PDQ OWNERS FORUM

Floating docks don't need as much lattitude in dock lines, and can be narrower. Fixed docks mean your dock lines have to have enough slack to accomodate tidal variation., and may not keep her from hitting the lee pilings. When you add the size of fenders you have, you will experience some slip shrin...

Raise the rudder back to the original position when you try to straighten it again. Use the same trick, but pull it beyond straight, and slack the tension once or twice to check on its progress. Clamp the 2x4s to protect the thin sections of the blade, and put some thin plywood between the cable and...

Tom: James does his magic with a come-along while the rudder is still on the boat. If you chose to do it that way, fix the glass around the rudder first. then clamp 2x4's on the trailing edge, (maybe a few dabs of low temp hot glue to help keep them from shifting) and GENTLY pull the rudder forward....

Is it bent straight aft, or is there some lateral angle?

The only part of bottom paint that matters are the toxins, copper and/or a witch's brew of slime killer. pick up a gallon of each and notice the difference in weight. Its just the amount of metal in each can. The best buy is the cheapest by weight.

James Power has mastered the art of unbending rudders (when the damage is not excessive) without removing them from the boat. I believe he is starting his annual tour soon. I have also heard from the old hands about straightening rudder posts with a sand pile and a jeep. Short form: You aren't the f...

Lets go back to the original question, which is interesting; "raising the sails when your not pointed to the wind." Lets rule out starting from some nice mooring or a dock with room to drift down wind (just to make it hard!) From dead in the water, Page 83 will turn into the wind with a ba...

ACTUALLY , Santa Maria was a PDQ 36, hull number 26. She was the Miami Show boat in 1993. Pablo Escobar bought her. Things didn't work out well for him, and eventually she became Page 83. She still has two engines, but became very adept at running on one for a variety of reasons. With planning and ...

Contract cancelled, still available, on Yachtworld.com at $127,500 or less without some goodies.

Let me emphasize that the 32's front crossbar must be braced if you mount a bowsprit on it. But here's an interesting alternative. Mount a long pole UNDER the tramp, extending from a traveller track on the underside of the bridge, with two blocks at the forward end. These lead the whiskerstays (thin...

I believe there are two 36's with bowsprits and screachers. Page 83 is one. The screacher is a godsend in light air, moving the boat when no one else can, and adding a knot in winds up to 15 knots. HOWEVER: The sail must be furled before winds exceed 12 knots due to the size of the furler. When furl...

Several boats went back to the factory to be updated with newer things like head and front crossbar, further blurring the line between prices and features. You get what you pay for, which may include some things you don't think you want. Since PDQ never built a bad sailboat, in the big picture you c...

Thirdsies!!

I don't think that particular area of the interior molding is structural, judging from the layup and tabbing. I'm afraid what happened is this; the drawer cutout created a stress concentration in a small area. Reinforcing a crack in that area shifted the stress concentration to the next weakest link...

This is beyond the scope of your article, but I've wondered if a very simple bellows could pump a bubble or two into the holding tank just from wave motion. It would be great to find out how much air is required, and if it needs to be distributed evenly through the tank. Call me if you need help ass...