Freakin Muskrats!!!!

[NCLaker]

Normally I keep my pontoon on a lift, but I pulled the docks & lifts last weekend. Left the pontoon beached on the shore figuring I wasn't ready do be done going on the water.

Pulled it out this past weekend to winterize, only to find out a Mustkrat had starting to build a cozy littl home in the transom. Wouldn't have minded, but the stupid thing decided to using my wiring as a chewing toy.

Looks like I will be getting more familiar with rewiring a boat in the spring

If anyone is looking for some nice muskrat pelts, please help yourself to the live ones swimming around my shore

[Ralph Wiggum]

I feel your pain! I dealt with this the past two years until I finally convinced the MIL to buy a lift this spring. They are relentless! I've taken out my fair share.

Try climbing under the pontoon to fix things without realizing that there is still one of them sitting on top of one of the tubes. I almost crapped myself!!!

[NCLaker]

Coming face to face with one under the pontoon would definitly be enought to [PoorWordUsage] my self too

[davesfriend]

I let mt puppy out one winter morning, pajamas and slippers. Haven a smoke and mindin my own bussiness when she started barking. Did not think much of it (black lab X beagle). Then she starts going nutzoid, and pounces on something yelps and jumps back. This little shadow the starts to chase her and she continues to bark pounce bark pounce, all the while this thing is chasing her. All I could find was a shovel. Well it took no less the 12 whacks to get this thing to stop moving. Well it was a muskrat. Them things are TOUGH!!

[pikedreams]

A few years back a muskrat sunk one of the big cruise boats on Lake Minnetonka. One of those big ones that have dinner cruises and receptions and stuff. The boats about a 70 footer. Luckily it was docked in about 8 fow when it went down. They were able to pump it out and tow it for repairs and it was back in service in less than a week.

What they discovered is that a muskrat had chewed through the rubber seal around the I/O. Ever since then whenever the boats are not in use they trim the motor down as far as it goes to block the seal under the outdrive.

[NCLaker]

Sunk a a 70ft boat

I guess I don't feel so bad after all ... could have been a lot worse. Good thing I caught it after the boat had been sitting in the water for only a week.

[marine_man]

Still won't be a lot of fun next spring... good luck!

marine_man

[Scott M]

Muskrats are the worst. They chew up everything this time of year and will plop a nest on anything. I saw one this fall building on a dock, one on a fallen log, and one chewed up a string marking a water line to someone's house...They find new things and chew or find new places and build.

And they are hostile little critters. I still remember chasing one as a kid, and it turned around and chased me for a while hissing and baring teeth! Taught me a lesson!

[Ralph Wiggum]

All I could find was a shovel. Well it took no less the 12 whacks to get this thing to stop moving. Well it was a muskrat. Them things are TOUGH!!

I skewered one on a spear and it still took me a couple whacks with a big rock to finish it off!

[NCLaker]

Still won't be a lot of fun next spring... good luck!

marine_man

Thanks Marine_man. Didn't look like he got into my main wiring harness (biggest relief!). Motor started and trim worked fine. Only a couple of the smaller wires were completely chewed off, and another few smaller ones missing the insulation. I'm guessing the easiest fix will be to splice in some new wire.

[marine_man]

I'd say that's correct, but I'd solder and shrink tube them to make sure you're not going to have issues going forward.

marine_man

[delcecchi]

I thought soldering was considered a bad idea on wires that are subject to vibration. Is that not true?

[NCLaker]

Thanks for the tips marine_man! Let me know if Del's point is correct.

[marine_man]

I can't say that I've heard that... I think a soldered connection is better than any other connection one would be able to make...

marine_man

[Capt. Don*]

Solid wire is bad in boats, and against builders code, soldering joints are the best so long as you use just enough solder to make the connection. I have seen solder joints that have too much solder, it wicks its way up the wire under the insulation, and you end up with solid wire six inches either side of the joint. Thats not good.

[NCLaker]

Just curious, why is solid wire bad in boats?

[delcecchi]

bending it a few times, or vibration, will cause it to break. Try it and see. That is the problem with soldering also as I understand it. But I couldn't find any reference about not soldering when I looked.