I am not an owner of a PD-26 but am a writer trying to do an article on the boat.  I have several data sources which say that the LWL (waterline length) is 22'2" and the LOA (length overall, including appurtenances like the rudder) is 25'7".  I have a good sainplan and outboard profile of the boat from a sales brochure, which I have enlarged and scaled off.  If the drawing is accurate, and the LWL is really 22'2", then the LOA is not 25'7" but 26'8" including rudder, and the LOD is 25'0" even, not 25'7" as some may believe.  If someone has a boat handy, a long tape measure, two plumb lines, and an assistant to hold the other end of the tape, I'd appreciate hearing what the REAL length on deck is.

Thanks.

Steve

Further to your comments on what is the PD26's real displacement: in a Cruising World description of the "Dawson 26" published in Nov 1975, the displacement is listed as 4,000 lbs and the ballast as 1,200 lbs.  At that time the boat was being marketed by the Dawson Yacht Corp, 1208 Wagner Ave, North Las Vegas Nevada 89030.  Auxiliary power was listed as "7-25 hp gas inboard."  Later sales brochures, of course, increased weights.  For example, by 1983, when the marketer was Parker/Dawson Yachts of 55 Park Road, South Shore Park, Hingham MA02043, the displ. was 5,000 lbs and the ballast was 1,250 lbs.  That source said the boat was first built in 1973, though I have heard 1970 bandied about elsewhere.

Steve

Steve --

Thanks for your post giving dimensions you measured for the PD-26.  I entered your numbers on my drawing and they stack up pretty well.  But here are some comments...

1. The bottom aft edge of the rudder scabbard appears to be about 3" forward of the aft bottom corner of the rudder itself when the rudder is in the down position, since if my drawing is accurate, the rudder is swept back about 3.2" in 2.833 feet.  Therefore I would add (say) 3" to  your total length overall, including rudder but not including bow pulpit.  (The general custom is to omit pulpits from the LOA measurement.) Thus the true LOA appears to be 27'-1", not the 25'-7" in the brochure.

2.  Your overall hull measurement (ex rudder) is 25'-6", measured at bottom of hull aft.  The transom rakes at the same angle as the rudder, making the length on deck 3" (say) shorter than the hull length.  Therefore the LOD (length on deck) as conventionally measured, would be 25'-3" when your measurements are applied.  That makes the PD26 a 25-foot boat.  (Boats are generally identified by their LOD rather than their LOA.)  That, no doubt, is where the Dawson 25 got its name.

Can you confirm that your measurement on LOD (Length on Deck) includes any flanges or lips at the stemhead which are part of the hull structure, and the same at the transom (at deck level)?  

3.  I'm not sure how to interpret your "interesting question."  Assuming you have a boat with a clearly marked waterline, the load waterline (LWL) is measured from the aft end of the hull (since the waterline runs all the way back to the transom in this case) to the centerline of the boat, at the waterline along the stem. You would measure this by dropping a plumb line at the bottom of the transom,  and another plumb line from the waterline along the stem (which in my drawing is about 2'-9" back from the bow at the deck), marking the points where they intersect the pavement under the boat.  The measurement between these two points should be along a horizontal straight line between the two points marked on the pavement.  The waterline should be in the neighborhood of the brochure distance, i.e. 22'-2".

The length on deck (LOD) measurement is crucial, since it classifies each boat as to its size.  If you feel your measurements are accurate, we can conclude that the PD-26 is really the PD-25, for purposes of classification as to length.  That makes her an even more remarkable boat considering her dual cabins and center cockpit.

One more question:  The brochure indicates headroom as 5'-10".  That appears to be pushing it if my drawing is accurate.  Can you confirm that this is the true headroom?

Thanks again for all your diligent work on this "lengthy" matter.

Steve

Some final comments on dimensions of the Parker Dawson 26 (25):

Following Steve Fisher's very helpful input on dimensions of the PD-26, here is a summary of what I learned:

1.  The length on deck (LOD) is 25'-3?.  As far as I could determine, this is the first time an ?official? LOD has been publicized.  It means that the PD-26 should actually be called the PD-25 when comparing her to similar boats.
2. The LOA including appurtenances is 27'-1?.  This dimension is longer than the sales brochures? 25?-7?, which we theorize was not really LOA but instead was hull length including the protrusion of the reverse transom beyond the length on deck, and was used as a marketing device to sell a ?bigger? boat.
3. LWL, as specified in the original literature, is 22?-2?.
4. Displacement is about 5,700 lbs., including swing keel weight of 1,250 lbs.  Other lower figures for displacement probably included lower keel weights, and perhaps did not include weight of stores or crew.

Steve