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It says in the manual to unscrew the deck plates for venting the chambers when in storage.
I store my PMD outside under a full Sunbrella cover, so weather won't be a problem, but I was wondering if others had problems with bees, wasps, mud daubers, etc making a nest in the chambers with open deck plates?
I thought about purchasing additional pates, drilling some holes in them and epoxying some screens over the inside of those holes.
That way, I could substitue the vented plates for the solid ones when in storage.
Thoughts? Experience?
3 replies:
RE: Deck plate as vents
FWIW, I'm creating vents both ways. I drilled a 1/16-inch hole in one of the deck plates to let air pressure equalize as it wants. Drilling a hole in a deck plate was much less anxiety-ridden than drilling a hole in the boat!
Secondly, the boat will overwinter under cover. I ended up with an extra set of deck plates because the clear coat I put on the first set was not compatible with color coat. Like your idea, I plan to cut big holes in the plates and then glue screens inside so the craft can dry out over the winter without affording rodents a place to nest.
Thank you for letting me vent. :-)
RE: Deck plate as vents
» Submitted by hspira - Tue, 2/2/21 » 10:03 PM
as long as you confirm your compartments are dry, you can leave the deck plate covers on while in storage....just don't screw them on so tight to the point that they won't breath.
venting is simply to ensure that the pressure can equalize between the outside air and the air in the compartment......it does not mean to store it open such that you invite bugs or other pests to make a home of your storage compartment.
in kayaks, for example, we often drill a 1mm vent hole in the middle of a bulkhead. but when you have a hatch, you can accomplish the same effect by not screwing it down tight.
just remember to tighten it up before you actually take your PMD out on the water.
hope that helps.
h