# What's the *second* best way to keep spiders off your boat?



## bristol299bob (Apr 13, 2011)

Of course, the best way is to sail often!

These past few weeks, family obligations have conspired against me. Graduations, birthdays, car repairs ... All competing for my precious time on the water.

This weekend I arrived to find tons of spiders, hiding in very possible nook and crany. And kept finding them all weekend long. In the folds of canvas, in lines, tracks of the boom, mast, blocks. Everywhere.

Now I'm no arachnophobe but I got damn tired of killing these things. Any tips or tricks to keep the spiders away?


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Buy geckos.

Or, arachnicide:

Amazon.com : TERRO 2300 16-Ounce Spider Killer Aerosol (Discontinued by Manufacturer) : Insect Repellents : Patio, Lawn & [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ImcTD9%[email protected]@[email protected]@41ImcTD9%2BBL


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## kentobin (Mar 31, 2007)

For spiders I've had good luck with The Ortho Home Defense MAX. No idea how long it will last. Picked up a gallon a Home Depot.

My boat is on the hard in a storage yard by a wetlands area in California and I get inundated with spiders.

Here's a link to the manufacturere's website:
Ortho Home Defense MAX Perimeter & Indoor Insect Killer


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## CaptainForce (Jan 1, 2006)

Shrink wrap?


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## jzk (Feb 25, 2008)

The best way for me is to be on the boat in the evening when they come out. Then, I go hunting with a flashlight and a fly swatter. I mostly just knock them into the water to keep from making a mess. In the morning, wherever there are webs is where I need to keep working. Occasionally I will spray if it gets out of hand.

It is so much better having a spider free boat, and not even because they are creepy. They make lots of mess that stains the gelcoat.


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## H and E (Sep 11, 2011)

I have used electronic pest control devices in my shop with good success. If you have 110v available this may work on a boat as well, but I have not tried it yet.

Amazon.com - ET Pest Control (Targets Spiders) - Pest Controlling [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@51sqzD7U2EL


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## AirborneSF (Dec 14, 2010)

Then come the dirt daubers, which eat the spiders, and build their nest in ANYTHING on the boat.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

I didn't realize that spiders were really an issue. I have never seen a spider on my boat so maybe you need a Don


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## caberg (Jul 26, 2012)

Launched on May 12 this year, before the weather had really warmed up, did one treatment with a spray insecticide on launch day in all the usual hiding spots, keep the boat on a mooring or anchor, rarely come into a dock, and we've been relatively spider free this season.

Last season, got a late start launching in mid-June, and we were battling them all summer long. The spiders themselves don't really bother me all that much, but the poop is another story. Sailing regularly did not seem to do anything to keep their numbers down.


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## jzk (Feb 25, 2008)

One time I went aloft for one reason or another and noticed dozens of baby spiders inside the anchor light lens.


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## SecondWindNC (Dec 29, 2008)

AirborneSF said:


> Then come the dirt daubers, which eat the spiders, and build their nest in ANYTHING on the boat.


These speakers sounded terrible, I wonder why!


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

It seems to be regional (or continental). On Lake Ontario the spider battle seems constant. We left our boat for months at docks in Australia and South Africa and on a mooring in Ecuador for a month and nary a spider (probably a particularly good thing in Oz where they have all the dangerous 8-leggers. In fact I can't think we ever had a spider on board in 33,000 miles. I guess they know I had spider spray onboard.


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## SecondWindNC (Dec 29, 2008)

I always assumed it's a freshwater/saltwater thing. Ours is brackish but more fresh than salt, and we definitely get spiders. OP's location in Oriental is similar but probably a little more salty since it's closer to the coast. Seems like a few days out on the coast in saltwater usually clears them out, but it could be that's just because we're on the boat and sailing.

Maybe some posters from saltwater locations can chime in on whether they deal with this as well?


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## safira (May 10, 2010)

For the spider problem you can always let momma nature take care of them for you by getting either gecko's or the anole (push-up) lizards onboard ... I catch about half a dozen each year and let them loose onboard and abracadabra spiders, misquito's, gnats and the fly's are kept in check. They are also fun to watch when you get bored.


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## SVTatia (May 7, 2007)

killarney_sailor said:


> It seems to be regional (or continental). On Lake Ontario the spider battle seems constant. We left our boat for months at docks in Australia and South Africa  and on a mooring in Ecuador for a month and nary a spider (probably a particularly good thing in Oz where they have all the dangerous 8-leggers. In fact I can't think we ever had a spider on board in 33,000 miles. I guess they know I had spider spray onboard.


After a long battle with roaches when they came aboard first in Bermuda and then Brazil (yes, they do fly to the boat!!), spiders are not an issue at all, and sometimes welcome, given the stuff they catch.... But still needs some kind of birth control - an occasional squish.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

SecondWindNC said:


> Maybe some posters from saltwater locations can chime in on whether they deal with this as well?


Can't say we have any kind of significant spider issue, very occasional much as we might see at home.

Thinking back, though, for some years we moored in an old river estuary that was quite brackish, with a larger nearby river laying on a fresh water 'layer' over the sea water for much of the year. While I don't remember chasing spiders, I do recall seemingly indestructable 'free telltales' in the form of spider webs all up and down the rig - so presumably spiders were around.

Haven't noticed the rigging webs so much since we moved to a saltier marina..


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## PaulinVictoria (Aug 23, 2009)

I think you need a bird. Of course you'll need a cat to catch that, then a dog, a goat, a cow and a horse. You won't have any flies though so that's a bonus.


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## Kenn43 (Feb 3, 2012)

Bengal Roach Spray. Sprays like a fog so you can get into cracks and crevices. Also kills wasps and mud daubers. Won't spot or mar paint or fabric. Lasts for a long time when used as a space fogger. My #1 go to for critters.


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## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)

I know I am more tolerant of spiders than most, but they don't really bother me unless they are large and move fast like a wolf spider. As long as they are small and mind their own business, which they tend to do, I don't mind them.

How to get rid of them ? Don't know.  Cats will eat them if they are large enough to be worth their trouble.


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## Ulladh (Jul 12, 2007)

Remove the spider egg sacks (white fuzzy pea size ball) before they hatch in the spring, after that a few spiders on board will take care of any mosquito problem.

My mother would never kill a spider, she would just pick it up and take it outside, I do the same.


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## Trekka (Jul 16, 2006)

"STAR BRITE Spider Away" is a non-toxic repellant that is safe to use around pets, the marine environment, and you. It works great. 

Those pesticides are really deadly, and not something you should use on any interior setting. And used outside will inevitably leach into the waterways where they can be damaging, even lethal, to tiny but esential marine organisms. 

The Star Brite product costs a lot more than the poisons, sure. But it works, and is safe.


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## Multihullgirl (Dec 2, 2010)




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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Avon Skin So Soft keeps a lot of critters out of the boat's interior. I wiped on on the screens and not only did it repel the spiders, it kept the noseeums out, which is a blessing.

I've tried Home Defense Max, and it kills them on contact, but washes off when it rains, thus no long lasting effect.

Next, an electronic device - something's gotta work - eventually. 

Cheers,

Gary


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## saldrich (Oct 10, 2013)

That would suck if you found one of these spiders on your boat.....






or this...


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## Johnniegee (Oct 13, 2014)

I Just read this post. Do you guys realize that you sound like the Elmer Fudds Of boating?


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## Shockwave (Feb 4, 2014)

Ortho home defense, spray every couple of weeks. It works well and allows the fresh water sailor a chance of staying ahead.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

One thing I noticed while sailing down Chesapeake Bay last fall. After about 4 days, all the spiders abandoned ship - didn't have a single one on the boat for the next six months. They don't like being at sea because there's nothing out there for them to eat.

Gary


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

Small snakes eat spiders.
Bigger snakes eat smaller snakes.
A mongoose will get rid of the big snakes.
A hungry Tasmanian devil will take care of the Mongoose.
Yosemite Sam will take care of the Tasmanian Devil.
You will need a talking rabbit with a dry sense of humor to trick Sam off the boat.

Now how to get rid of that rabbit? Maybe get some spiders.


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## SVTatia (May 7, 2007)

travlineasy said:


> One thing I noticed while sailing down Chesapeake Bay last fall. After about 4 days, all the spiders abandoned ship - didn't have a single one on the boat for the next six months. They don't like being at sea because there's nothing out there for them to eat.
> 
> Gary


Nah Gary, they assumed you were heading to Florida and they were boycotting the State due to their anchoring regulations.

BTW - Avon skin so soft is one of the best mosquito repellent on the market, the company cannot advertise as such but they are very aware of this.


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

SVTatia said:


> Nah Gary, they assumed you were heading to Florida and they were boycotting the State due to their anchoring regulations.
> 
> BTW - Avon skin so soft is one of the best mosquito repellent on the market, the company cannot advertise as such but they are very aware of this.


I hate to be a naysayer, but Consumer Reports in 1993, again in 2003 and The New England Journal of Medicine in 2002 all dispute Avon's and other's claims of "best bug repellent on the market". Avon even added a non-deet bug repellent at one time and it failed miserably.

It is mentioned specifically in some CDC and EPA studies to warn people in dangerous (Malaria, West Nile etc.) areas NOT to rely on the Avon product.


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## SVTatia (May 7, 2007)

RobGallagher said:


> I hate to be a naysayer, but Consumer Reports in 1993, again in 2003 and The New England Journal of Medicine in 2002 all dispute Avon's and other's claims of "best bug repellent on the market". Avon even added a non-deet bug repellent at one time and it failed miserably.
> 
> It is mentioned specifically in some CDC and EPA studies to warn people in dangerous (Malaria, West Nile etc.) areas NOT to rely on the Avon product.


Believe me, I'm warned, and if I go to these areas I would NOT trust the Avon product! But.... for me and a lot of people I know it has worked in other areas of the world where nothing else did. 
Sometimes I wonder why some products work for many many people but the "journals" and "reports" always tell a different story....
...keep it in perspective - this is an aged and acceptable skin moisturizing cream.


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## zeehag (Nov 16, 2008)

skin so soft is baldedash. fail here. this overhyped and overrated stuff actually attracted skeeters in bolivar peninsula, teejass when i was there with a friend some years ago. it isnt a cream but an oil. 
spidey hates flames. spidey hates saltwater.
sink it or burn it.
seriously, spidey flies thru the air on his baby spidey weblets and catch in your rig.
most leave,but some grow up.. oops.
i prefer gekkos. i prefer snakes. 
they all protect boat from worse insect invaders.
except snakes. they eat rats ... if you are fortunate


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I have a skin so soft theory. To start, there must be different skin chemistries that differ in their attraction of insects. I've sat outside, at dusk, when they come out and not been bitten much at all. My wife has been eaten alive. It could also be something else she applied to her skin, but I don't know. 

My skin so soft theory is that it reacts differently, on different people, and only results in a repellant on a few. Therefore, it may work for you and not others.


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## Delta-T (Oct 8, 2013)

For the inside of the boat if not occupied you can use Hot Shot® No-Pest® Strip can be found at walmart for under $6 and lasts for 4 months. When you get to the boat put the Hot Shot in a zip lock and air the boat out. Gets into places you can't get into to spray. Great for small spaces.

On the mosquito issue, I have observed that the more people drink alcohol the less they get bit. I'm thinking the alcohol laden CO2 drunk people expel deters them.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Skin so Soft works. The reason it works is the vapors it emits, the same vapors that makes the person that use it smell somewhat sweet. All insects breathe through pores in their thorax, tiny microscopic airways that supply life giving oxygen. Those vapors in skin so soft prevent the insect from inhaling oxygen, thus the insect backs away. I've used Skin So Soft to repel spiders, carpenter ants, sweet ants, sow bugs, centipedes, millipedes and others with great success. I mix it 50/50 with water and put it into a spray bottle, then spray it around the foundation of my home, around window frames, and door thresholds. I've watched the above insects walk up to the sprayed area and stop dead in their tracks. I've sprayed it on the screens of my boat and it stopped no seeums from getting near the screens. I've used it to keep those nasty, biting, black flies off in Chesapeake Bay and it was the ONLY thing that kept them at bay. I've effectively used successfully to repel mosquitoes at various secluded anchorages. 

SKIN SO SOFT DOES WORK!

Gary


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

If it works for you, great, keep doing what you are doing. A golfing buddy gave me a small bottle to carry in my bag. I believe it also had sunscreen in it. I used it, and it worked. I didn't get bit. Oddly enough, I never used bug repellent before, or after that bottle as I didn't get bit.

My argument comes when it is toted as a wonder bug repellent for spiders or mosquitos. There are no studies that show that the Avon product works in this manner. It has been tried and I happen to believe in the scientific.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Rob, I believe the reason there has been no bug repellent studies is because the product is not marketed as such. Same goes for pancake makeup, which many flats guides in the Florida Keys use as sun block. These guides swear by Skin So Soft as an insect repellent, and those guys work in an environment where something very effective is important to their well-being. Anyone that has ever fished the flats adjacent to the Everglades knows the meaning of being eaten alive my bugs. I'm a science kind of guy myself, but first hand experience and practical knowledge often outweigh science, which as you know often takes much longer to conduct those published studies.

All the best,

Gary


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## RobGallagher (Aug 22, 2001)

travlineasy said:


> Rob, I believe the reason there has been no bug repellent studies is because the product is not marketed as such. Same goes for pancake makeup, which many flats guides in the Florida Keys use as sun block. These guides swear by Skin So Soft as an insect repellent, and those guys work in an environment where something very effective is important to their well-being. Anyone that has ever fished the flats adjacent to the Everglades knows the meaning of being eaten alive my bugs. I'm a science kind of guy myself, but first hand experience and practical knowledge often outweigh science, which as you know often takes much longer to conduct those published studies.
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Gary


I lived half my life in S. FL. I've travelled all over the world, been to places that a mozzie bite just might kill you or make you very sick. In the future I will be in such places. I have my own first hand experience and I wouldn't trust that Avon product to repel anything but women. 

If it actually worked as you described, Bill and Melinda Gates would be handing it out like candy. There is nothing in it but cheap oil and scent, it's twenty cents worth of crap wrapped up in expensive marketing. Instead the Gates hand out mozzie nets.

You have every right to your opinion.

My 'opinion' just happens to be backed by science.


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## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

Delta-T said:


> On the mosquito issue, I have observed that the more people drink alcohol the less they get bit. I'm thinking the alcohol laden CO2 drunk people expel deters them.


I prefer gin tonics. If being soaked in gin doesn't repel the mosquitoes, at least the quinine in the tonic will prevent malaria!


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

You guys are so lucky. I know a vessel here that trapped an otter in the bilge. It survived for some unknown time by eating the rats that came down the anchor hawse pipe. Maybe it snacked on spiders too.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Had to google skin so soft scientific tests. There are several. Too much of a PITA to copy links on my iPad. 

Generalization is that it does work on mosquitos. However, not as well as DEET. 95%+ DEET was the only test that was 100% effective, but sos got in the 80s roughly.


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

RobGallagher said:


> Small snakes eat spiders.
> Bigger snakes eat smaller snakes.
> A mongoose will get rid of the big snakes.
> A hungry Tasmanian devil will take care of the Mongoose.
> ...


Well I think Wombats eat rabbits, so that would take care of that, but then he will drink up all your rum, eat all your food and keep you up all night telling you stories about sailing down under so I guess you are no better off! (Just kidding sir wombat, would love having a visit from the fuzzy creature here in New York)

Or you could just find a french chef, and you might end up with some fine food! (eating the rabbit of course not wombat!)


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

I'm not sure if Permethrin (synthetic version of the natural insecticide that is in chrysanthemums) works on spiders, but it is used to kill ticks and other bugs contact. You don't spray it on them, but rather you wet your clothing down with it, then allow it to soak in and dry, and it endures many washings.

It might very well work the same way if sprayed onto boat surfaces and allowed to dry. And so far, there seems to be no finding of any toxicity to humans and mammals, it works on the bug metabolism, not ours.


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

hellosailor said:


> I'm not sure if Permethrin (synthetic version of the natural insecticide that is in chrysanthemums) works on spiders, but it is used to kill ticks and other bugs contact. You don't spray it on them, but rather you wet your clothing down with it, then allow it to soak in and dry, and it endures many washings.
> 
> It might very well work the same way if sprayed onto boat surfaces and allowed to dry. And so far, there seems to be no finding of any toxicity to humans and mammals, it works on the bug metabolism, not ours.


Premethrin does work on spiders. The spray your linked to on page 1 is a spider spray and premethrin is the main ingredient. Just bought some yesterday to deal with the spideys in my house. They're getting good at encapsulating the chemical in a waterproof base and thus it has lasting effects in many sprays even in the rain.

Premethrin is very safe for humans, and it's what's in the malaria nets that are supposed to be used for infants in africa. Very safe for humans and dogs.

Is it, however, very toxic to cats and causes CNS toxicity, seizures and death. Safe for you, baby and Fido but not ktty.

MedSailor


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## jemiller22 (Sep 11, 2012)

Here on commencement bay in Tacoma, WA, we do have spider challenges. it isn't the spiders I have a problem with, it's their WEBS! literally overnight, I will have a spider web that spans the entire width of my cockpit on the rear pulpit.... amazing creatures.


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## oysterman23 (Jul 22, 2011)

If chemicals repel you try these









Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk


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## benesailor (Dec 27, 2012)

My daughter has a high allergic reaction to all spiders. I use Ortho home defence once a month on the perimeter of my boat and docklines. It might not be the most environment friendly product, but, it cut the spider population dramatically. Highly effective.


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## Mark1948 (Jun 19, 2007)

One more comment, make sure you check all your water, fuel and holding tank vents as spiders like to use these areas. Clean out and spray with your favorite bug killer.


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## MaryAndrews (May 24, 2016)

You can call pest control experts for effective tips and suggestions.


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## gigamanx (Dec 2, 2008)

This thread seriously creeped me out. I'm shopping for boats and found a great candidate recently, but everything I opened seemed to have spiders crawling out of it. Flaked sails, rigging lines... I'm going to try all of the remedies on here at the same time. Something will work.


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