Cottage Q&A
QUESTION
We have placed our new powerboat in storage in a shed up north. The boat has been covered with the original
zippered vinyl, plus an additional protective cover. Is there anything we should place in the bowrider to
keep rodents out? I would rather not use mothballs as the odour is so annoying. Help us save our lovely boat
from becoming a motel for rodents.
Julia Matys, Belmont Lake, ON
ANSWER
Your first concern should be what’s in the boat before you store it. “The main thing is not to leave food or anything that will attract rodents,” says Sandy Gordon, of Gordon Marine in Gananoque, Ont. “Generally, rodents won’t try to get into boats unless there’s something to attract them.”
Gordon recalls one owner who left snacks and a full bag of dog food in his boat when he wasn’t using it. A couple of months later, half the dog food had been converted into mouse droppings that were scattered throughout the boat.
To be extra cautious you should also remove potential nesting materials such as seat cushions and life jackets and store them at home for the winter.
Your careful wrapping of the boat might actually contribute to mouse problems. “The ropes used to tie it off can become a tightrope for mice to scale and get into the boat,” says Dave Smusiak, regional manager, pest control division, with Rentokil. When tying down the tarp avoid placing lines very close to the trailer or boat rack (they could become mouse ladders).
If you’re storing the boat in your own boathouse, set up traps and poison bait stations around the building and in the boat to reduce the number of mice that might want to try houseboat living.
As for mothballs, Smusiak says they don’t do anything other than “make it smell like hell.” But anecdotal evidence seems to show otherwise. “Mothballs do work,” says Peter Lyons, of Queen’s Cove Marina in Victoria Harbour, Ont. He saw one boat that became a muskrat condo, while another parked next to it, which was much easier to get into but filled with mothballs, remained rodent-free.
Your last option might be to scout around for a marina that owns a big, hungry-looking cat.
* Published in the October 1999 issue of Cottage
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