Termites in a boat??
 

Has anyone ever seen or heard of termites in a boat.
I was looking at a 27' Fountain in Houston, Tx and I swear there was termites?
To my knowledge all they need is water and wood.

Thanks for any input
Jason

That about sums it up.




Darrell.

Termites are easy to spot. They leave "tubes" behind. They also leave lots of holes and crumbling wood. I've never seen it but would never rule it out. They could be ants- there are some that look alot like termites. Seems like they'd need more exposed wood than you'd find on your average boat.

I know a guy who's boat had a bad case of carpenter ants. He was digging in for some interior work and they we're coming out everywhere.

I see evidence of termites during surveys all the time. Not a good condition. Have seen completely hollowed-out stringers and lateral bulkheads crumble to the touch. Be careful if you suspect infestation.

Termites MUST go back into the ground daily or they will die. The tunnels or you see on homes are made of mud. When termites are exterminated, the chemical sprayed into the ground/foundation is actually a barrier that prevents existing termites from returning to the ground (dries them up)and also prevents new termites from climbing up the walls to get to the wood (starves them)and they all will die. I would have to say unless the hull was made of wood and it was sitting directly on the ground, termites are not possible.

I know of two boat owners who would wish what you are saying was only partially accurate. One has a 28' Maxum and the other a 26' Formula.

Here is a photo taken earlier this year.

Here is another.

...and another.

and still another.

Here's a picture of the port valance in the galley.

This boat was moored in the water at the owners dock.

The Formula was rack-stored in a marina. It was worse than the Maxum.

The "tubes", described quite accurately by Chris Sunkin, were disturbed before I took these photos by me sounding the hull from the outside with my hammer.

Thanks for the conformation on my assumption.

Jason

Ahh I see a new offshore boat business here, termite proofing, where is that chloreadane when you need it, maybe DDT.

Ed,

Are these boats primarily in the south or more temperate climates? As I said, I've never seen it. Up north here, we have plenty of old, decrepit homes to keep the termites occupied- even then, they're not all that common.

The two boats mentioned are right here in the tropics; SE Florida. The Formula was dry-stacked in a marina that had a bad infestation. The termites entered the marina in the wood used for the storage bunks.

The Maxum was a boat kept behind the owners house in the water. The photos are of the Maxum. The Formula had so many termite "droppings" it looked like a layer of sand in the bilge. The stringers were hollow.

We have a strain of Formosa termites down here that will eat through concrete or cinder block to get to the wood in your house.

termador! same thing as in frontline for dogs and cats, fibranil I think.

I see them alot on boats in san diego...they tend to swarm in oct.

Ed,
Those pictures remind me of termite action in our cottage country, 120 miles north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They like the pines and spruce and will eat through any wood you put in the soil for any length of time.
The large black carpenter ant does more damage to wood not in contact with the ground, and is very aggressive. We have to take preventative action with anti-ant powders to keep them out of the cottage, or mothballs to keep them out of the boats. I had to clean ant nests out of the '74 Checkmate regularly in the spring before I learned the mothball trick - of course storing it in a heated garage has removed that problem.:D

Yes, they eat the softer woods first and save the harder woods for last. All a manufacturer has to do is miss sealing one limber hole in a stringer. That's all it takes if these little pests are around.

Ed, I heard termites won't eat teak??

any truth to that ??

are there any Marina Mile boatyards that are termite havens??

Jim

Jim:
I believe you are correct about the teak being termite resistant.

As far as I know Marina Mile boatyards are clean. The problem is in the Aventura/Hallandale area.

Ed, You are a wealth of information. Thanks for all the first hand info you share on topics like this. I would have never thought about termites until reading this and checking out your pics.

Thanks for the post, Baywatch! It's nice to be appreciated.

termites
 

what did you do to get rid of them?

In my case, freeze them out over a Wisconsin winter and then replace all the wood............... :)

http://www.seriousoffshore.com/forum...ad.php?t=12248

I couldnt figure out what the heck they were!!!! But I had what looked like ants, with wings. When I got my boat it sat for 14 yrs. After a case of bug bombs and lots of vaccuming and replacing a stringer I am now "flying ant" free. What a wild thing to see. I lifted the cover and the surface was crawling!!!!!