Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Teakguard vs. duck poop


Recommended Posts

Well I finally made it back down to my boat today and spent some time out on the river. It was a beautiful day, mid 80's, but a bit breezy. Anyway, I get down to the boat and find piles of duck poop sitting on the swim deck. Yuck. I cleaned it off and noticed that while the deck is in general looking great, where the duck leavings were left, the finish was wearing through. Pretty nasty stuff.

I guess I will just touch up the Teakguard next month when I pull the boat out prior to the NW WOW. Any other suggestions? I think I remember someone else having a duck problem.

Link to comment

Kill one and leave it's carcass on the swimstep as a warning to the others. Crazy.gif

I have a friend with the same situation. My suggestion was to make a grid out of 1/2" pvc pipe that would stand on legs at the corners on the swimstep. The cross pieces of the "grid" could be drilled and "spikes" (8d nails perhaps) could be put though pointing upwards so that the ducks couldn't get on the deck without being skewered. Just a thought (I have all kinds of wierd "Maguyver-esque" ideas). Biggrin.gif

Link to comment
Kill one and leave it's carcass on the swimstep as a warning to the others. Crazy.gif

I have a friend with the same situation.  My suggestion was to make a grid out of 1/2" pvc pipe that would stand on legs at the corners on the swimstep.  The cross pieces of the "grid" could be drilled and "spikes" (8d nails perhaps) could be put though pointing upwards so that the ducks couldn't get on the deck without being skewered.  Just a thought (I have all kinds of wierd "Maguyver-esque" ideas). Biggrin.gif

As regards McGuyver - my son is a huge Stargate SG1 fan and just recently learned that Richard Dean Anderson was in a show called 'McGuyver' before Stargate. He's back at school for the summer and just called to say that a friend has the DVD sets for the show and he has been watching them. He thinks they're great. I'll have to ask him to let me know if McGuyver had any duck solutions in the show. :)

Link to comment

You could try some cargo netting. Hooked to the edge of the platform and to the cover straps. 2 cents

Link to comment

It seems like we had this problem brought up on the old site. If I remember right they wound up putting a netting made up of bungee cord from the rear of the cover running down to the underside of the platform. Something like the bungee nets used to hold things from blowing out of a pick up bed.

Link to comment

At our summer cottage, we used to have a similar problem with gulls on our deck. The solution was a 16" plastic owl (actually made for this purpose). We attached to one of the corner posts on the deck, and it solved the gull poop problem. We only needed up for a few weeks. The gulls decided our place was unsafe... and went somewhere else.

I'm wondering if you could attach some form of narrow edge to the bottom of the owl.... slide it in between the teak boards.... then spin it 90 degrees to secure. (Or a plastic clamp.) Once the geese (don't know if they are afraid of owls) get scared away to somebody else's perch, you may not need it again.

Although Forrest Gump was rumored to have originated the expression "$hit happens", it doesn't really have to be on your beautiful teak.

Link to comment

As was noted on the MBO discussion, I am an expert on being on the receiving end of this problem. I have not used an owl, but other people in my area have and the ducks figure out it is fake pretty quickly. The net idea is a good one that I am going to try this year. I have long ago agreed to make peace witht he ducks if they will only camp out on my platform. It only takes a minute to scrub off with a sponge and the s**t stains the teak, but that is minor compared to having it all over the cover and dripping into the boat. We had a lot of ducks last year and on one occasion, we had so much stuff on the cover that it took 45 minutes to get the cover to the point where it could be taken off the boat and brought to shore where it could be hosed off. The interior of the boat needed a major cleaning. Andy's idea is the best, but it will land you in jail if you get caught. I'm trying the net.

Link to comment
This Q came up last year on MBO. 

My response:  WSR LINK

Maybe a bit drastic Andy, but I can relate to the sentiment.

Oooh just wait.

You just haven't had to scrub enough of the vile excriment yet. You'll get there. Especially when it affects your pocketbook and a saturday's worth of work having to refinish your platform.

Need some more pointers just let me know :)

Link to comment

You may want to look at the pictures I just posted in the thread "Swim Platform Cover".

Maybe a cover alone might help. At least easier to clean. You may want to get one made that won't let their poop ooze through the tiny holes in the fabric.

Maybe combined with some fluffy or nosiy things on the outside that wiggle in the wind.

Link to comment

I am going to try the net this summer, but I promise I will take photos if it fails. You guys can't imagine what a nice Malibu looks like with 5 pounds of poop on the cover from the prior evening's roosting.

Doug, my problem is the ducks jump up on the platform and the hop up on the boat. If I can keep them from getting on the platform, I think they will stay off the boat.

Andy, we had the Duckman who was taking care of things as you suggest, but Mrs. 88 put an end to that. That must have been 5 years ago and she still gets upset when we bring it up and laugh about it.

Link to comment

5 lbs.

I think I'd hire the duckman to do his business and not tell the wife. Or one way would be to have her clean it up. See how hard it is, and see how long before she thinks drastic measures are worthwhile.

Link to comment

Oh man, and that duck poop is nasty stuff - eats right through the teakguard finish. I guess I've been lucky that they have been satisfied to stay on the deck and not get up on the cover.

Let me know how the netting works out. That seems like a simple low tech solution. Maybe not as stirring to the imagination as Andy's solutions, but hopefully as effective.

Link to comment

could you just take off the swim step and leave it under the cover of the boat (laying on the floor or leaning up against the gunnel)?

Link to comment

Do Not Use Teak Guard!!! It is slippery then the poo that is already there. Believe me, my wife and I found out the hard way on barefootH20skiiers boat Mad.gif

Link to comment
could you just take off the swim step and leave it under the cover of the boat (laying on the floor or leaning up against the gunnel)?

I moor my boat, so that would be a pia, plus it's much easier to finish putting the cover on while standing on the platform.

Fish net going from the bottom of the platform to the grab rail may beat the ducks. Then I only have the sea gulls to contend with. They like to perch on the windshield of a covered boat, but there's usually only 1 or 2 of them.

Link to comment

I have come up with a prototype that holds great promise and will be testing it during the next few weeks. It is called Duck Man's Duck Guard and simply attaches to the transom using the grab rail and transom eyes. It is commercial fishing net that floats on top of the platform. It attaches easily and quckly. It can be used at a mooring or slip. The ducks hate it and won't come near it. I have enough netting to turn out 100 of them and if testing is successful, I will gladly market them.

Link to comment

Let us know how the testing goes. I would be in for one. The wife, being a big animal lover, wasn't real down with Andy's suggestions. I'm getting tired of scrubbing off the duck poop every time I use the boat. WARNING: The following may be disgusting to some - it was to me. The last time I was at the boat there was the now usual piles of poop and one big glob of duck diarrhea. Yuck. The bad of that was it looked pretty disgusting. The good was that it washed right off when the swim platform was submersed in the water just by stepping the platform.

Link to comment

It appeared to have simply washed off, but there is still duck poop micro organisms lodged into the teak. Now everytime you sit on the platform you will be sitting in a sea of duck poop offspring........

Link to comment

Piles and various globs have been part of my boating for years. I long ago drew a line in the sand where I was willing to let the ducks do anything they wanted to the platform as long as they stayed off the boat. But, like all other squatters and parasites, you give them an inch and they take a yard. I think I finally have come up with something that is simple, easy to use and effective. I'll let you know.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...