Darn Otters

H

hansvillejohn

Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2018
Messages
20
Fluid Motion Model
C-26
Vessel Name
Nutmeg
River otters have gotten into my cockpit lockers of my R-25SC and have left a stinky mess.
I didn't think there was enough space up under the gunwales, but they must be able to contort their bodies like a slinky.
I have stuffed some old lifejackets into the larger openings but I am looking for a better solution. There otter be a good idea out there.
 
I'm not that familiar with the 25s, but could you epoxy some blocks to the fiberglass, then screw some metal mesh to the blocks?
 
Why not skin the otter? The best meat will be the neck and back! Cut into small strips and marinade overnight, cook slow and season to taste, best served over rice!
Bon appetit ! Bob

PS: tastes like pork!
 
Not sure if wire mesh will slow them down... I have heard that they carry bolt-cutters when they're on a mission. Oh, sure, they look all cute and Disney-like, but they can be nasty.

At Bell Harbor Marina in Seattle, we were in our boat, when it felt like two big guys jumped on the cabin-top. I sprang into the cockpit and found myself looking at two river otters - they were in the dinghy on top of our boat. Knowing what they would leave behind if I didn't get rid of them in a hurry, I raised my arms up (to look bigger) and made a sharp growling noise (that apparently works with bears)... one of them pulled a switchblade and the other said, "Bring it on, human!"

You know that old saying: they are more afraid of you than you are of them? Not true. It might be because there were obviously street-smart river otters. I grabbed a long handled brush in the cockpit, ready to defend my wife and cat - who were both at the cabin door, saying, "Get 'em!" Pretty sure they were talking to me, about the otters, and not the other way around.

The otters laughed at me, jumped off our boat, and onto the boat across the dock from ours. Close enough. Within seconds, they unleashed some particularly offensive smelling excrement. Sorry for the owner of the other boat, but I dodged a smelly bullet. Not to mention the potential for rabies, or scabies, or some venereal disease those critters likely had.

This probably isn't any help at all. Sorry if that was your boat they got on after they left mine. Just kidding - this true story was years ago... and the otters haven't become any better behaved. Maybe put a wolverine in the cockpit?

I like the metal mesh idea. Good luck.
 
I saw an otter swimming in my marina last evening. I know that they can chew through the bellows material on a stern drive boat resulting in a sunken boat. I thought my inboard diesel R27 was safe from otter-caused damage. How did they get into the cockpit of an R25SC?
 
I'd try some herring and a live trap. If you Google "river otter repellent" you'll find more info than you can stand. The consensus seems to be 1) physical barriers and 2) trap and relocate. Depending on which site you visit those two may be reversed in order of priority. Some people claim that moth balls will keep them away. Keep in mind you don't need a bullet proof solution. Just make your boat less attractive then the ones around it.

If you're only worried about temporary deterrent during the off season it would probably be easy enough to cut some pieces of plywood that could just be slid up under the gunnel and sit on the deck. If cut properly they wouldn't even need to be fastened.

Have you figured out how they are getting aboard? Jumping from dock to boat? Sliding up onto swim step then climbing over transom?
 
I am on a private dock with a rocky shore that is home to several otters and touch wood, actually have had good success with moth balls. I also ensure my canvas cockpit enclosure is securely buttoned down. I drop the mothballs into cheap knee high silk stockings and tie them to the dock where I berth TugEtherness at about 5 foot intervals. I also change them out several times over the summer. There is new excremental on the dock nearly every morning but remarkably the otters seem to soil the other side of the dock 90% of the time and have thus far (4 seasons) stayed off the tug. Now these otters are somewhat more wild and fearful than those you may be dealing with in large urban marinas but it’s a simple experiment. If it doesn’t work cross it off the list and try the next hack.
Good luck,
Ed/
 
I found some success sprinkling Comet around but that was messy. I then bought one of those big nets that you get in a gardening store for keeping birds off tempting plants. It was very cheap and easy to throw over the cockpit at day's end. It didn't really blow in the wind either. I'm sure the otters could have chewed through it but maybe it didn't taste good because it had some anti-rot stuff on it. Maybe they didn't like the way it sagged when they put a foot on it. Don't know the reason but it did solve the problem.
 
I have seen and smelled the mess that otters left in an R25 when I was boat shopping before buying ours.They seem to have gotten in through the gaps between the outer hull and inner cockpit mold. Once they got into the bilge, they got under the sole and popped up in the boat through the storage lockers and cupboards. I walked away from that boat, and knew that was going to be one of the first projects when we bought our boat.
This gap is needed for engine airflow so it can't just be blocked up. I bought some heavy galvanized 1/4 inch wire mesh and spent a half day bending and forming and fitting the screening into all the gaps. The top edge is folded over to hook onto the cockpit edge so as not to slip all the way in; then edged with white duct tape. So far so good! Oh, and the boat lived on the trailer in our yard in a spruce/pine forest over-run with squirrels, and never had one get inside. Seems to work for me.
 
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