Dodger Installation

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Kenneth Pfaff

With the cooler weather comming I have seen a lot of talk regarding Dodgers. Well I am in the process of getting one installed on my 2001 Hunter 290. They were out yesterday to the frame work, and to construct a templete to be used in making the dodger. Here is a link to some of the pictures I took while they were doing the setup. s/v Wanderlust
 
Jan 22, 2008
275
Hunter 33_77-83 Lake Lanier GA
Nice, reminds me of when.....

I did mine for my Hunter 33, 1982 vintage. Looks like its going to look really good. YOU'LL enjoy it more than you can ever imagine. We use ours even in the summer because it actually provides additional protection from the sun not to mention being able to leave the main compainion way open during rain for more ventilation. ENJOY!
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Great Upgrade.

Ken: I think you will find that this is one of the better upgrades you can make. A couple of things that we did on ours that you may want to consider. 1. All windows zipper out. This makes it much easier to store the windows when the weather is hot/warm. Quite often the middle window will roll up. We also have a set of sun screens that we can zip in/out. This helps shade the cockpit too. 2. Hand holds on the side. We found that people boarding or going aft tend to grab the dodger. If you place a grab bar, they will gram that instead of the canvas.
 
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nick maggio

love it

I also have dodger on my 290 and we were out yesterday and boy does it help keep us warm ,and when the weather really kicks up it helps keep us alot dryer, I also left it up all summer I have a front window I can open up so when it gets real hot it protects us from the sun but still lets in some air to cool us off ,I am so glad I had it done before I took delivery and not wait because it really makes a big difference in hot and cold weather,your going to love it,I noticed you have in mast furling ,how is it to handle ,some times I wish I had it maybe the next boat ?.
 
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Kenneth Pfaff

Nick, I love the in-mast furling

On my old boat, I hated having to go up to the mast to reef the main, because when you do the weather has gotten nasty enought that you have to. Now I can do it all for the cockpit. In addition I have been doing a lot more singlehanded sailing this year and it makes it much easier.
 
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Fred Harriman

Dodger frame struts

Ken, you might want to consider installing struts to support the dodger frame. This takes the frame load off the sunbrella fabric. Use quick release pins on the aft end so that you can lay the dodger down easily if you wish. Unfortunately the picture I have only shows the upper end of this strut.
 

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Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Good point Fred.

Ken: Fred makes a good point. I also do NOT have any straps on our dodger. We have a rear bar that secures the dodger to the gunwhale like Freds. Be sure that the base is mounted outboard as far as possible if you decide to go this route. It makes the dodger much stronger and a lot more rigid.
 
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Kenneth Pfaff

Struts?

I will have to think about it. It will be somewhat tight between the Arch / Bimini framework and the Dodger. Adding a strut may not be feasable. s/v Wanderlust
 
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