With relocation to Alabama, Rick and Donna asked me about the screen we have for our Bomar hatch in the V-berth. This got me thinking about the broader issue of bug-proofing, as we have learned, one screen won’t do it.
The MOOSE came to us with the regular-mesh hatch screen installed. ¾” Velcro had been glued around the perimeter of the hatch to match that sewn onto the screen. This is fine for mosquitoes, but we also had to make one out of finer, No-seeum netting for when those microscopic beasties are out. And of course, when they are, it means keeping the cabin window screens closed all night as well – a stuffy situation.
But there are other points of biting bug entry which aren’t as readily apparent. And just when you think you’ve got them beat, they find another way in to what initially appears to be a tight cabin. The biggest hole, of course, is where all the wiring passes through the cabin bulkhead. This we plug semi-permanently with a sponge which seems to expand enough to plug all the gaps. And then there’s the hole in the windlass where the rode passes though. We stuff it with a couple of paper towels. The shroud around the bilge pump (ours is on the starboard side under the bulkhead) needs to be duct-taped or sealed as well as the sump communicates with both the cockpit and cabin interior.
And just this week we observed that mosquitoes can crawl through the little gap at the back, bottom end of our window screen channel. The top seems well sealed, but the bottom needs a bit of nightly plugging.
And lastly, we learned that our Starboard cabin door had warped and bowed enough to provide less than a tight seal in one area. I’m currently working on that gap with some black silicone.
I know this might seem crazy to all you folks who live in relatively bug-free country, but it can make all the difference in getting a good night’s sleep. I’d be curious to learn how others of you cope.
Al
The MOOSE came to us with the regular-mesh hatch screen installed. ¾” Velcro had been glued around the perimeter of the hatch to match that sewn onto the screen. This is fine for mosquitoes, but we also had to make one out of finer, No-seeum netting for when those microscopic beasties are out. And of course, when they are, it means keeping the cabin window screens closed all night as well – a stuffy situation.
But there are other points of biting bug entry which aren’t as readily apparent. And just when you think you’ve got them beat, they find another way in to what initially appears to be a tight cabin. The biggest hole, of course, is where all the wiring passes through the cabin bulkhead. This we plug semi-permanently with a sponge which seems to expand enough to plug all the gaps. And then there’s the hole in the windlass where the rode passes though. We stuff it with a couple of paper towels. The shroud around the bilge pump (ours is on the starboard side under the bulkhead) needs to be duct-taped or sealed as well as the sump communicates with both the cockpit and cabin interior.
And just this week we observed that mosquitoes can crawl through the little gap at the back, bottom end of our window screen channel. The top seems well sealed, but the bottom needs a bit of nightly plugging.
And lastly, we learned that our Starboard cabin door had warped and bowed enough to provide less than a tight seal in one area. I’m currently working on that gap with some black silicone.
I know this might seem crazy to all you folks who live in relatively bug-free country, but it can make all the difference in getting a good night’s sleep. I’d be curious to learn how others of you cope.
Al
Also has Vitamin E..