Dodger: How taut?

[djousset]

I had a new dodger installed and it seems rather loose to me. My old one was tight and well-fitted but... old and worn. I questioned it and was told "it will move and adjust and shrink". What? I'm pretty sure I heard someone nearby laughing....

I assume it should be taut with no waves in the glass, yes?

[Pandor]

See…. This is where a photograph would help us evaluate. If only more people had a camera connected to their messaging device used on this forum.

But if you have waves in the dodger eisenglass, then yes, I suspect you have a bad fit.

[Sailmonkey]

I rejected a dodger because it was a sloppy fit. The canvas company grumbled but in the end the dodger was re-made and fit correctly.

[Jim Cate]

Wavy clears are not acceptable IMO, but many of the vinyl based materials used for the opaque parts do shrink over time. Sounds like trying to get out of responsibility for a poor job, though, and I'd not be happy.

Jim

[LittleWing77]

Agree with all of the above. I would go the Sailmonkey route and have the canvasser come back and get a correct fit.

Best of luck, D,
LittleWing77

[jamhass]

We had a new dodger made. Fit perfectly right off. Nice, tight and no shrinkage issues after 3 years. So, IMHO, get it right first off.

[Marathon1150]

We had a new dodger and bimini built for us in Mexico about 5 years ago. Everything was as taught as a drum. Removing panels is easy but getting them back on requires technique. But at the end of the day it is very tight and the see through bits are wave free.

I have not seen this boat for nearly 2 years because it is in Papeete. But photos sent by the boat watcher show everything looking taught and this is after two summers in the rain and heat of Papeete.

[Stu Jackson]

In the army they said when you made a bed properly you should be able to bounch a quarter off it. And I was never in the army...


Something sounds wrong, and good for you for asking.


ITWMB, I'd get in contact with them immediately.


Droopy canvas can get mold sooner, too.


Good luck.

[JPA Cate]

@ djousset,

To me, it would depend on how bad it was. Our present dodger, when we first received it, had about 3 small wrinkles per side, and I had expected smooth. I was not amused.

However, the maker explained to me how to adjust it for now (at the time) --it was a little more tension on the sides, and the wrinkles didn't go away, but they were less noticeable. So, we accepted it. By the end of the year, the vinyl had already begun shrinking, and the sides needed to be loosened, but the dodger was taut.

If your dodger is of the sort of marine "hooding" that is a matte vinyl on the outside, and a woven fabric on the inside, it may well be similar stuff with similar behavior. The best thing you can do for it is to treat it with vinyl restorer two or three times a year. This will keep it flexible longest, and waterproof, as well.

It will depend on what the maker has to do to fix it whether you will like the results. Sometimes, the risk of adding more holes is greater than any aesthetic benefit you may gain.

Good luck with it.

Ann

[Joh.Ghurt]

It's a poor fitting. It should be taut when new, over time cloth usually get looser. If this involves redoing multiple seams, then one more reason to send it back. You'll never be happy with a floppy dodger.