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Zebra Mussels


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So the news this morning reported that Zebra Mussles have been confirmed at two of the lakes we frequent (Grapevine & Ray Roberts).  If you’re not familiar with what they are I’ve pasted a link below.  Long story short, they’re capable of wreaking havoc on a lake’s ecosystem and they’re nearly impossible to get rid of.

We trailer the boat to the lake so it’s not kept at a marina and we wipe it down after every use which will keep them from attaching to the boat.  Additionally, I think most Mussles are found at or near the shoreline and when we take a break from water sport activities I usually anchor in no less than 6ft of water.  Hopefully that all means that I have a very low risk of encountering them.

My question is can Zebra Mussles actually hurt my boat or any part of it?  My main concern is ingesting small ones into the cooling system or the ballast system.  That may be impossible to do but I figured it’s worth asking.  Thoughts?

Zebra Mussels:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra_mussel

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They wont hurt the boat, except that the could grow inside your tanks or clog a pump.  Typically not an engine issue since heat kills them, but i did have one grow up in my thermoatat on last boat and jam it. We moatly boat in zebra mussel infested water and i just make sure to pressure wash outside and flush tanks if we are going to clean waters so that it is not spread. 

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There have been quagga mussels (which are like zebra mussels on steroids) in the lake I usually go to for over a decade.  It's pretty hot here most of the year, so if you trailer and clean your boat regularly, it isn't something you have to worry about.  I've had to have some boats decontaminated, which is basically washing everything with 140 degree water, after they have been floating in a slip for a few months.  It's not really an issue if the boat stays on a hydrohoist.  They have decon stations near the marinas and clean the boats for free if you want.  Unfortunately, the boat registration and park entry fees have gone up to cover the costs.

https://www.nps.gov/lake/planyourvisit/cleandraindry.htm

 

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Zebra mussels have been a problem on our lake for 25 years. 25 years ago it was practically a panic about them, now, everyone is grateful for how they have cleaned up the water. If you aren't leaving your boat in the water, you have nothing to worry about.

For 8 years my sportster sat in the zebra infested water friday-sunday. Depth of about 3'. Never saw a zebra mussel attached to the boat.

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