Is a dodger a necessity?

[Capt Andy]

I ask because I've been looking for a sailboat for a while now and I've been excluding boats without dodgers which limits my search numbers. Do you "need" a dodger in a boat under 30'? And a bimini? (In posting I think I just answered my question because there's obviously a lot of boats w/o dodgers that sail perfectly well!) So is it personal preference and consideration of cost to have one or not? I live in the PNW and will be sailing the north Puget Sound

[rslifkin]

A dodger and/or bimini can always be added later if desired. Technically, anything that adds windage like a dodger or bimini is likely to hurt sailing performance. But whether or not you need them will depend on your tolerance for being exposed to wind, spray, sun, etc. all the time while sailing.

[CarlF]

Boats sail better without a dodger (less windage) Racing boats often don’t have them.

It’s purely a question of crew comfort. You can always add a dodger and most used boat dodgers are so damaged by UV that it’s a good idea to replace them anyways.

[Danm1]

People who cruise in your area seem to prefer pilot houses and full enclosures. Seems like a hint there.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by Capt Andy

I ask because I've been looking for a sailboat for a while now and I've been excluding boats without dodgers which limits my search numbers. Do you "need" a dodger in a boat under 30'? And a bimini? (In posting I think I just answered my question because there's obviously a lot of boats w/o dodgers that sail perfectly well!) So is it personal preference and consideration of cost to have one or not? I live in the PNW and will be sailing the north Puget Sound

Absolutely personal preference, and depends on the conditions in which you'll be using it.

Also, you can easily add your own, as many boats with them will require replacement anyway.

[BMD21]

A dodger really, really increases the cruising comfort, especially in the PNW. As a matter of fact it is a great comfort anywhere one sails; a place to hide in the rail and a wind breaker any time. A bimini keeps the rain off one at the wheel or tiller, but you have to decide how that plays. We sailed a 25' Catalina, Judy added a dodger and loved it. Ordered a the 36' with a dodger from the factory. If one wants to race, take it off and than reinstall it, simple.



That said a dodger is a simple addition which can be made at any time. Not free but simple. Add the price of a dodger into the price of the boat and see how that works.


Boris

[gamayun]

I race and sail in the San Francisco Bay area. I love my dodger and would never go without. It's a place to keep water out of the cabin, a place to warm up after a turn at the wheel, a great place to have handholds when transitioning from the cockpit to the deck. But I would not have necessarily chosen it as a criterion for deciding on a boat as others mentioned. The original dodger on my boat was useable, kinda, for the first 8 years. I just had a new one built to my specs. It is now even more indispensable - racing or not.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Capt Andy

I ask because I've been looking for a sailboat for a while now and I've been excluding boats without dodgers which limits my search numbers. Do you "need" a dodger in a boat under 30'? And a bimini? (In posting I think I just answered my question because there's obviously a lot of boats w/o dodgers that sail perfectly well!) So is it personal preference and consideration of cost to have one or not? I live in the PNW and will be sailing the north Puget Sound

The answer is location dependent.

I sailed the PNW for 21y with neither Bimini nor Dodger. . Fine without Bimini. Dodger would have been greatly appreciated on a number of occasions in heavy weather but generally oK without.

Offshore, dodger definitely.
Tropics and near tropics, definitely a Bimini too.

[Greatest Lakes]

Personally. I'm a fan of wide brim hats with chin straps. Occasional blow offs also double as impromptu man overboard drills for hat retrieval. The biggest reasons to keep the dodger are getting out of the weather, keeping the sun and precipitation off the hatch and looks. If you know you are going to be frequently in rain or heavier weather, they are nice.

[thomm225]

No way I'd sail / cruise ever without a dodger especially on a small boat.

To put it in perspective, I paid $2,000 for my boat and when the PO's dodger wore out I paid $1200 for a replacement!!!

I came from a background of 15 years racing 4 different beach cats so I guess now it's more about comfort not speed.

Also when I did get caught in 35 knot winds the dodger frame got broken which (the frame plus dodger) saved me from quite the shower/shock from a breaking wave

[JC Reefer]

As others have said, it is easy to add after the purchase. Not something to say No to a boat over.

[Benz]

I do not now and never will have a dodger. I've cruised tropics to near-high latitudes, and if I ever wanted that sort of structure, I'd have it built in hard.
While they add some protection from spray and cold, their disadvantages, for me, far outweigh any benefits.
All that to say, dodger or not would not even enter my considerations for boat purchase.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Benz

I do not now and never will have a dodger. I've cruised tropics to near-high latitudes, and if I ever wanted that sort of structure, I'd have it built in hard.
While they add some protection from spray and cold, their disadvantages, for me, far outweigh any benefits.
All that to say, dodger or not would not even enter my considerations for boat purchase.

Why??

[Jim Cate]

Years ago I sailed (both cruising and racing) in my Yankee 30 without a dodger, both in the SF bay and coastally to SoCal. When we were prepping for our first offshore passage to Hawaii, I designed and added a dodger. Spent a lot of effort and money to make it strong and easily and quickly folded down. After assuring ourselves that it folded and re-erected correctly we happily set out, made our round trip and continued to sail the boat for another year before selling her. In all that time and mileage, we NEVER ONCE folded the dodger down again!

Perhaps there is a message in that history...

Jim

[Wotname]

Boats generally sail better without a dodger.
People generally enjoy sailing better with a dodger.
I wouldn't leave the dock without one.

A Bimini is nice (very nice) in the tropics.