Self-Building a Hard Dodger

[Extemporaneous]

Thanks Mark. It was fun but a lot of work and Expensive. I am though very please with how it turn out.

Now.... if anyone knows where I can get some heavy duty awning track I'd appreciate it. In the main time, I'll keep looking.

Thanks,
Extemp.

[audeojude]

I am currently in the process of building a hard dodger.. details here. http://downeasteryachts.com/forums/g...ger-for-valkyr

I am still trying to figure out what to use as a top. Right now I am thinking about laminating 2 layers of quality luan together over the top of it and then a layer of 8oz glass over that maybe. The luan is 5 or 5.2 mm thick so I would have a total thickness of 10 to 10.4mm in wood and then a layer of glass. I will be mounting solar panels as well as gps antennas, satellite radio antennas etc.. in it. The top will have a lip to catch water run off.

full size is about 7'x10'

My concern for the wood is weight. The frame is about 80 lbs or so about and the wood top will probably be 200 lbs all told. I have wondered if just one layer of 5.2 mm luan with another 2 or 3 mm of glass would be strong enough to stand on.

any thoughts From those with experience building there own?

The cost of enough marine foam to do this is probably out of the budget at this point. The frame by the time it was done exceeded my original budget for the whole job. Such is life. However I have to say the guys that made it are true craftsmen. It is both beautiful and incredibly strong.

Scott

[Cotemar]

I just completed a sunbrella to Azek hard bimini and helm top.
Azek is UV rated and works just like wood. Sunbrella was just to hot in the summer.

Bimini

[gpeacock]

Originally Posted by Charlie

here is a link to the hard top as I was building it. I don't have any with it on the boat https://picasaweb.google.com/mckenzi...MjZrqvWsZmCCw#

Charlie. Great pics of your hard dodger. How did you curve the edges?
Have you got a site somewhere that breaks down the steps you went through to make it.
Thanks
Gary
(Sorry to revive an old thread...)

[Charlie]

Sorry no site. I'll try to describe it in writing. The starboard material will take the shape of whatever it sits on up to a point. I laid it across my soft dodger frame and it took that shape no problem. I wanted a twist down at the end so I took it and pinched it in between two pieces of wood. From there I took a heat gun and kept on passing it over the area that I wanted to bend which was tight at the edge of the wood. The wood was held by clamps and I used those to help lever the plastic into the shape I wanted. I have to admit that the two bends were not exactly the same but at least you can't see them at the same time. Also google how to bend plastic and you get some other ideas.

[SVTatia]

All excellent work and ideas, and thanks for sharing.
I am also planning mine, but I still have not figured out how to attach it to the boat.
I have not seen any details on this. How to do it? Thru bolt? Laminate with fiberglass?
The attachment needs to be strong so you do not loose it over the side if a wave decides to aim at it.

Thanks for your feedback

[minaret]

Originally Posted by audeojude

I am currently in the process of building a hard dodger.. details here. http://downeasteryachts.com/forums/g...ger-for-valkyr

I am still trying to figure out what to use as a top. Right now I am thinking about laminating 2 layers of quality luan together over the top of it and then a layer of 8oz glass over that maybe. The luan is 5 or 5.2 mm thick so I would have a total thickness of 10 to 10.4mm in wood and then a layer of glass. I will be mounting solar panels as well as gps antennas, satellite radio antennas etc.. in it. The top will have a lip to catch water run off.

full size is about 7'x10'

My concern for the wood is weight. The frame is about 80 lbs or so about and the wood top will probably be 200 lbs all told. I have wondered if just one layer of 5.2 mm luan with another 2 or 3 mm of glass would be strong enough to stand on.

any thoughts From those with experience building there own?

The cost of enough marine foam to do this is probably out of the budget at this point. The frame by the time it was done exceeded my original budget for the whole job. Such is life. However I have to say the guys that made it are true craftsmen. It is both beautiful and incredibly strong.

Scott

I have built many hardtops in a pro capacity. Cost of materials in a foam cored laminated hard top would probably actually be less than a quality luan laminate. It would also be much stronger and lighter, while also allowing you to run wireways inside the foam core. I would never build a hard top out of any other material. Of course it is more labor intensive, but that's the price of quality.