PDQ OWNERS FORUM

Makala, for what it's worth I have used ablative paint on my various boats for many years, and find that from time to time I have similar cracking of the paint. Occasionally it will be below the waterline, but usually it is at or just above the waterline. I suspect this is mostly due to imperfection...

Dick, thanks for sharing this useful tip. We've had a very sticky and dirty patch by the side of the entry door that's been bugging me since forever. I've had no success removing it with anything else, so will definitely try this the next time we visit the boat. Hope all goes well for you and Carol....

Ditto what Duetto does for the running gear, only we use the Martyr brand of zinc spray. This works well in our Pacific Northwest waters.

For bottom paint, we now use Petit Horizons. Very similar results to Micron CSC, but less expensive. One and a half gallons every two years.

Mac, A few years ago we also had a persistent leak that was ending up at the base of the entryway stairs. I finally determined that the entry point for the water was the base of the radar mast, where the bolts had loosened. After applying new caulking to the bolts and retightening them the leak disa...

I've not kept close track of how often we need to align the rudders, but I would estimate it to be once or twice a 500-1000 mile season, perhaps more when we are travelling longer distances, such as on our trip to Alaska. We also check and top up the hydraulic fluid at least once a year.

John

We purchased screens for our oval stainless steel portlights from Pompanette (603-826-5791). The item number listed on the invoice was S717-SCREEN. The cost in 2015 was $10.85 each.

John

Thanks for the input. It looks like this decision is a no-brainer.

John

Due to an operating update to my iPad, I recently lost access to Garmin Bluecharts, which I've used for route planning and as a backup to our primary (Navionics) navigation system on the chart-plotter. I'm currently testing the Navionics Boating Marine & Lakes app under their free trial offer. So fa...

Hi Nick, We have taken a simple approach on His Idea: 1) we carry a large paddle board which we attach vertically to the starboard rail with two bungee cords (similar to Mac's picture of his kayak, only the board is flatter, which takes up less deck space); when using the lower helm for piloting, wh...

Hi John, That's a wise idea with the lubricants. I more or less did the same with mine. Hopefully it will make the process easier next time. By the way, are you planning to attend the PDQ owners gathering in January? Although it's a bit of a long hike for me, I'm thinking about making the trip. If y...

Hi John, I went with Marinco/AFI, model 34000 for the motor, and model 33037A for the wiper. Although this is the 'unsealed' (and less expensive) version of the motor, I think it's totally adequate given the protected mounting locations on the PDQ. Because my starboard side unit has now also failed,...

When our original variable-speed pump began to fail back in 2013 we had James Power install a new constant flow pump, along with an accumulator tank. The pump is from West Marine, model 32620-3000, with a 4.0 GPM rating. We've found this provides enough pressure and flow for our needs. Although it's...

Thanks for sharing your experience and the photo Russ, it will help guide our preparations for the job.

The new fridge looks good!

Cheers,

John

Our flybridge icemaker is rarely used and not looking in good shape. We've decided to remove it and put the space to better use. I'm wondering if anyone else has tackled this job and could share their experience, good or bad.

Thanks.

John

Hi David, A number of years ago a former PDQ owner posted a pretty comprehensive analysis of this topic on his blog site (http://snodoglog.com/). I believe it's still there if you're interested. After a fair amount of research we recently replaced our original fiberglass dinghy with an aluminum hull...