Rodent free Storage
 

I would like to store my boat in a pole building this winter. The building is located in the country. It has a concrete floor and overhead doors with rubber seals. The building is not heated. I have already noticed evidence of mice in this brand new building which makes me very reluctant to put my boat in there. Anybody know of any tricks to ensure that the rodents don't damage my boat? This is my mother in laws building and would be rent free. I think part of her impetus to build the structure so large was to accommodate my boat. She even put a 12' OH door on it so I wouldn't have to lower my tower. I mention this because it does give me some feeling of obligation to use it. Any thoughts?

Get her a barn cat with sharp claws as a Christmas present.

Otherwise, buy a bunch of mousetraps.

I stored my boat in a pole barn for years. I put decon in the boat and around the trailer. Make sure to tape your exhaust ports closed and you will be fine. I never had a problem with it. If its close to your house, go check it about every 3 months to give yourself POM.

Yeah, I would tape all open holes as well as use a your boat cover, to keep rodents out. I store my boat in a non heated shop, where I'm sure little critters live, but have yet to see evidence of them in my boat cause I make sure all things are covered and taped.

Are you sure that you are finding mouse droppings and not bat droppings? Both look similar. Like others have said put down some decon, cover and tape things and you will be fine.

If you use mouse traps, don't use bait, ie; cheese. It will just attract the mice.

In past threads guys mention using various things to discourage the mice from hanging out inside. Like scattering moth balls, Bounce dryer sheets or cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil throughout the interior.

You can also tape or shrink wrap the cover down in case there is some issue with them lifting it to get inside?

I have had this issue with a motorhome where we used to live. I have learned that the mice are very creative and very small. They can climb about anything, squeezed into anywhere and trying to keep them out of anything is nearly impossible.

I have tried the moth balls, bounce sheets and other tricks and they never worked (the mice just made a nest out of the bounce sheets...)

What worked best for me was to place lots of mice traps in the RV (or whatever it is) BEFORE it gets real cold. Check the traps often, like every other day until it gets cold and stays cold. By that time you will have hopefully caught any that were trying to make that home and all the rest of the mice have already found some where else to nest for the winter.

Don't use Decon or any other poison. They will just eat it and go somewhere in your boat and die. Then they stink and you can't find them.

I have had good luck with sticky paper too.

A cat is probably the best thing to have around. And it doesn't hurt to lay down mothballs and bounce sheets and other things but I just never had much luck with them. There are also electronic devices but I don't know how well they work...

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Rodents
 

I never had a problem with Seadoos stored outside, but this is the first year with a boat. Good, tight cover, will TAPE the exhaust ports when I get home. Do you have the same problems with a boat stored outside as inside?

Make sure you vacuum it out thoroughly. Any crumbs from the kids left under a cushion is like rolling out the red carpet for trouble.

Mice will get everywhere / anywhere....inside or out. Especially if it will hold heat in it somewhere.

They chew wires, pull apart seat cushions, chew anything and everything, build nests out of things that were part of something much more important (at least to you, maybe not to them), defecate everywhere and then die and just stink stuff up.

Plug holes with steel wool not tape. Tape will just give them something else to chew. It won't stop them. They can't chew through steel wool.

I gave up trying to keep them out. Catch and kill, the rest will move on...

Guerilla tape the exaust with steel wool inside. Guerilla tape the rest of the holes, by far the bestest duct tape aka Alabama Chrome!

I have a similar storage unit as you're describing...concrete floors with roller up door and rubber seal. My unit actually has the concrete floor an 1 1/2"-2" higher than the concrete parking lot to keep the wind driven water or rain out as well. My friend took some long sheet metal about 8"-10" tall and bent them into "L" shapes. Put two of these together around the wheels of the trailer and it's like a small, slick wall. Hopefully the little mice can grip it to climb over and then climb on the tires/wheels. Maybe this sounds funny but I haven't found any rodent droppings or evidence of them in my boat. Plus I keep the boat covered and check it weekly.

exhaust
 

Damn, I read this after I came home and used cardboard and tape to close the exhausts ports. I will add the steel wool.

As a newbie - boat is covered, where else wlll they try and get in?

I haven't had issues storing inside though I know that rodents can get in the building. One thing going for me is there is plenty of other stuff for them to hang out in. I do dryer sheets throughout the boat and plug the drain hole. Clean it out and over it up. Keeping my fingers crossed that my luck holds out.

I am adding sticky traps this year in some strategic areas to help just in case.

If you have a cement floor and the area is covered from the elements try DeTour. Its a rodent repellent that works extremely well. Make sure to place duct tape on the floor around the perimeter of the boat and trailer and apply DeTour on top of duct tape. Any rodent that comes in contact with it will never be back.

http://www.pignx.com/detour/index.html