With two of us living full time on a small 33’
trimaran, I knew I needed a full
cockpit enclosure to increase living space. But I also knew I didn’t like the idea of zipping and unzipping the doors every time we entered and exited the
boat which can be many times in one day. So here is the solution I came up with.
These doors are hinged at the top and operate each on a
single strut. They can also be operated in the traditional zipper mode. They operate very smoothly and can be opened and closed quickly with minimal effort. At first I sailed the
boat strictly with the doors unzipped and rolled up. But with time have found it easy to sail in the gullwing mode and just open and close depending upon which direction I’m sailing.
I did not build the enclosure myself but found a good
canvas guy to
work closely with. He has been doing this for many years but has never seen anything like it.
I have received many positive comments from fello boaters.