O'Day 28 dodger

Joe · Dec 9, 2018

I recommend a local marine canvas craftsman....one that will come to the boat, measure and give you a fair quote. One of this site's moderators operates a yacht service in Maine and may be able to give you a solid referral.... worth a try IMHO. Go to the members section, look up "Maine Sail" and send him a private message. Good luck....

sailme88 · Dec 10, 2018

Rudy at D&R Marine in Assonet, MA knows all things Oday. Even if he can't help you with the dodger, file his name away for the future, as you'll surely need something someOday ~~ (\_ ~~

dennisv · Dec 10, 2018

Julie,
I to own a ODay 28, and believe you will truly enjoy the boat. Not to big, not to small, great features. Have owned mine now for 6 years and still love it and get compliments on it's looks and the size of the side decks (truly user friendly).
If you are from a area where there are a lot of boats, then there will be a canvas shop nearby (think of all the mooring covers, winter covers, dodgers, Bimini's, sail covers, enclosures on the powerboat cabin cruisers).

Two options you might want to consider if going with new.....
1) Put small 12-24 inch hand rails on the side of the dodger, outside of the dodger itself. Something to hold onto when moving forward.
2) Put a additional section of frame, a dummy frame, aft of the aft most frame. Leave it expos and use as a hand rail when getting on and off the boat. Everyone, and I mean everyone grabs the dodger frame to steady themselves as the move onto or around the boat. Your dodger will last much longer if you do not have human oil and suntan lotion on your fabric. Wish I had pictures for you, but my next dodger will have these features.

Joe · Dec 11, 2018

Like this:

Ward H · Dec 11, 2018

Preparing for a hot 4th of July last season, I put the dodger and attached canopy on our boat for the first time. Wife hated it, said it blocked too much breeze. I missed being able to stand at the cabin top and watch the sails as I made adjustments.
After about a week I took the canvas off and left the frame.
We both have found the frame very handy to use as hand holds. Ours has the double bow as shown in Joe's photo and I plan on adding the side grip handles if we do put the canvas back on.

dennisv · Dec 11, 2018

Joe nailed it. This is exactly what I was talking about. When moving forward, as you go around the dodger, you are going to grab it for stability and/or safety. Why not grab a "handle" and keep your body oil and suntan lotion off the dodger. When getting into the boat everyone, and I mena everyone grabs the back of the dodger, why not grab a "handle" and keep your body and suntan lotion off the dodger.

Will Gilmore · Dec 12, 2018

loneshark64 said:
Hi I recently bought a nice 1985 O'Day 28 that was well taken care of.

Would like to see pictures, the boat, the dodger: before and after.
I'm interested in making a dodger for my O'Day Mariner. Not much height to cover, I know, but they are great places to quickly put down a dry towel or a book or a pair of binoculars... . I hadn't considered the hand grabbing issue. Great point, because it's true. Everyone grabs the dodger to get in and out of the cockpit.

-Will (Dragonfly)

Joe · Dec 16, 2018

Ward H said:
Preparing for a hot 4th of July last season, I put the dodger and attached canopy on our boat for the first time. Wife hated it, said it blocked too much breeze. I missed being able to stand at the cabin top and watch the sails as I made adjustments.
After about a week I took the canvas off and left the frame.

Ward... don't know if you cam see it.. but my dodger's side panels are equipped with twist snaps that allow them to be removed... also the center panel section can be unzipped and raised to provide additional ventilation. The height of the frame is about chin level, which allows good forward vision while standing in the cockpit.

Ward H · Dec 16, 2018

Yeah, I had the side panels out, middle front window rolled up and she still complained. Go figure.
I don’t miss it so no big deal.

jibes138 · Dec 17, 2018

The dodger on my boat is great for sitting against the bulkhead at anchor in the shade or to help keep the rain out of the cabin while still having the companionway open. But for sailing I greatly prefer to fold it down flat, the improved visibility is drastic. So I recommend having one but make sure you can fold it down to allow you unimpeded visibility under sail. To the original poster I took my original dodger apart then used the pieces as patterns to cut out new ones then sewed it all back together. It came out fine and saved a huge amount of money. The windows need replacing a lot more frequently then the fabric so I recommend you learn to sew, get a quality sewing machine that can sew heavy materials and do it yourself. The savings are enormous. You will save the cost of the equipment and supplies on your first project. This of course values your time at zero dollars but that is where the largest cost of canvas work is in the labor. Having the equipment allows you to do minor repairs quickly without taking it to an expert and waiting in line to get it back. Replacing a window panel for instance might take a couple hours versus waiting for days or weeks to have a shop to do it for you (keep some fabric and window material on hand). there are a lot of threads on this subject on this site with pictures of projects folks have completed themselves. Use the search function and see what you can find. I never sewed in my life until I made a new dodger, then i made a bimini, etc.etc.