They're pretty easy to knock out. I like to use a can of spider spray that's
water based. Can't remember the brand, but look for
water based on the can. I like water based so I'm not spraying too much gunk on and around my
fiberglass.
Most spiders hide during the day, and every night they come out and build a new web. So, wait until dark, and go on a spider hunt. They show up really well with a flashlight. When you see one, spray it. Directly on the spider. No need to overdo it. They take a while to die, so don't wait. Just move on to the next spider. Doesn't take long to get all the spiders on your boat's exterior. Well, with the exception of the ones that are living up by your spreaders.
Then, move on to your
dock. Give every last one of them a quick blast. Note where their favorite spots are on the
dock and pilings, and give those areas some good prolonged sprays. The next spider to walk where you sprayed will get it on it's feet, lick it off, and die.
Got a dock box? Open it and spray in there. It's one of their favorite daytime hiding spots. The spiders like areas like the underside of the rim of the dock box lid for hiding out during the day. Spray it.
This is a two-pronged way of getting rid of the eight-leggers. Direct spray and preventative spray on the dock and other hiding spots. Another place they like to hide on some boats is under the lip of the
hull to
deck joint, but I don't like to spray a bunch of stuff on there. You can expect all the spiders that hide there to come out at night, and get sprayed one by one.
When you've done your
boat and your side of the dock, hunt them down on your neighbor's side of the dock, and do preventative spray there. Also, if you have a lighted
shore power pedestal, that'll be spider covered, as the light attracts tasty bugs. Spray it.
If you have a
dodger, another place they like to hide is inside the zippered sleeve that surrounds the
dodger support rods. You can unzip these during they day. Be careful, right? Unzip it quickly, and give a good spray. Yuck.
If you're lucky, your neighbors on either side will see your spider free boat and do the same.
It's easy to eradicate spiders, as they are not a colony insect. It's every spider for itself. They're not like cockroaches where you kill the visible ones and there a thousand in hiding. The spiders come out every night and sit out in the open. It's like they're made to be killed.
This method seems to get rid of 99% of the spiders. Kill them one night, and then check again the next night. Gone! They'll slowly make their way back, so you'll just have to keep up with them and re-treat as needed. You'll quickly get a sense of how often they need to be treated.
If you travel to another marina for an overnight stay, make sure you go on a hunt after dark. You don't want more spiders climbing on your boat. It's amazing how they can take over again, if you let them.
We used to keep a boat on a
mooring. We took an overnight trip and stayed in a marina. Spiders boarded. We returned to our
mooring, and then didn't use the boat again for a few weeks. The next time we went to the boat, as we started to remove the
sail cover, big, fat spiders started dropping out of the sail, hitting the
deck with a thud. We smashed so many of them, we were getting sick to our stomachs. The boat had an
outboard. Spiders started crawling out of the
outboard and other areas around the transom. The outboard became totally, and unbelievably covered with spiders. I threw a bucket of water on them to knock them off, and seconds later, it was totally covered again. There wasn't a square inch on the
motor that didn't have several spiders on it. Never saw anything like it before or since.
Good luck.
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