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27-12-2024, 05:55
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#376
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 97
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Re: Hard Dodger (Sprayhood) Illustrated Guide - Examples, Tips
Interesting thread.
A couple of newbie questions
Firstly, if there was anything below 30ft I missed it, and yet smaller boats are routinely fitted with soft sprayhoods and I cant see any obvious reason why a hardtop at least as large should be a problem.
Any reason why I cant give the old worn softtop on my recently acquired Trident 24 a hard skin?
Secondly, going beyond that, nearly all the hoods here are fairly shallow, with open backs. Why arent more developed into pilot house style full enclosures? I suppose winch obstruction will be one reason, but there are probably others I havnt thought of.
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27-12-2024, 08:05
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#377
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Senior Cruiser

Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: puget sound washington
Boat: 1968 Islander bahama 24 hull 182, 1963 columbia 29 defender. hull # 60
Posts: 13,088
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Re: Hard Dodger (Sprayhood) Illustrated Guide - Examples, Tips
Quote:
Originally Posted by edlithgow
Interesting thread.
A couple of newbie questions
Firstly, if there was anything below 30ft I missed it, and yet smaller boats are routinely fitted with soft sprayhoods and I cant see any obvious reason why a hardtop at least as large should be a problem.
Any reason why I cant give the old worn softtop on my recently acquired Trident 24 a hard skin?
Secondly, going beyond that, nearly all the hoods here are fairly shallow, with open backs. Why arent more developed into pilot house style full enclosures? I suppose winch obstruction will be one reason, but there are probably others I havnt thought of.
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My boat is a Columbia defender 29 . Had an islander Bahama 24 I designed a soft dodger that went over the pop top that I put hard sides on and at 24 I felt it was better to be a collapsible unit in summer. . For ventilation.
__________________
Non illigitamus carborundum
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27-12-2024, 09:47
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#378
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: On my boat
Posts: 343
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Re: Hard Dodger (Sprayhood) Illustrated Guide - Examples, Tips
Quote:
Originally Posted by newhaul
My boat is a Columbia defender 29 . Had an islander Bahama 24 I designed a soft dodger that went over the pop top that I put hard sides on and at 24 I felt it was better to be a collapsible unit in summer. . For ventilation.
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On our canvas dodger, we have an opening front window for ventilation. The problem with the soft dodger is the dark blue colour is horrendously hot in the tropics. You can't sit below it. We have copied the soft dodger in foam cored epoxy panels. We will have it sprayed white to reflect the sun and add a couple of solar panels. We have tried to keep it a light as possible, hence epoxy and core construction. Our dodger is pretty large as we can't easily have a bimini with the mainsheet at the end of the boom, as it bisects the cockpit. The extra large dodger, is in effect, our bimini as well. It also means that 4 people can sit at the cockpit table for a meal and not get wet in a tropical shower. Sailing to weather, we stay dry as it provides total protection. We will add a canvas flap to the rear so when we are doing long passages, we can drop the flap to keep the cockpit dry from following wind/rain. We will ensure the cockpit tent can still be connected to the rear of the new dodger so we can fully enclose the cockpit in poor weather at anchor or in marina
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27-12-2024, 09:53
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#379
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Senior Cruiser

Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: puget sound washington
Boat: 1968 Islander bahama 24 hull 182, 1963 columbia 29 defender. hull # 60
Posts: 13,088
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Re: Hard Dodger (Sprayhood) Illustrated Guide - Examples, Tips
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wandering1
On our canvas dodger, we have an opening front window for ventilation. The problem with the soft dodger is the dark blue colour is horrendously hot in the tropics. You can't sit below it. We have copied the soft dodger in foam cored epoxy panels. We will have it sprayed white to reflect the sun and add a couple of solar panels. We have tried to keep it a light as possible, hence epoxy and core construction. Our dodger is pretty large as we can't easily have a bimini with the mainsheet at the end of the boom, as it bisects the cockpit. The extra large dodger, is in effect, our bimini as well. It also means that 4 people can sit at the cockpit table for a meal and not get wet in a tropical shower. Sailing to weather, we stay dry as it provides total protection. We will add a canvas flap to the rear so when we are doing long passages, we can drop the flap to keep the cockpit dry from following wind/rain. We will ensure the cockpit tent can still be connected to the rear of the new dodger so we can fully enclose the cockpit in poor weather at anchor or in marina
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What is the size and make of your boat?
I have yet to see a 24ft sailboat that could seat 4 around a cockpit table .
__________________
Non illigitamus carborundum
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27-12-2024, 11:14
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#380
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: On my boat
Posts: 343
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Re: Hard Dodger (Sprayhood) Illustrated Guide - Examples, Tips
Quote:
Originally Posted by newhaul
What is the size and make of your boat?
I have yet to see a 24ft sailboat that could seat 4 around a cockpit table .
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A Van de Stadt Trintella 44. Yep, t would be tough on a 29 footer
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27-12-2024, 12:12
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#381
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Senior Cruiser

Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: puget sound washington
Boat: 1968 Islander bahama 24 hull 182, 1963 columbia 29 defender. hull # 60
Posts: 13,088
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Re: Hard Dodger (Sprayhood) Illustrated Guide - Examples, Tips
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wandering1
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Now my last boat a Spencer 42 came factory with a hard dodger and was a godsend but needed to be about a foot longer to cover the wheel .
__________________
Non illigitamus carborundum
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27-12-2024, 12:21
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#382
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: On my boat
Posts: 343
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Re: Hard Dodger (Sprayhood) Illustrated Guide - Examples, Tips
Quote:
Originally Posted by newhaul
Now my last boat a Spencer 42 came factory with a hard dodger and was a godsend but needed to be about a foot longer to cover the wheel .
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Our dodger goes right up to the wheel. When we originally designed the canvas dodger, we kept the profile low. I can just see over it at the wheel, but i normally use a hard foam block that I stand on when manoeuvring in a marina. We didn't want the dodger to be an ugly appendage on the boat as some are. Your looks nice.
The dodger size is perfect for us. There is enough shelter to be able to duck under the dodger when the spray is flying.
All our sail controls are outside the dodger. The space forward of the wheel is all seating. It is convenient when we have none sailors onboard as we just sit them down forward out of the way and out of the weather. The new hard dodger should be cooler and an exact replica, with a little more space inside as we won't need to accommodate the stainless steel frame
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27-12-2024, 18:14
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#383
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 97
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Re: Hard Dodger (Sprayhood) Illustrated Guide - Examples, Tips
Smaller Boat Sprayhoods
2 on a Hurley 22.
Second one seems to have a rather large continuous gap around the base.
And a rather large structure on a very small boat (Compaq 16)
Doesn’t actually look too bad to me, but “the Pilot House created no extra windage” seems to change the Laws O’’ Physics, Captain, a bit.
I suppose the minimum would be an astrodome in the hatch, and after that would come a raised hatch fitting into the existing hatch sliders. Quick look didn’t find any examples of that though. I suppose weight and vulnerability might be issues.
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