Rebecca being knotty again
With all of the work on our windlass installation and our recent head modifications, we’ve been spending a lot of time in our starboard anchor well these days. For those who have never been onboard a PDQ, this is a huge locker. In fact, I would hazard a guess that it as large as some smaller boat’s single berths, not that I would want to sleep in it (it’s a bit coffin like). In addition to holding our primary anchor rode, the area holds our now non-functioning holding tank (composting toilets don’t need such a thing) and all of the below-the-waterline thru-hulls.
This brings me to one thing that I didn’t like about this area. There is so much space in there that it is perfect for storing fenders, buckets, etc. but while underway, I have always had a fear that some of these objects might move and fall, damaging one of the thru-hulls. For those non-boaters out there, this could mean flooding! Not a good thing.
After several ideas for solutions came and went, we struck upon the plan to use a custom-made cargo net to contain the misc. items. Since Rebecca is good with this type of rope-work, she adopted the project as her own. We fastened some small stainless padeyes around the perimeter of the locker and the netting that Rebecca made attaches to them with little snaphooks. Now we have no more worries of fenders falling and breaking off thru-hulls but if we need to access them, the net can easily be unclipped to allow it.
We started the project while at anchor on Saturday but ran out of cord.
Putting the finishing touches on the net yesterday morning.
Crouching in the locker, making the final installation.
I get it……Knotty is a play on words for Knaughty……..I was thinking of doing something similiar in my bilge, but hang from overhead so I can put my dive mask, dinghy pump, etc………The nice thing about it is I can also use it as additional sleeping quarters as a hammock in the bilge.
You are too clever, Capt. John! 😉
Awesome idea! I remember those lockers!! I never feared the thruhull issue (maybe our were configured differently?) We used to joke that we could store a boat load of stowaways in there and nobody would know. It turned into such a dumping ground that after we sold our PDQ we started to remember things that were stowed WAYYYY in there that we forgot about (tent camping stove, etc) Bonus for the new owners I guess 😉
Sadly we just sold our tent and camping stove. 🙁
We have anchors and rode on both bows but we sure do keep a lot of other crap in there. Fenders, lines, dock brushes, boat hook, fender board, buckets, cleaning stuff, etc. etc. etc.
Port side (windlass):
rode, fenders, chute, spare jib
Starboard side (hot water heater):
tiller, 3 fishing poles and gaf on a rack, crab net, hose and dock lines on holding tank lid.
Boat hook in tramp lacing. Mooring bridle in bag on deck, but this goes in the bow off-shore.
Port aft. Cleaning stuff and pfds.
Starboard aft. spare rodes and anchors, dive stuff, tender air pump, fish trap.
Gas tank compartment. Spare gas cans, oil, propane for grill (compartment is sealed-off and has vapor drain).
I like to keep the bows simple; if you get out in rough weather, stuff is going to go EVERYWHERE. Only things that are big and soft or on racks. I had a net in the Stiletto – a very livly boat – an I learned to keep the bows simple! Of course, none of this is an issue unless you’ve got waves washing across the deck… which can happen!
Waves washing over the deck happened to us Friday! We were motoring into an 18+ knot headwind. Fun stuff. 🙂
18 knots is simply when brisk sailing begins! After a while it will take a small craft advisory to trigger a good grin. I was thinking more in terms of green water on the cabin top.
Bragadocio aside, a single wake from a big express cruiser can do a lot of damage, because they are so short and without warning. Labor Day on the upper Chesapeake is terrible for them and so is some of the intracoastal. I have had more things fly off shelves during wake crossings than the nastiest storm.
I wish we had a space big enough to need the netting. 🙁
bob