Well- went up to SR country with the great expectations of Brookies up around Osceola albeit late in the season -- NOT (again).
 Opened the door to the place and stopped short-ripped out walls and ceiling -sheet rock and insulation all over -waders, shoes, lamp, window dressing,  shop vac and other things chewed up and torn apart- STINK -yea- something used the place for a bathroom too---a lot..
 Seems a Coon got into the  ceiling and fell through and went nuts in the mud/woodstove room for a coupla days at least. Likely the ultrasound wall plug rodent  repeller made it crazy in there. FORTUNATELY the door to the main house was closed-it tried though- tearing up the moulding around it.
  Ultimately live trapped a female and three several week old young ones out from  under the place the next night.
 Had just redone and painted that room this winter- now to start over.
 Walls were clawed up and it looked like it eventually got up and back into the ceiling where it was  able to get back down though the  passageways left by the old owners carpentry efforts.
 Ahhhh- a house/camp in Sr country- evening fires- comphy living in the great outdoors and a place to go and fish to ones hearts content--REALITY BITES.
 Just hope all these 'issues' get taken care of before  the end of August- been an eventfull Spring.

 Sorry to hear about the animal damage... glad it was limited to the mud room though!  As much as having a camp is great in so many ways it sure does ramp up the frustration and worry levels too.
 
 My uncle always called boats 'holes in the water'.... even though he designed and built them.... but I think having a camp is maybe even worse!
 
 Hopefully this will be the end of the troubles for you this year!

Yea that BITES !!!,  Trev..
Sounds like you need a caretaker, one that has a big BOAT (bust out another thousand) time (well)  to do the up keep, burn everything in sight and animal control.. Hey sounds like "me" LOL..
You'll get it done and sometimes the work involved becomes the reward..
 
fisherlady,
I'm not sure which is worse, Boat Or House... I'm going on both in every which direction..
Put the house work off and busting butt on the boat to get her ready for some deep water trolling next week (I hope)..
With the Fantastic weather, This weekend was a doosie
 
 

 

Sometimes I just feel our most relaxing activities are also the least relaxing!
I hear you on the boat expenses... just bought and installed a new kicker on our Erie boat, the wallet is sore but I now have an electric start so my shoulder isn't!
 
r3g3.... I don't know how the access is to what you called the passageways from the previous construction, but we use a material called expanded metal to cover windows on our chicken coop to keep out raccoons and other critters. It is the same stuff as they make the open mesh trailer floors out of, but is available in different dimensions and gauges for different applications. Our local metal fabricating shop can cut it for us in whatever size we need and it can be strongly attached just by using a standard wood screw with a decent size washer through the mesh.  If the access is awkward to cover or you don't think wood would be a good enough deterrent you could try something like that.  Nicest benefit is that it provides good security but still allows ventilation (in case you don't want something totally sealed up)

well thats a wrap on the boat/outdoor projects for the day.. Got to go to the JOB..
Expanded metal is the ticket.. We use it all the time at work , mostly for guarding machines and equipment.. SUPER strong yet bendable to a point.. A torch or grinder is necessary to cut it though..
It will keep critters out, no way they are chewing through that stuff..
 
Just an FYI, I have a 15 hp longshaft evinrude (pull start) that runs great (wrong application for me ) that needs to go if anyone is looking for a kicker or smaller motor.. Haven't listed it anywhere yet..

Fisher=
Have an older 80 ft 3 bedroom 2 bath house trailer with an 14x16 added room I call the mud or woodstove room. Total of about 1200 ft of living space and in very nice condition considering its age-all electric too so easy to maintain. A family could move in easily-everything is in place and on 10 ac.
 The previous owner added the mud room and its decently done but not like a pro carpenter may have. Since its on ground level and the rest of the house  is elevated there may well be a way for the critter to get into  some of the walls between the two from below the trailer portion.
Getting under there to work isn't in the picture but thanks for the suggestion. Too low to the ground for my ample self to crawl much less do work.
 Had a nice expensive skirt put on last year and the little bastiges chewed a hole in it to get in.
 Got rid of the Mice and now got Coons- likely a Bear next.
Or even worse- pulling in and seeing a coupe of shopping carts in the yard---
 
Frankly am pretty happy the electric and water seemed to be ok and not chewed up- a bit of silver lining there.
As always it could  be worse-find the humorous side and move on---

Well at least the raccoons found the accommodations to their liking, until they couldn't find the door.

r3g3
Fisher=
Have an older 80 ft 3 bedroom 2 bath house trailer with an 14x16 added room I call the mud or woodstove room. Total of about 1200 ft of living space and in very nice condition considering its age-all electric too so easy to maintain. A family could move in easily-everything is in place and on 10 ac.
 The previous owner added the mud room and its decently done but not like a pro carpenter may have. Since its on ground level and the rest of the house  is elevated there may well be a way for the critter to get into  some of the walls between the two from below the trailer portion.
Getting under there to work isn't in the picture but thanks for the suggestion. Too low to the ground for my ample self to crawl much less do work.
 Had a nice expensive skirt put on last year and the little bastiges chewed a hole in it to get in.
 Got rid of the Mice and now got Coons- likely a Bear next.
Or even worse- pulling in and seeing a coupe of shopping carts in the yard---
 
Frankly am pretty happy the electric and water seemed to be ok and not chewed up- a bit of silver lining there.
As always it could  be worse-find the humorous side and move on---

 
Wiring damage could be a disaster.... I am glad to have cats around to take care of chipmunks for just that reason.  keeping other critters at bay is a bit hard to do when there isn't anyone around for extended periods.  No wild critters (other than a rare bear or some snakes) dare get near our yard due to the dogs, but unless you have a neighbor near your camp who you could trust to bring their dog around once in a while that isn't practical either.
 I am glad you managed to trap her and the kits out though, it will be hard enough to complete repairs without having continued invasions.
 Sounds like your camp is an ideal set up for you... though I'd be tempted to take Tuna up on the suggestion about a caretaker with a big boat!

Sorry to hear about it Trev, if I was ever out that way (I  hardly ever am)  I could look in on it for you.  I feel the same way about working hard to relax.   Back in the day I used to clean all the fish on the boat, now I have to bring them home and I dread cleaning 20 Sunfish or such  after a long day.  Then cleaning up the boat ect.

Cleaning small fish brings back bad memories-we went to a Ct river cove one Spring and caught a large  bucket of white perch--then the work started-never again.