Spent close to 8 hours scrubbing the decks and then polishing and buffing to make it look as new only to find two weeks later the birds love a new clean deck and decided to **** all over it. Just asking the collective brains trust what they have found to be an effective deterrent
I'm thinking netting, but I'm open to all suggestions. Thanks for reading Welsh.

I run fishing line up and down the length of the boat as well as over the boom cover takes 5 minutes to put on and 5 to take off cheap and easy has worked for me for many years.
i also had to run fishing line permanently just above the spreaders to stop the cormorants landing which make the worst mess
My boat remains just about poop free

Brilliant Thankyou. how far apart do you place the strands
cheers

Try a little bit a first maybe 3 lengths each side plus a length down the middle and see how you go you want to make it a place hard for the birds to land they'll find another boat thats easier if there is poop just add more in that area
Started as a temporary idea but worked well so i kept at it
If I don't put the line on the birds are back immediately

Thankyou

A boat near ours has some sort of electronic device that sends out a high pitched warble when something is nearby. It has clean decks.

That's sounds very good. I'm not sure the residents in Drummoyne bay would tolerate it though. I'm only 50 metres from the shoreline and I reckon there would be a 1000 units within the area. I see if Whitworths have it and check the decibel output.
thanks.

I hear your pain Welsh, nothing worse than getting to the boat, looking forward to a sail and finding a used toilet! I recently used these: www.catch.com.au/product/bird-blinder-pinwheels-effectively-keep-birds-away-holographic-pin-wheels-for-yard-and-garden-20-inch-pinwheel-bird-deterrent-10-pack-garden-spinner-13969771/?offer_id=63347602&ref=gmc&gclid=CjwKCAiA7vWcBhBUEiwAXieIttsfenIX15fbMgMhDemm1aBWUooSwZtWAreO4PI2AWAJSE2Wu-OcphoCU9sQAvD_BwE

They only lasted a couple of months, but they were super effective. They're just not robust enough for high winds though, they start to self destruct in higher winds. I'm going to use the same material in tape form and make up a few strands to tie in spots. I did this with a few of the self destructed components and they were just as effective. It's the bit of movement and reflections that freak the birds.

I'll loving all the feedback and different angles. thanks gents. 2bish , I think you're on to something.

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Chris 249 said..

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A boat near ours has some sort of electronic device that sends out a high pitched warble when something is nearby. It has clean decks.

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Did this and worked for a while then they came back. ?

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Has anyone tried those kite type eagles/hawks that look like a hovering bird when it's windy? I've heard the cheap ones don't last in the wind, however the $500k+ yacht tied up the private jetty near my mooring has what looks to be one of the proper, expensive ones with a considerable wing span. It does actually look very real..Guess they need it, in 2 years I've never noticed the yacht gone sailing. Expensive accessory for the house
I'm quite blessed where I am, for some reason very, very few birds in our little bay however am still considering having something.

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Chris 249 said..
A boat near ours has some sort of electronic device that sends out a high pitched warble when something is nearby. It has clean decks.

There are some options here: birdcontrolaustralia.com.au/ . Electronic as well as scary eagles etc. I tried an electronic bird scaring device similar to their Bird Expeller Pro with the marine bird pack. It was fairly effective (in that birds lifted off neighbouring boats when I activated it) but I'm in a quiet bay overlooked by many houses so it might have been too annoying.

In my mooring ground, lines about 100mm above the spreaders eliminate almost all of the problem.
Solar panels can also be attractive perching spots. I tilt mine with the lower edge forwards, so that the only comfortable (ie stern) edge leaves the bird squirting his gift out of harm's way back beyond the stern. Plenty of human movement in the area also helps, and Covid lockdowns were a bugger.

Cheers, Graeme