Ocean Modification

[My_Breakaway]

I have been working on my C&C 37 for 2 years upgrading and modifying it to take me across the Atlantic from New York to Italy. My latest quandary is what kind of dodger to put on it. Does anyone have any thoughts or preferences between a soft canvas dodger I can fold away or a Fixed fiberglass dodger built into the structure of the cabin top?

[Orion Jim]

Fixed are preferable but they are.....fixed, so you better get the design perfect. They are also much more expensive than your everyday Sunbrella dodger. After several thousand sea miles my canvas dodger has only been damaged once and it was a simple restitch and less than a hundred bucks to repair the blown out window. Some waves just refuse to behave.

[DDabs]

Just went through this decision... time and money factors have forced me to go with a traditional canvas dodger rather than fiberglass. Another option is to do a traditional stainless tubed frame, with a "hard" top of the dodger, using canvas/glass panels.

Weight on a properly built fiberglass dodger is something to keep in mind.

For an ocean-crossing style dodger, I'm going with a local canvasmaker here in Florida to try and create something similar in design to an Iverson dodger. I think a bar running amidships across the cockpit is ideal, as well as bars on each side of the dodger to grab as you exit the cockpit. Other than that, I'd keep it as low and as far back as possible to give two dedicated dry seats next to the companionway.

[barnakiel]

Both are good and soft one is good enough. Hard dodgers may have some extra merits, e.g.:


- easy to incorporate external grab rails,
- easy to build to be cool in the sun,
- better visibility thru windows (better window glass),
- better protection to the instruments.


Rather than hard/soft I like to look at how deep the dodger is (how long). I like very very deep dodgers - ones that allow you to sit comfortably under and with minimal if any risk of getting splashed by a boarding wave. Nearly all soft dodgers I have seen were way too short. But you can have a custom one that is longer than the typical weekend style that comes with most modern boats.


A hard dodger that is 'structural' is a huge bonus should you be forced to sail in extreme weather.



b.

[Jim Cate]

On our previous boat, a flush decked old IOR one tonner, 36 ft LOA, we cruised for some years with a soft dodger. When we reached New Zealand, we commissioned a hard dodger, and it was a HUGE improvement in comfort and safety when at sea.

IMO, a hard dodger, one that isn't made too high (IE, don't try to have standing headroom under it) is far preferable to any soft one. Weight can be managed with either foam cored glass or strip plank construction.

Jim

[Lost Horizons]

For me, hard dodger is so much more preferable than a soft one. Standing room under it is invaluable unless you are the type who likes creating additional challenges for yourself. Definitely as long as practical. I wish mine was longer.

[Marathon1150]

I have never had a hard dodger but have spent enough time sailing in hot climates (Mexico, Indonesia, Greece, South Pacific) to know that getting the dodger completely out of the way is important. Its hard to do that with a hard dodger. Our boat in Indonesia did not have a dodger and for that climate, it was perfect.

[My_Breakaway]

Thanks all for the reply. Yes I assumed the hard dodger would be better my only concern was the windage it creates in high winds or on anchor? I guess ill make the windows removable to reduce that.

On another note I have an SSB (HF radio) does anyone still use it and is there a specific frequency and band that Cruisers are on? Lastly are we all licensed?

[Copacabana]

Breakaway, I think if you are handy and can build a hard dodger yourself, it will come out cheaper than having a soft one made for you. The material to build one is fairly cheap, though it will take some (many) hours of labour.

I sail in the tropics and I love my hard dodger. It keeps me cool in the cockpit, out of the sun and dry when hit by squalls. I can stand up under mine and it goes aft enough that the cockpit stays dry and protected. There is also a bimini that extends to the arch on the stern, giving the whole cockpit protection. The hard dodger has a hatch on top and the center tempered glass piece of the windscreen opens, so the cockpit always gets a breeze. It also has soft side panels for when it's windy or rainy.

I can only see advantages with a hard dodger and, after having one, I can't imagine having a boat without one. If you are clever with the design of the dodger, it doesn't have to look ugly. The previous owner of my Vindö added the hard dodger and I think it didn't hurt the classic lines.

[Island Time O25]

Having sailed about 5,000 offshore miles on my friend's 46footer with a nice DYI hard dodger AND hardtop (standing room) I have set a goal of building one similiar to that. Bought a sturdy yet light aluminium frame off of a guy parting out a power boat and bolted it to my hull. By luck all of the the bolt points were to already beefed up sections and we additionally reinforced with 1/4" aluminium backing plates.

Still, 3-4 years later, have not ordered the removable glass panels as I am using another boats panels as a temp solution at the mooring or at anchor. Don't really need the panels for short coastal hops, plus I like the wind in my face when sailing coastal. The most usefull feature of this set up is that the skin protected from Summer sun. The vindage is not an issue since my 36footer is 18,000#s empty and easily 20,000+#s with all the gear and doodahs.

If one is handy with Sailrite machine I'd recommend going that route. The hard top cost me all together about $500 plus $200 a "boatyard guy" who did the install with me helping him on one Saturday morning. We started at 8am and were done by Noon.

All in all with the hardtop itself, renting a pick-up truck to bring the hardtop, installation and with purchasing used temporary panels the whole set up came out at under $1,000. Now if I can only learn to sew I'd be a happy clam. I really hate paying $5-7K for the canvas work which needs to be done.

[De.windhoos]

Originally Posted by My_Breakaway

I have been working on my C&C 37 for 2 years upgrading and modifying it to take me across the Atlantic from New York to Italy. My latest quandary is what kind of dodger to put on it. Does anyone have any thoughts or preferences between a soft canvas dodger I can fold away or a Fixed fiberglass dodger built into the structure of the cabin top?

Soft dodger. Yes a hard dodger is nice during your crossing, however the crossing will only take you +/-3 weeks, whilst, this is an assumption, your time in the Med will be much longer. A soft dodger you can lower to get a bit more air in your cockpit and you'll need that when the temp is +35-40 C.

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by De.windhoos

Soft dodger. Yes a hard dodger is nice during your crossing, however the crossing will only take you +/-3 weeks, whilst, this is an assumption, your time in the Med will be much longer. A soft dodger you can lower to get a bit more air in your cockpit and you'll need that when the temp is +35-40 C.

I'm not sure that's always the case. A hard dodger with opening hatches and painted white keeps the cockpit quite cool. The main thing is getting out of the sun in hot climates. I've always found soft dodgers very hot, but I suppose you could use white canvass to mitigate that.

[My_Breakaway]

Yes thanks, I replaced the keel and repaired a 9 foot hole on my first boat. Building a hard dodger should not be a problem.