Hard Dodger Cost & Considerations

[luciarose]

We have a center cockpit Island Packet 445. We currently have a nice soft dodger but are considering a hard dodger for offshore - partly because we think it would be a great place to put a fairly large solar panel. It will also have less upkeep in the blazing sun than the canvas panels.

I'd like to hear from others who've installed hard dodgers - what were rough costs vs size. Strength considerations, material choices, aesthetics...

[newhaul]

Got one on dads Spencer its glass with foam core was built long ago makes a great place to mount the panels just don't go to tall so it looks out of place

[Steadman Uhlich]

While I have not built a Hard Dodger myself, I intend to have one in the future.

I found this blog post by forum member Delmarrey to be interesting to see one built (by him) from scratch. He includes many comments on materials and the steps he took. Excellent overview of DIY. There are also many other articles DIY projects on his blog. Well worth reading.

The Restoration & Upgrade of a Choate 40: Building a Dodger/Wave Brake