Termites

[Journeyman 2298]

I worked and saved and bought a 1973 Morgan center cockpit out island 35'. I've had her a year. I paid $18,000. One day I noticed termite droppings in the aft cabin closet. I've been spraying and spraying. A year later there are 7 spots and they have moved past 50 percent of the boat. I realize I need to save up and get the tent but at this point I'm not sure it's worth it. She's 48 years old. I dunno what do you all think??

[Seymore]

If you want to keep the boat, get a couple of cans of good insect spray, the ones with the fine tube at the spout. Where you see the droppings, search above them for tiny exit holes. Stick the tube up a hole and put a lot of the contents of the can into the hole.

I did this years ago and have forgot whether the insect spray cans came with the tube, or they had a spout that could take a tube and I used a tube from a WD-40 can.

I've also forgot whether I emptied the can into the one hole.

I know I never had a problem with termites again.

[GreenWave]

They make and sell termite foam that has the tube to use. Buy those. Depending on your location I can make more specific recommendations for acquiring such spray.

[tkeithlu]

Welcome to the forum, Journeyman. First time I've ever heard of termites being an issue in a boat.

[mvweebles]

I had termites that ate through a 4-foot section of mahogany caprail (San Francisco, so not even a bug-friendly climate like Florida, my current home). I had the boat tented for about $1200 which seemed high but was tough to find someone to do the work.

Given the toxicity warnings on tented structures I doubt off-shelf chemicals from Home Depot are even close to being as effective as tenting.

Good luck.

Peter

[Snore]

Generally, termites and their cousins, need wood and water. Start by solving all you fresh water leaks. Also make sure the bilge is dry and shoot some bug killer down there also!

Then you can treat the bugs.

[JPA Cate]

@journeyman,

Here in Oz, they require tenting if you bring in a termite infestation--and it's a nation with termites of their own!

If you have any hope of saving the boat, tent it now, before more damage is done. You NEED a professional exterminator. Putting it off by playing around with an established situation will lead to most of the timber being eaten. It really is one of those times for getting out the big guns.

Ann

[Seymore]

What's 'tenting'?

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Seymore

What's 'tenting'?

Enclosing the boat (as if under or within a tent) and then pumping in methyl bromide or sulfuryl fluoride.

Tenting is generally seen as the only way to guarantee delivery of termiticide to every spot in a boat.

[Toaster]

We found termites recently, in a sheet of 3/4 inch plywood that was glassed to the underside of the foredeck when the boat was built (1974). They were Formosan termites that are common in Hawaii. These are pretty nasty bastards, I have a friend whose house was destroyed by them. The wood was wet from a leaking foot switch on the deck. Termites swarm here (clouds of them in June/July) and they somehow found the wet wood.

I talked to two exterminators about fumigating the boat. Because it is a sailboat with a fiberglass "shell" and can be sealed up tight (hatches, dorades, etc, easy to seal) it does not need to be "tented" (big tarps). The first exterminator said it would cost $1000. They would pump the gas in after we sealed the boat, and leave it there for several days or more. Then they would open the hatches and turn on the fans. They would check for gas and give the all clear when ready.

The second exterminator said, Formosan termites must have a source of water (fresh not salt) so if we eliminate all the leaks and removed any wet wood, they would die in a matter of weeks without fumigating. He also said that if there is water-logged wood, that the gas does not diffuse through wet wood like it does dry wood, and so the termites would survive the gas. He was from a very reputable and respected local company.

Which basically means you have to get rid of the wet wood no matter what.

So that is what we have done, as best we can. Every surface penetration has been rebedded (this has been an ongoing project for a few years now, and this episode has just made us finish faster). We dug out wet wood where we found the termite "soldiers" (how we got a positive ID). We are spraying/squirting into every crevice with contact poisons (orange oil stuff) and following that with "Clear-Bor" aka Hi-Bor which is a boron based poison that soaks into the wood and never goes away (unlike the oil stuff). If an insect eats it, it dies. Common stuff here in Hawaii. And non toxic to mammals.

Termites also do not seem to like painted wood (or they cannot recognize it as wood), or at least that is the sentiment here in Hawaii. They do eat teak, but really like soft woods like pine or cheap plywood.

For other types of termites (eg West Indies dry wood termites) then fumigation may be the best route. Find a specialist.

Good luck, and don't delay treatment! Also, as you dig away infested wood, keep an eye out for the termites. They are like little white maggots with legs. Capture as many as you can, and use a hand lens to identify them. Plenty of photos out there for each type.

Toaster

[Thumbs Up]

There is another process that simply uses controlled heat over a certain temp for a period of time. I think it is 135 degrees for a full day. There are companies that do it for houses. You could probably do it yourself with space heaters that have retrofitted thermostats.
https://www.ablepesthawaii.com/heat-treatment
https://www.thermapure.com/pest-services/termites/

[Chotu]

There is another way. I killed every last termite on an old boat of mine by heading north in the winter and taking a few weeks away from the boat.

Termites (of the kind that fly to your boat) are killed by freezing temperatures.

[Simi 60]

I had termites starting out in an old timber house we bought .
Injected epoxy into the holes
The end.

[Hudson Force]

I found "dry wood" termites on board back in the 1980's. I did contract a professional company to chemically kill the termites; however, I was easily able to bypass the most expensive part of the process that was the tenting.

It's fairly simple to seal the relatively few air passages, while the vessel is in the water, with portlights sealed and plastic wrap covering the vents, hatches and companionway.

Tenting is more often required for houses and may be the advised procedure made by exterminators, but it's not necessary for the fiberglass shell of a boat that is already close to sealed and only needs attention for a few spots.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

Tenting is more often required for houses and may be the advised procedure made by exterminators, but it's not necessary for the fiberglass shell of a boat that is already close to sealed and only needs attention for a few spots.

As mentioned in an early response, I had termites in my caprail. I believe Ann Cate strongly recommended an aggressive approach if you suspect termites. Tenting is as aggressive as it gets. Has my vote too

Peter