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Old 24-10-2021, 06:01   #1
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Snake on a boat

Well, I’ve been on and around boats for more than I care to think about, but I haven’t heard this one.
Yesterday I was a retrieving a wrench that had slipped under the bunk board in the forward vee berth. I noticed something that at first appeared to be a section of braid-reinforced hose. Couldn’t account for that particular hose, then I realized- it was a snake skin. No snake.
I have no idea how long it had been there. It got my attention- about five feet long.
We’re in Texas, with a fair amount of slithery critters. I’ve never heard, around here at least, of snakes climbing an anchor chain or boarding via dock lines. My theory is it came aboard during a haul-out or during a 4 year re-fit. The re-fit was in the yard of a boat dealer that was adjacent to a pretty overgrown lot. When hauled out, my practice is to remove the 1 inch garboard drain plug to allow all the accumulated bilge crude to escape. I’m thinking the critter boarded while hauled out, and found a place to shed its skin.
We’ve never seen signs of mice or anything that would attract a snake, nor anything else that would indicate it’s presence. We’ve been sailing with our beagle for the last couple years, and it seems like her beagle sniffer would have alerted her- and us- if it were still aboard.
Naturally, at various times I’m all over the water closets, bilge, stowage areas, etc. and don’t relish the idea of surprising it and scaring the liver out of me. If it were still aboard but dead I think the odor would have been ferocious. I sprayed for insects a month back with a pretty powerful mix. I’m wondering if a snake would react to that in any way.
I take some comfort in knowing the skin was under my wife’s side of the berth.
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Old 24-10-2021, 06:06   #2
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Re: Snake on a boat

That’s a first, creepy!
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Old 24-10-2021, 06:16   #3
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Re: Snake on a boat

Post a picture of the skin at a snake identification group to found out what kind of snake and if it is venomous or not.

Boa Constrictors are known to come aboard, climbing the anchor chain etc.
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Old 24-10-2021, 06:22   #4
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Re: Snake on a boat

A couple summers ago, I was working on the boat and left to buy some hardware to finish up a small project. I left the companion way hatch open.

I was only away for maybe thirty minutes. When I returned, I found a two foot long iguana had gone below.

It scurried into the V-berth, and hid behind cushions. Using a boat hook and a fishing dip net, I was finally able to capture it before it was able to find an inaccessible place from me.

I am much more vigilant about closing hatches now!
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Old 24-10-2021, 06:30   #5
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Re: Snake on a boat

Something similar:


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Old 24-10-2021, 06:45   #6
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Re: Snake on a boat

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mickeyrouse View Post
We’ve been sailing with our beagle for the last couple years, and it seems like her beagle sniffer would have alerted her- and us- if it were still aboard.

Most dogs disregard snakes as being uninteresting.


Quote:
I sprayed for insects a month back with a pretty powerful mix. I’m wondering if a snake would react to that in any way.
Probably not.


Most larger species can remain healthy for months between meals. I wouldn't necessarily conclude that it's gone.
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Old 24-10-2021, 06:53   #7
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Re: Snake on a boat

i came across a nope rope after hurricane erick in barra de navidad.. was curled around my port side midships cleat and was a constrictor baby. cute lil fangs and hiss told me not to adjust those lines... i mentioned it to the marina and they sent 3 hefty and one skinny men to adjust the situation. the only one working was the skinny man with his snake stick. he took snakey to a tree and let him go. good snake. the hefty guys laughed and watched. from a distance!! was quite the fun show.
i am happy i found it before bubba got his nose into the mix. snake would not have eaten bubba--bubba is so big, and snakey was so small, but i felt was a better idea to keep bubba inside for a few extra minutes. the hurricane runoff brought much through that lagoon and i figger snakey came with the outflow and wanted a dry spot for a while.. so i adjusted my lines so they did not rest in the water and no more snakes
davey j--iguanas swim. watched one dive into a pool to avoid a cat and it swam under water the length of the pool.. good swimmers.
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Old 24-10-2021, 07:06   #8
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Re: Snake on a boat

Yes, a snakeologist? would be able to ID snake from skin.
They can hang out for months without eating in some hidey holes you don't know exist on board.
For what it's worth they don't like the smell of ammonia, neither do Racoons.
That's an idea...Racoons like to munch on snakes, so just bring aboard a few Racoons
and they will solve your problem!
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Old 24-10-2021, 07:14   #9
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Re: Snake on a boat

I had a HUGE 4ft+ iguana try to board my boat up the anchor rode before while at anchor.

I had to coax him away with the boat hook. It was kind of cool how he turned colors to match the boat.

Then last summer while away I had a rodent climb aboard from dock lines. He nearly destroyed the ENTIRE BOAT!

He ate through my solar panel wiring and cut it. That caused batteries to lose charge and get destroyed. A hurricane came through and I lost a big window. This let enormous amounts of rain (and wasps and hornets) into one hull. With no power, there were no longer any bilge pumps to keep up with the rain over the summer, which is every day.

One of my hulls filled up and sat very low from rainwater filling it. Luckily, it was a hull that had no work done in it yet, so there was no actual damage to the boat from the water. I just pumped out the water and washed out the hull.

BUT... it goes to show you how something as simple as a rodent getting aboard can destroy an unattended boat.
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Old 24-10-2021, 07:31   #10
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Re: Snake on a boat

We had a snake on board a few years ago. There was a bad storm with numerous branches washed into the anchorage and I think he/she fancied the boat more than the water. Fortunately we found it and persuaded it to go for a swim before it made its way inside.

My wife once had a snake spiral up her leg while she sitting on a camp chair in a river (it was a hot day). They can swim and climb surprisingly well. They can also fly if you kick your leg really hard .
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Old 24-10-2021, 08:45   #11
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Re: Snake on a boat

Quote:
Originally Posted by hugosalt View Post
Yes, a snakeologist? would be able to ID snake from skin.
They can hang out for months without eating in some hidey holes you don't know exist on board.
For what it's worth they don't like the smell of ammonia, neither do Racoons.
That's an idea...Racoons like to munch on snakes, so just bring aboard a few Racoons
and they will solve your problem!
Bring a black snake aboard. They are harmless and eat other snakes. I ran into our house for a 38 with rat shot for a rattler. By time I got back out a black snake had all but the tail down. Both were about the same size. So I saved the cost of a round.
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Old 24-10-2021, 08:52   #12
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Re: Snake on a boat

Thanks for he nightmares.... "Oh honey!"

"eek!"
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Old 24-10-2021, 08:59   #13
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Re: Snake on a boat

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Originally Posted by hugosalt View Post
Yes, a snakeologist...?
...herpetologist.

From the Greek herpetó(n) "a creeping thing"

Bwah-ha-HA!
(Just in time for Halloween.)
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Old 24-10-2021, 09:01   #14
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Re: Snake on a boat

Can hardly get the Admiral to go back to Beaver Island in Northern Lake Michigan because of a the snakes around the marina. They're sunning on the rocks by shore, and hanging like lines in the water. She CAN NOT read this post EVER!
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Old 24-10-2021, 09:19   #15
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Re: Snake on a boat

When I was running a bare boat operation in the Australian Whitsunday Islands, one of our charters decided to have a bar-b-que ashore on an island beach. They took their gear ashore in a sail bag.


They put the rinsed pots & pans back in the sail bag to return to the boat, where they emptied the bag on the cabin sole. An annoyed 6Ft carpet snake, not poisons but of course they did not know this, came out with the pots. They retreated to the cockpit, locking the hatch behind them, spending the night there.



The next day they attracted another yacht, & made radio contact with us. After fetching them & the yacht they had no interest in continuing their island adventures, & requested transport to the next plane to fly home.



Took us 3 days to find & remove the snake.
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