I've got a bunch of Sunbrella looking for a project. I've never been a fan of dodgers and biminis - I don't like having my visibility limited in any way. But, a couple of things changed my mind, recently. Last weekend, we beat windward against 18 kts winds and tightly-packed 3-4 foot waves. Lots of wind and spray for hours on end. Just a little relief would have gone a long way.
The other more weighty issue is the position of the main boom. It is really easy to come up the companionway and either directly hit your head on the boom or, at minimum, but your head in its path. We frequently sail with inexperienced passengers and I have concerns that it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured by that boom.
The boom actually rides a bit closer to the deck when under sail than it appears on the above photo.
I am considering a California dodger. This would make windward conditions more comfortable, but more importantly, make it much less likely someone will be injured by the boom. The California style gives me more options when I want to add/remove canvas according to conditions. I got a Sailrite sewing machine last summer, so am finally able to consider a project like this.
A basic dodger would go approximately as shown in blue below:
Seems straightforward enough. The only real consideration with that is that I want to make sure the thing is easily collapsible out of the way because, when we are dock or anchored, we tend to raise the boom quite high so we don't need to stoop in and out of the companionway. I want the option to not have to duck under the dodger when so configured.
My question comes down to what to do next ... sort of. Eventually, I think I would like to be able to entirely enclose the cockpit when at anchor/dock. Unfortunately, the mizzen mast is kind of inconveniently positioned (as they tend to be). I could build a Bimini or Bimini-like cover that sits aft of and touching the mizzen mast. But, this leaves an awkward gap between this cockpit cover and the dodger.
I can conceive of having a removable strip of fabric that sort of aprons across that gap. I guess that would be OK. I would like to see an example of someone else that has done that at the mizzen mast.
The other consideration is that the mizzen boom sits near head level for me. So, a cover that fits under it (with a small gap so the boom does not abrade the cover) would be a little bit low. It would require me to stand with a slight stoop. I can live with this, if I have to because I would not have this up under sail. So, if I need to stand in the cockpit with cover up, it would just be momentarily. Still, I rather like the idea of something like a boom tent with walls. The roof would then go over the boom, giving a few more inches of head space.
Any thoughts/experience and/or photos of anyone that has done something similar?
The other more weighty issue is the position of the main boom. It is really easy to come up the companionway and either directly hit your head on the boom or, at minimum, but your head in its path. We frequently sail with inexperienced passengers and I have concerns that it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured by that boom.
The boom actually rides a bit closer to the deck when under sail than it appears on the above photo.
I am considering a California dodger. This would make windward conditions more comfortable, but more importantly, make it much less likely someone will be injured by the boom. The California style gives me more options when I want to add/remove canvas according to conditions. I got a Sailrite sewing machine last summer, so am finally able to consider a project like this.
A basic dodger would go approximately as shown in blue below:
Seems straightforward enough. The only real consideration with that is that I want to make sure the thing is easily collapsible out of the way because, when we are dock or anchored, we tend to raise the boom quite high so we don't need to stoop in and out of the companionway. I want the option to not have to duck under the dodger when so configured.
My question comes down to what to do next ... sort of. Eventually, I think I would like to be able to entirely enclose the cockpit when at anchor/dock. Unfortunately, the mizzen mast is kind of inconveniently positioned (as they tend to be). I could build a Bimini or Bimini-like cover that sits aft of and touching the mizzen mast. But, this leaves an awkward gap between this cockpit cover and the dodger.
I can conceive of having a removable strip of fabric that sort of aprons across that gap. I guess that would be OK. I would like to see an example of someone else that has done that at the mizzen mast.
The other consideration is that the mizzen boom sits near head level for me. So, a cover that fits under it (with a small gap so the boom does not abrade the cover) would be a little bit low. It would require me to stand with a slight stoop. I can live with this, if I have to because I would not have this up under sail. So, if I need to stand in the cockpit with cover up, it would just be momentarily. Still, I rather like the idea of something like a boom tent with walls. The roof would then go over the boom, giving a few more inches of head space.
Any thoughts/experience and/or photos of anyone that has done something similar?
