Ways to Keep Seagulls Off Your Boat

Without a doubt, seagulls are the scourge of boat owners all across the world. Stopping them from pooping all over the seats, canvas materials, canopy, mast, railings, and radars of your boat seems to be an on-going battle. They not only make the boas look like a mess
but can also leave permanent stains that are really annoying.

Another issue is that seagulls can carry antibiotic-resistant superbugs and can be a real health hazard. When they aren’t on your boat, you can see them pecking around trash dumps and in bins, finding whatever scraps they can. So, when they come to sit on your boat, they bring all the nastiness with them and they are placing your health at risk.

So, wondering what will scare away seagulls? Here are a few bird scarers for boats you should get that will certainly keep them away from your beloved vessel.

Seagull Deterrents

There are various types of bird deterrents for boats, specially designed to keep away shorebirds. A great example of such deterrents are StopGull products. These are effective bird scarers for boats that deter the landing of gulls, cormorants, and shorebirds on yachts and other port facilities, without harming them. They work with the help of the wind action, don’t emit any electric shocks or sounds, and are very practical and resistant to the harsh marine environments.

A very popular device among boat owners is the StopGull Falcon, whose deterrent effect is instantaneous and permanent through a slight breeze. It performs chopped flights up 10 metres, thus casting its shadows and its silhouette to long distances. This deterrent is made of aeronautical fabrics of high strength and it is equipped with a telescopic mast that’s 7 metres high, and an invisible rope.

StopGull Keeper is another boat bird deterrent which is designed to be installed on the radar, TV antenna, marine installations, lamp posts and other spots that shorebirds and gulls use as a lookout point. This device bases its deterrent in the disposal of its rods and its movement by the wind. It requires installation using an industrial adhesive.

You can also opt for StopGull Air, a device which can be folded or removed from its base and stowed. There are flags on each end of the bar and they rotate when the wind hits them. This movement of the bars is what deters gulls and shorebirds from perching on the boat. This device can be installed anywhere on the boat.

The swivel device known as S27 is intended for installing on critical points on the boat. It prevents birds from landing on the mast spreaders, top of the mast, navigation lights, etc. It can also be installed at the port signals. This device includes a double-sided adhesive for the installation.

Reflective Materials

If you are looking for additional ways to keep boat birds away from your boat, you can resort to shiny materials, such as mirrors, mirrored tape or spiral rods. The light reflected on these materials will work the same way as the deterrent devices but without the large movement. Birds find annoying anything that directly reflects light. You can stick the shiny and mirrored tape to your boat canopy or boat lift top. There are also spiral rods – shiny decors that reflect light and swings in the air as they rotate. They can be hanged on the railing or spreaders of the boats by using the hooks in the package. Just make sure that it is well-secured so that winds don’t take it off.

Sheepdogs

If the gulls are too invasive and they hang out on your marina or dock boat every day, it’s time to take your sheepdog for a walk. It has been found that by patrolling with a sheepdog you can reduce the number of seagulls by up to 99%. Seagulls have some stubborn habits and one of them is gathering early in the morning and early in the night. So, the best time of the day to patrol with a sheepdog is exactly during this peak seagull time.

Do this repeatedly, and you will notice a massive decline in the number of birds pestering your boat. Of course, the intention here is not for the dog to kill the seagulls, but just to scare them away. Moreover, the dog doesn’t even need to chase the birds. Its mere presence is enough to keep them away.

Keep Your Boat Netted

In case you don’t have a sheepdog around, and the visuals also aren’t scaring birds away, you better resort to keeping a net draped all over your boat’s exposed parts. If you have a dinghy without a mast on it, it would be easy to wrap it with a net or mesh. But if you have a boat with a towering spreader, then you can net only the lower parts. You need to keep those microfilament strings in place. You can also opt for a thick tarpaulin to secure your boat, which is also a good option but is not breathable.