Not so watertight compartments

[Kokomo]

Our PDQ36 (Hull 80) has a clear inspection plate on the wall of the port/aft water-tight compartment. The inspection plate was installed over the carpet with short screws and no sealant. Needless to say, when the compartment contained water (that's another older story), it leaked into the aft workroom. This brought to light several things:

1) Cut the carpet from around the plate and seal with silicone.
2) Install inspection plates in the top of the aft/corner compartments, where the rudder quadrants are located. This way, water can be pumped out without dealing with interior spaces.
3) I have purchased a portable emergency bilge pump that can be fit into any of the water-tight compartments. I chose the Rule 1800 that works on 110 volt so that ample locations would be available throughout the boat.

I understand that some PDQ 36's already have inspection plates in the aft compartments. In any case, I would recommend everyone take a look at the access to your water-tight areas and ask yourself "what would I do if this was filled with water?"

Roger & Bonnie
s/v Kokomo