Rats, snakes and stuff

J

jmeirhofer

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So a thought occurred to me. How do you keep them out of the exhaust? Is there some kind of baffle in there?
 
Hmmm why would they want to go in there in the first place???

IMO run it a little more often... they'll get the message!
 
While I agree, running more often is not always possible. I am not even sure it is an issue. I was just noticing the height of the exhaust off of the water would make it pretty easy for a snake to get in. Maybe even a muskrat. Although I am pretty sure they would get out right quick when you started it up.
 
A guy on our dock a few years ago on Lanier had a muskrat chew through his exhaust hose one winter and eat a bunch of electrical wiring up! I have seen some boaters put specially fabricated grates over the exhaust openings to keep critters out. I wouldn't worry about snakes so much as little furry critters.
 
Chewing through the exhaust hose could sink the boat... That's a real concern. The grates might be a good plan.
 
I had a really gross experience two years ago in my marina, July 4th Weekend. People were in our pavilion, located behind my slip, getting ready for cookout, food was on the grills, everyone in a good mood. Well, I had to pump out, what better time to fire up the engines and watch four, hairless, inflated, super super stinky muskrats come out of the port exhaust. Wow, I cleared the dock and pavilion. Since the boat was untied we took off to the pump out dock and notified the harbor master. Poor dock boys had to net them and throw them in a golf cart and bury them in the woods. I guess I killed the critters the weekend before while exercising the engines at the dock. WOW, what a smell.

I will be installing a new product in the next week or two and I will update this thread with the results.
 
Can't say I have every seen that problem here at our marina in souther NJ in 6 seasons. My exhausts are a couple of inches above the water but the critters would have to get through the waterlift mufflers if they entered the exhaust ports. I also make it a habit to start my engines and Genset and bring them up to temperature everytime we visit the boat.
Bill
 
I have a wet exhaust system; no problem with animals, and less noise.
 
Muskrats are a problem in our area. They will chew anything rubber, (they find outdrive bellows particularly tasty), undermine behind seawalls, burrow into shoreline embankments. The lake bottom around most docks is littered with freshwater clamshells where they crack them against anything hard they can. I have seen them sitting on outdrives cracking clams before. Cute little critters, but they can do a lot of damage.
 
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