PDQ OWNERS FORUM

I'm looking for a new inflatable dinghy for my 2004 PDQ 34 and looking for suggestions on the best size ( dinghy amd motor) or largest size that will fit on the davits properly. I believe the length between rear hulls is 9', but noticed several owners have 10' dinghys and wondering if that weight and size is an issue launching and retrieving their dinghys?
Also, any suggestions on a dinghy big enough to hold 4 people and plane (probably a RIB) if possible to explore the anchorage , but still light enough to manage easily.
Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
David

hi,

first, i suggest you search this forum at length.

with that said we have a west marine 10'6" rib with a yamaha 15 2-stroke. it planes comfortably with 3 but barely with 4. just fits between hulls and wife and i can handle easily.

Thank you John.
I saw forum info on the davits,etc, but not on the dinghy size, I will search again.
Cheers,
David

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 Highfield 290 Cl. It's 9'6" in length (same as original), which we find is just right for our needs. We run a Suzuki 15hp fourstroke, which delivers plenty of low end torque to get up and plane with four adults aboard, and more than enough speed. We have yet to test it with our new dinghy, but are expecting at least the same performance. Approximate total weight is about 225 lbs (without gear aboard).

Hope this helps.

John