May 3, 2013

The Gullsweep works, period. My boat is in and area with a heavy gull population. Any unprotected boat becomes a guano fest. I have tried many things to keep seagulls off my dark blue canvas top, the only thing I've found that works reliably is the Gullsweep. I'm on my 5th season with the same one. I resisted installing one for a while because I didn't want to put any holes in my canvas. But I used the u-bracket over the bimini pole and I actually get no water leaks. The only down side is that wind is needed to turn the vanes and sweep off the birds. It won't work as well in a flat calm, but most any breeze will make it turn. The birds are conditioned to leave my boat alone because of the sweep. I do recommend getting the retaining clip. The sweep sit on a long pin, but in a very strong wind can be blown off. Using the retainer is how mine has lasted so long.

November 16, 2011

I belong to a nonprofit kayak club with large dock. Unlike other docks in the basin, our dock does not have gear on it and it is not hemmed-in with power boats. Thus, it is a favorite of gulls. In the winter months, they drop shells to open them and hang out there defecating. We put one of these on our dock as an experiment. Even within the arms of the Gullsweep there were fragments of shells and fecal matter, though not as much as on the remainder of the dock.