Snapping shrimp in dagger board crash trunk. Serious please

Okay I have a problem. A loud problem. Unless someone can come up with a better idea I have snapping shrimp living in one of my dagger board trunks.

This is an extremely loud snapping noise, and tends to be more at night. There is zero zip nada nothing making this noise in the other dagger board trunk.

Further, I have been to Phuket where I hear small shrimp all around. This is very different. It is like someone is lighting small fire crackers off in my engine room.

Oh yes, it is a trimaran. And the dagger board trunk passes through the engine room.

The board is stuck. Way stuck. Never put a dagger board in the cockpit of a boat where all the dirt washes in.

Ideas to stop them?

 

Peanut oil in dagger board trunk will smother them.

 

Put a seal on the slot.

 

Peanut oil...I guess I can use palm oil

Good idea on the peanut oil. Palm oil much cheaper here. I've tried to flush them out with fresh water and ran fresh water into the trunk for several days but they still survived.

Since the board is essentially stuck midway down and I can't bring it up or down a cover over it in light fiberglass that can be removed is the route I'm thinking about for a cover.

I spent about 2 solid weeks trying to get it free and concluded there was one bolt or large metal piece stuck on one side of the board about 3 feet below the deck level. I tried pounding the bolt down. Tried to cut it in half with a hack saw blade with an extension. I even tried looping a metal cable around one side and then bringing it up the other and pulling it up.

Only result was frustration. Its not a critical item for my boat so it becomes just one of the things I get to live with. Thanks

 

Copper sulfate is also very toxic to crustaceans.

 

Yep, seal them in and a little poison will fix the problem.

 

Barnacles make a snapping sound.

 

Ha ha I get that. In these tropical waters --and I am just south of you in Langkawi it happens all the time. I was wakened by them last night and the deeper you go in the boat the worse it gets.

I dived on my boat this afternoon for that reason, I though I had barnacles, I had none, I guess the barnacles on the dock must have been having a party last night.

I think too that it is barnacles. If your in a marina its on the dock.

 

Could it have anything to do with the stuck board? If something in there is binding any waves would cause things to rock and crunch.

 

The only times I've had a stuck board was when I got a short piece of floating polyprop rope caught between the board and case just as I was raising the board. I did get the board up both times though using a long lever

I have also heard the (sometimes loud) snapping sound. I always assume it is polyestermites but have been told it is the noise shrimp make when accelerating (water jet cavitation?)

Richard Woods of Woods Designs

www.sailingcatamarans.com

 

Centerboards will steel armatures can swell up and wedge themselves in a case.