To come in on the other side of the discussion than a couple of later posters, it is surely better to run off the end of the runway at 20 kts than to crash at flying speed doing a difficult asymmetric circuit.
Thank you cjboy, that is exactly why I chose to reject the take off, there was sufficient smooth grass remaining at the end of the runway to allow for the over run and I had enough years flying that type of airplane to know beyond any doubt that the reject could be done safely......getting a PBY fully loaded airborne with that problem to deal with can quickly turn into a far more difficult task should any other factor enter the equation once airborne.
I chose to post this story on the private pilot forum because I feel that private pilots are as capable of a cognitive thought process and thus capable of learning through example as the most experienced high time pilots in aviation.
That is why all the sim courses I have been on emphasize the decision making process as a rigorourous rule, problem below V1 reject, above V1 take off. That rule is based on the premise that you stop if you can, and avoid flying round in a faulty aeroplane if at all possible!
I appreciate that there probably wasn't a V1 calculation in the almost bush flying situation described, but the outcome illustrates a good decision to me.
The PBY on land fully loaded has the most fool proof V speed recognition you could hope to have....no need to look at the airspeed because if the nose wheel has not left the ground it ain't gonna fly......
I would like to add just one more comment to this post, I am very aware of the propensity of pilots to second guess any decision made by other pilots and have no problem with that as that is fair comment and through discussion we can learn.
But to those of you who for some unfathomable reason just have to " one up " every other pilot who posts here I personally am not all that impressed with your poweress as top guns because you do not have the self confidence to post using your real names.....you could be the lost village idiot that some village wants back for all I know.