Keeping A Mink Out Of The Boat
A solution had to be found to keep the resident mink from messing up the boat.
How To Keep A Mink Out Of The Boat
After a nasty stand-off with the resident mink who had occupied my boat and blatantly defecated all over the carpet, I had to find a solution to regain possession of the vessel and dissuade the little pest from making my old Starcraft its summer home.
While it is nearly impossible to keep a mink from visiting the seating section of the boat, I was determined to find a way to keep it from crawling into the open area of the stern where it had gained access to the rest of the interior walls of the hull and had been chewing through Styrofoam, breaking wires, eating crayfish and leaving a stinking mess.
The solution came from my father.
He built a wood frame and covered it with thick wire screen that was originally used for the gazebo.
We attached the frame to the opening in the back of the boat which provides access to the battery, drain plug and water pump.
Screws were used to hold it in place so the area is still easily accessible when needed.
So far, the mink has not managed to pry it open.
Wire mesh was also jammed into other areas of the boat where the mink had access to the sidewalls, specifically in the bow.
Short of shrink-wrapping the boat every night, it is impossible to keep the mischievous little critter out and our resident mink still uses the carpet as a dinner table and latrine once in a while, but not nearly as often as it did previously when it had full access to all areas of the boat.
I guess I can consider this battle half-won. The other option is to trap, shoot or otherwise dispose of the mink, but I just can’t bring myself to take things that far.
Written and photographed by: Andrew Walker
A Mink Is Living In The Boat is the original article that tells the story of our editor’s first encounter with the stubborn mink who had hijacked the boat.
Go to the Boat Maintenance Checklist page that has advice on how to get out tough stains in the boat as well as winterizing and storage tips.
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