Re: How to adhere to this obstacle departure procedure?

If there is no climb gradient specified, a minimum of 200 feet is required.  Anything
less than that and you are not protected.  It's all in the AIM.

OK, so that clears the tower by an inch or two, but I was thinking more of
the typical IFR obstacle clearance amount, which would be somewhere around
250 feet per mile.    

Only?  That's a climb gradient of less than 100 feet per mile.

My comments about the shallow climb gradient notwithstanding, it's
more than prudent, it's required by the DP.

BTW, I think it's a little confusing the way this DP is worded.  At
first glance, it looks like the requirement to cross DKK at or above
2300 only applies to 24 and 33 departures, but I'm pretty sure it
applies to all departures.

I was wondering that, too.   2,300 at the VOR for a southbound course (I
omitted this section of the DP in my original post) only leaves about 6nm
or so to climb the additional 500 feet to clear that tower.   Do-able,
assuming the pilot of the single-engine piston was really paying attention
to flying the aircraft.  I agree with you that another safe lap around
would be prudent.

I see your dilemma, but I think you're worried about stuff that
doesn't need worrying about.  By the time you started your right turn
at 1200, you were already above anything along your departure path
(and still climbing, presumably).  Make the initial right turn to 090
and off you go.

It only gets interesting when heading south and you need to make sure
you clear the 2849 tower (conveniently located smack in the middle of
the airway).  In that case, what I would do is set 166 on the OBS and
if I wasn't at the 2300 required by the DP when the flag flipped from
TO to FROM, I'd do one lap in a racetrack pattern (even easier with a
moving map GPS).

For several weeks now I have been flying to the Dunkirk airport (KDKK, NY
State, US) for business.  Most weeks, the weather was VFR for my departure.
However, the last two weeks the weather was IFR and adherence to this
airport's obstacle departure procedure was required.

The procedure is very straight-forward and reads:

"Departing rwy 24, climb runway heading to 1,200 feet (about 500 ft AGL),
then climbing right turn direct to DKK VOR (VOR is on the field) before
proceeding on course."

Here is a small JPG of the relevant sectional chart showing the airport:

http://thericcs.net/aviation/misc/DKK.jpg

My question is this:  I am departing runway 24 with a desired on course
heading of 080.  Thus, I depart and climb to 1,200 msl, then climbing turn
to the right to go direct to the on-field VOR before proceeding at 090 on
course.

Climbing runway heading at about 800 fpm in a Bonanza, I reach 1,200 feet
MSL in about 38 seconds.   38 seconds of traveling at a ground speed of
about 95 kts does not place me far enough away from the airport to be able
to perform a standard rate turn to the right to go direct to the VOR.  

The two times I have needed to use this departure procedure I ended up too
far west of the VOR (over the water and safe from obstacles).  To get
around quickly enough to be able to go to the VOR would require a much
steeper turn, something not advisable in IMC.  

In both cases, despite being west of the VOR by 3/4ths of a mile or so, I
concluded that I could proceed safely on course to the northeast and did
so, rather than spiral around over the VOR in an attempt to reach the
waypoint.

How would you adhere to this departure procedure?