PDQ 36 Outboard

PDQ issues applicable across all PDQ Yachts (or if you can't find a place for something, it probably belongs here for now)
Post Reply
David West
deckhand
deckhand
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2005 11:45 am
Location: Norfolk VA
Contact:

PDQ 36 Outboard

Post by David West »

My PDQ 36 when loaded for cruising and going at a fair speed through chop, accumulates a fair volume of water in the well just in front of the outboard seating. Whether this is harmful or not, it aggravates me. The trapped water increases weight and the outboard seems to get a fair amount of splashing that I would rather avoid. The small hole at the bottom of this area seems too small for satisfactory drainage and I would guesstimate that it would need to have a cross-sectional area of about three square inches for optimal drainage. The problem of drilling such a drain hole is the likelihood that the aperture would allow water to be splashed up into the well and make things worse. The solution seems to me resolved by putting a clamshell cover to prevent this or perhaps a flexible flap might also work. I can't find a big enough clam shell on the market, and I don't really want to have the boat hauled in order measure the surface for a clamshell of my design and manufacture. I may be fussing about nothing but has anyone else addressed this problem, and if so what was their solution?
User avatar
Page 83
admiral
admiral
Posts: 455
Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 11:48 pm
Location: Annapolis, Md. 36026

Re: PDQ 36 Outboard

Post by Page 83 »

It might help to understand that the nacelles were never meant to stay dry. They help keep splashed water out of the interior of the boat. Many 36's have small holes in the bridge deck for the engine control cables for example. The nacelles prevent these from admitting seawater into compartments meant for batteries and inverter. They also serve as a cutwater fro the engines. You will see similar arrangements on a number of outboard powered trailerable boats, with a bulkhead forward of the engine wells.
Sandy Daugherty "Page 83" PDQ 36026
Post Reply