Re: Am I missing a page?

Posted by John Pollard on Apr 2, 2007

Leah,

We built a PMD kit last year. We found the instruction manual to be very detailed, practical, and easy to follow. However, I agree with you that in some places some assumptions are made about how best to complete a certain task. In fairness, this is a problem endemic to all manuals from electronics to software to appliances to tools, etc.

The problem arises from the fact that manuals are generally written by experts, who typically fail to appreciate the depth of our non-expert ignorance. That is why manuals should be reviewed, if not written, by the least technically competent person in the organization -- so that every step will be explained in excruciatingly simplisitc detail making no assumptions about competence or anything else.

That said, the few times we were briefly puzzled, the good folks at CLC came through with exceptional customer service, patiently explaining and answering all of our amateur questions. Be sure to call or e-mail them directly with your questions -- they always come through.

In addition to Peter Eiper's blog, which another post mentioned, you may wish to peruse the PMD Builder's Forum (which Peter generously set-up so builders can exchange info). I've posted a link below. There you will see several threads concerning stitching, and you will learn about the necessity of inducing "rocker" in order to get the hull panels to come together easily.

Don't give up, the end product is well worth the occasional frustration of the building process. Good luck!

In Response to: Am I missing a page? by Leah on Apr 1, 2007

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