Cockpit Dodger for DE 38 Cruising Corner Forums

Carmine,

We have a soft dodger on valkyr that works very well. It extends from one side of the coach roof to the other and from just even with the forward edge of the hatch cover, to about 18 to 24 inches aft of the aft edge of the coach roof/companion way.

It is a very simple design as such things to and has stood up to use well I believe. Ours is getting a bit long in the tooth and we are going to a hard dodger configuration to mount some solar panels to.

Here are some pictures of the hard dodger as it currently is or was.

The first pictures are of it about 4 years ago before we bought the boat. It had the Bimini attachment on it then. The Bimini consisted of a single bow that held the aft end of the Bimini and the forward edge zipped to the aft edge of the doger.

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Here are pictures from a couple months ago of the dodger close up with
 

no Bimini attached. (actually the bow for the Bimini was stolen prior to

use purchasing the boat. Though we still have the fabric.

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Currently the dodger is off the boat getting the front edge reinforced. However we will be taking it down permanently some time this winter as we build the hard dodger. We plan on moving the mainsheet forward to the top of the dodger so it is going to be an interesting project.

I thought I had posted pictures of our hard dodger long ago, but I can't seem to find them so lets see what I can find. Ok I found some of them and have created a post for the front page as it is easier to create a picture gallery for how many there were than to upload them here one at the time.

you can see it here. I added comments to the pictures to give a brief understanding of what was going on.

http://downeasteryachts.com/ar.....hives/3547

lol... no paint... Though her hair at 5 is more brown now than the blond it was then. I haven't noticed a reduction. However to be honest we haven't stressed them to work hard in a couple years. They basically just keep the batteries topped off. We haven't even run the fridge on the boat in a year.

We have been increadably pleased with the dodger with one caveat. That being that you have to duck pretty decently getting in and out of the companionway. Other than that it has a massive footprint and gives really good protection from rain. Rain has to be driving in toward the companionway or so heavy that it splashes back up off deck before rain starts to get inside with an open companionway. I had plans to put a surround/clear pannels all the way around dodger with isennglass? The stuff you sew into fabric dodgers. Would be pretty easy to do. Anyway never got to that project. If you did and also put screens in with zippers so you could roll up the issenglass and just have a screen enclosure it would make a great play pen for littles and a great on deck sleeping places on top of the cabin. In the winter it would act as a little sun room. Our new bimini that is finished.. Small one that just goes over the helm, is designed for a piece to be zipped in place between the dodger and it and then for a piece to be added from the aft edge to the rear pushpit. It would give a low roof from the dodger all the way to the transom. If some pieces were issenglass it would add to the winter sun room aspect. You could even have different pieces to add in depending on winter or summer. We have been just using a tarp that we attached to the aft end of the dodger and then ran over the bimini all the way to the transom. it made sitting on deck at dock a very shady and cool experience. Again downside to it is that it is low enough that you can't stand up under it on deck. Sitting on a bean bag under it though has plenty of head room and a very comfortable experience.