mice...

[terry]

what do you guys use to keep mice out of your boat.seen the tell tail sign.i heard moth balls?first time I ever had them.thanks.

[75starflight]

Drier sheets.sometimes work.

[Oldfishguy]

Once they are in there I'm not sure drier sheets will get them out. I'm sure you know that they really have to be removed, one way or another.   Use the sticky traps to start, put a drop of food in the center (peanut butter, sunflower seeds, etc), put a couple in the boat for a week or so.  Check it every day and replace the glue trap with every mouse caught.  After you catch the easy ones I'd use Deacon on the remaining ones.  They will die in the boat but I'd rather have them dead and put up with the smell for a bit then having them do permanent damage.

When I store stuff for the winter I use new dryer sheets and Deacon.  I try to keep them out, but if I don't I want them dead.  The damage they do is irreversible.

Best of luck.

[bellj]

Luckily as long as I've not had something to act as a "bridge" across the top of any boats, I've never had any in them...so far (knock on wood (or fiberglass?)). Unfortunately what did the damage that I need to repair in my old GT was a raccoon family.

Not quite sure how this could be applied in a boat situation (it's supposedly kind of like liquid electrical tape before it dries from the way it's been described (hear about it at our local RV show's breakout session each year, but haven't personally used it yet), but it supposedly stays tacky rather than drying out and if I remember it's recommended to be reapplied every (few) year(s) or so), but again, that's in the RV world - there are good reviews from one of our local dealers who has used this product with a lot of RV customers the last few years: http://www.mouse-free.com/

In our motorhome, I always use the dreaded dryer sheets that 75starflite mentioned (and of course find a few forgotten sheets the rest of the following year) plus a wind up multi-mouse peanut-butter baited trap - and I haven't seen any evidence those tricks aren't working (no mice in trap and nothing chewed or droppings), but that's a little different than a typical boat storage situation.   

[Jason]

I've always used dryer sheets and never had an issue. Cheap and makes the boat smell nice and fresh in the spring so why not.

[fireman24mn]

I've always used dryer sheets and never had an issue. Cheap and makes the boat smell nice and fresh in the spring so why not.

Same here I end up using a whole box when putting the boats away at the end of the year.

[Plugcheck]

Great suggestions, here is what I do.  A sorta multi pronged approach.  Eliminate any bridge that would allow them access.  They can jump fairly good distances.   Second, seal up any access, this includes the prop exhaust(they luv exhaust manifolds).   Put down trays of bait, sticky trays, and spring traps.   Dryer sheets may be beneficial, but not sure of there effectiveness, but likely couldn't hurt,   The last thing is vigilance, check the boat on a regular basis, one thing they don't like is activity.   

[kert0307]

I did the dryer sheets last fall and put a baited live trap in the boat. Nothing made it into the boat, but I did find a group of field mice living in one of the trailer tubes this spring. Well, actually the dogs found them, they were oddly interested in the boat when it came out of hibernation...

After the mice were evacuated a couple months later I found a small bee hive in the same tube on the trailer. Must be a nice spot to set up home!

[Plugcheck]

Maybe in the spring you just leave the trailer in the water a few minutes longer.........

[Otto cv23]

There is a product called Golden Malrin. They sell it at a store by me called Farm and Fleet in the horse isle. The product is a fly bait they use it in barns to control fly's. I was told by a person who has storage barns that when mixed with cereal anything that eats it doesn't get more than 10 feet away. Please remember that poisoning wild animals is a crime and you will go to jail if caught except mice and rats.

[Rosscoe]

When I had a motorhome, I did the dryer sheet deal and the mice crapped right on them. Maybe they were Target knock offs. Maybe Bounce is what they don't like. While looking into it further and talking with other Motorhome types, I was told of this natural deterrent. Its supposed to keep them out and avoid having rotting carcasses laying around.
This will be the first year I have the boat(s) I care about, out of the shop and into the barn. There are many gaps around the bottem etc. I'll be putting down lots of mice poison pellets. I was told it kills them but they dont stink?