We cruised the Pacific for 5 years from LA to NZ, Japan & Aleutians with a standard s/s frame & Sunbrella soft dodger. Our boat is center cockpit, glass construction.
I’m looking for suggestions on materials and approach to getting a hard dodger built–and looking less ugly than most. A friend used 1/8″ ply with glass & epoxy on his s/s dodger frame but this core bends in only 1 direction and is hard to form-fit. I’m wondering if aluminum is a better choice.
I’d like an opening in the front but nothing hinged–more like a removable panel that can be swapped with a panel of standard dodger window material. Zippers can leak under pressure–so a zippered panel might not be the answer? Any suggestions appreciated.
Hi Jeff: You pose some tough questions. First, an aesthetic hard dodger is an oxymoron–simply not possible in less than 75 feet or so, unless you have a very deep cockpit.
Re zippers, look at the detailed photos in Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia and you find a “flapped” zipper detail which actually works rather well at keeping zippers from leaking excessively.
As to the dodger itself, this is very much dependent on the skills of the contractors in your area. If you have good metal workers, aluminum can be a good choice, although somewhat heavy. If you’ve got woodworkers, go for a laminated top. Easy to execute over a quickie mold, and light.
Send us some photos of what you end up with. Regards–Steve
Posted by Steve Dashew (November 30, 1999)
