks dead, this means the way the wings are attached to the body the feathered wings can be delicate, so we advise not to leave out in the wind and rain."
You couldn't make this stuff up.
By now, I was really pissed off and pooped out. As an interim measure, I acquired an extra long scrubbing brush (3.5 meter extending handle) and rubber sqeagee that you plug a hose in at the handle end and it squirts water at the working end.
3.5M Telescopic Wash Brush + Soap Dispenser + Squeegee+Solar, Trucks, Windows | eBay
At least that way I could keep the panels clean enough to get power while seeking a solution--and avoid guano slurry flowing onto the hardtop, down the clears, and onto the deck.
Next: monofilament. Now, you'd think that solar panel manufacturers would have thought through the problem of birds pooping on panels, and on the shading effect of various solutions, not for boaters but for their big users, places like commercial shopping centers. When I called the PV panel supplier (the Australian subsidiary of the Sunpower), the told me to contact a shopping center in Rosebud. He in turn didn't know and referred me to a pest control group Rentokil in Melbourne who told me the control problem was for aircon not panels, but they used netting to get effect.
Which took me right back to monofilament. Now, there's not a lot of data on the size of netting (square size) and the type of monofilament that one would need. Also, in Australia, netting is not transparent monofilament but black (you can get transparent if you search hard in the US). I thought about installing low (about 4 inches high) anchor points all around the panels which could also act as "spike" deterrents also used to deter birds atop street lamps etc. and rigging my own net. But that raised the issue of shade effects. So I called back Sunpower technical person in Sydney. Turns out they had no data, even on cable shading. But they did some calculations and tests and supplied the results:
Test parameters
thickness 50mm or 5 cm cable
spaced cables
tested 6 modules Max 3400 panels which are 1690(L) x 1046(W)
cables spaced about 0.5 meter apart
ie about 3 m cable per panel at
~ 3 cables per panel * width panel
height from panel: 1.5 to 0.8 meters
30 degree tilt, at bottom H=1.8 m, top H=~0.7-0.8 meters
Result: output reduced by 9-10% due to shading
reverse bypass is less because heat dissipation is much better on Maxeon 423 panels
voltage of module doesn't drop by much, can track within regulator

The problem is, as the tester told me, "This test is very different to use of very fine transparent monofilament line about 20cm apart in rows up and down a panel at about 6 inches H above flat not 30 deg angled panels." [he was not aware my panels are not angled but almost horizontally mounted.]
They also told me that transparent monofilament would have little effect on the panel's output as the shading is diffuse and minimal.
That said, I still had the mounting issue, the net fabrication to consider, and the fact that it would constantly need to be replaced due to UV degradation.
In desperation, I did some more calling around to bird control people and one of them referred me to a solution used in trellised agriculture and grapegrowers, namely, a PV-powered irrigator with a motion sensor which one might call a "hydroblaster."
Motion Activated Sprinkler - Bird Control Australia
I see their website is down for maintenance so here's a demo vid
With nothing to lose, I decided to rig one up. That entailed assembling it, mounting it on a PVC "pole" with a nylon base to the deck; and hooking it onto a long dedicated hose from the rockwall over the stern to the unit on the pole.
Et voila! it works. Not only does it deter seagulls by the agitated blast of water and spray, but when it does go off, it cleans the panels. There is a small loss of sunlight and power generation from droplet effect on the PV surface, but that doesn't last long. The movement sensor is adjustable out to 11 meters.
I haven't used the scrubber since it was installed about six months ago.
This system won't work for cruising vessels, or vessels on a pick; but for vessels moored most of the time at dock with available pressurized water, it works.
And I am back to enjoying watching the gulls hang out at their new landing pad, the end of the rockwall.
Unrelatedly, I was surprised by the lack of response to my posting on flare-like fire suppression systems last week.
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/flare-like-fire-suppression-systems-69335.html
Photos of panels with poop; of the irrigator mounted on NW corner (least sun late afternoon); of clean panels.
 

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Cleanest boat cover I've ever seen had a small dog sleeping on it. We watched it for a long time from our slip. Wierd. Had to walk over to that pier. Turns out it was a very realistic stuffed toy with a monofiliment "leash." I haven't priced them, but it sure does work.
 
Realistic fake snakes has worked for us. Just have to remove them in high winds and while underway.
 
Been heavily engaged in this battle in Long Island Sound for some time against gulls, osprey, and cormorants...maybe others. What I/we have found is netting (bird or deer) held off the surface by ~12-18 inches is the only reliable deterrent...painful...good luck! By the way, our challenge is tye hardtop on our trawler, with flexible solar panels...birds love to access it anywhere they can.

I like the auto water spray, may try that...a friend suggested on of those squiggly inflatable men you see at some car dealership locations.
 
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Another type of deterrent we haven't mentioned are sonic devices. They're supposed to work by producing a sound like, or a recording of, a predator like a hawk or eagle. Some are motion-sensitive or on a timer so you don't have screeching all the time.

I've talked to people who swear by them. No first hand experience.

A YC I visited used this device, repeats about 10 different predator calls over and over. Well, back at home and I hear this thing going now 2am, weekender's house so I figure he got one and accidently left it on. Called police to see if we could turn it off, very annoying. Cop comes over and as we approach the house, a mockingbird flys outta the tree with his multiple calls trailing behind him. I can just see the cop reporting back at the station how he was called to chase a bird outta the tree LOL. I felt like a dummy for sure!
 
Oh, at our Island in the Delta we have had a constant battle with geese up on the dock leaving giant calling cards. Tried everything, owls, snakes, sound devices. Well, a couple of swans have moved in to raise their young. The unintended consequence is they chase the geese away and don't get up on the dock, no more goose poop. I've watched a single swan flap his wings and attack a dozen geese. The geese see him coming and they scatter. Now if you can just keep a pet Swan in the harbor you should be free of Geese!
 
BYW- Saw this leaving harbor tonight- when I returned there were 3 birds. Perhaps the inflatables should be placed above the spreaders? Birds did not look concerned.
 

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