Looking to add a dodger this year. Has anyone had a good experience with the Sailrite do-it-yourself dodger kit? Does anyone have a recommendation for an online Dodger company? (1981 Allmand 31). Thanks in advance and keep up on the social distance.
Dodger
- Thread starter Bill Ernst
- Start date
The structure that the dodger fits on has to fit onto your boat as well. You will want to measure four or five times before ordering anything. Ours, custom made, has adjustable legs for ensuring a snug fit even if the cloth stretches from heat or getting leaned on. Hard to tell from Sailrite’s pictures if theirs does too.
SOMEBODY AT YOUR MARINA MAY HAVE TRIED IT AND EVEN HAVE THE SAILRITE MACHINE? The bows you will receive can be cut down to your size in both height and width. Make it as long/wide/low as you can and still stand up at the helm. There used to be a Sailrite store in Eastport/Annapolis and I spend many hours there with DAN, WHOM I ALREADY knew from C.G. boating courses. I think Dan mentions my "pizza oven" idea in his online plans. Most folks probably use web straps to locate the bows, but I used the same 1-inch frame pipe to make two supports from the aft bow to the stern rail. Done that way you can use the aft bow for a block and tackle for a engine hoist. I learned early on that web straps from the front bow down to the coaming were trip hazzards To support the front bow, I ran horizontal tubes from the front to aft bows, located accept the bimini's lowere/side edges. On your size boat you could probably use 7/8 SS pipe, but I'd not use aluminum.
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In the long run.... it's better to have one custom made to your boat by a reputable canvas expert. When I was at your point in the process... i.e. trying to save a thousand bucks yet have a professional looking, strong, functional dodger....I became really frustrated... I finally realized DIY or online wasn't gonna give what I wanted. Unless you just really enjoy canvas work, especially complicated canvas work... I'd start getting some quotes from local craftsman. There should be plenty of them in Connecticut. Here in San Diego I got a number of quotes for my 27 footer... around 3k from sole proprietors... to over 5K from larger outfits. Even that totally cheapo online dodger from Island Nautical in NY will run you over $1700 and you still have to do all he measuring and fitting... which is the hardest part. And if it ain't right... it's your problem. There are some things better left to professionals.... and a dodger is one of them. I recommend biting the bullet... talk to a craftsman and come to an agreement on quality and extras.. let him give you a quote and hold him to the contract. Tell him you want a welded grab bar across the back of the frame... you want SS btw... no straps... ss struts... high quality glass with canvas covers... removable side curtains.. hand rails on the sides... no leather edging, they use a synthetic product now. You should be able to get what you want in the $3500 range. In the end you'll be happy.
We made a dodger for our Ranger 29 from a Sailrite kit. It turned out pretty good. The templating was more difficult than I thought it would be. So we had some saggy panels and/or windows. More of a cosmetic irritation than functional problem. Spend considerable time in the cockpit doing the design. I don't think you can make one without a mistake - that is some functional impact on the use of the cockpit. Pay attention to the height - do you want to look over it or through it. Over is better for me. But the boom and vang will a bit to say about that. Once you get the height see about other crew. If my wife can look over it, it will be low enough to impede my access to the cabin at the companionway. Spin your primary winches with the handle. You have to carve out that circle so that you can trim in the jib. You don't want to trim with half circles. And you want head room near the winch (Ideally you should be able to put your chest over the winch). Combine that with egress to and from the cockpit and there's a fairly narrow space to place the side panels. It won't be perfect but you have to decide what you want or as I say which mistake to you want to make. If you can work out putting a hand rail on the outside I would do that. People are going to lean on it anyway so you might as well give them a handhold. Make sure it is supported.
My wife is handy with a sewing machine. We did not buy or use a Sailright machine (But it would have been nice). She used her Kenmore but had issues with bobin tension etc. that I don't really understand. And she had to let it cool down and she oiled it often. It could do the zigzag stitch needed. Use the UV resistant thread.
We sailed our Ranger from Newport to Stonington on a windy day bashing into waves all the way and it was a pleasure having it to have some shelter. The cabin remained dry. Not to mention that in rain we could keep the companion way open for ventilation - way better.
My wife is handy with a sewing machine. We did not buy or use a Sailright machine (But it would have been nice). She used her Kenmore but had issues with bobin tension etc. that I don't really understand. And she had to let it cool down and she oiled it often. It could do the zigzag stitch needed. Use the UV resistant thread.
We sailed our Ranger from Newport to Stonington on a windy day bashing into waves all the way and it was a pleasure having it to have some shelter. The cabin remained dry. Not to mention that in rain we could keep the companion way open for ventilation - way better.
I am just about to take on the sailrite approach for a bimini (dodger next year if the bimini goes well). It does look challenging, but also looks like I'll save thousands... My bimini (on a Beneteau 373) is pretty big... 12'+ wide.... I already have the frame from an existing (but very tired) one. I watched the entire video (all the steps) for making a bimini... kit was around $500... a little more because I'm putting in a window to look up at sails from helm, and I have split backstays that need to pass through, so 2 extra zippers and a few extra steps... I'm guessing it's going to take me 40-60 hours of work all-said-and-done... so there's a cost to that (I've done SOME sewing, but am far from an expert). Still I think it is going to save enough to make it worth it... I'll be posting results over the next couple months at some point when I have progress to share. If you haven't watched the sailrite instructional videos... I'd recommend that... they seem to really walk though step by step what you're going to be up against. P.S. I'm starting with the bimini because (in my mind at least) it is a little bit easier... not quite so much curviness, fewer windows and zippers... though in terms of sheer size, it's bigger (on my boat). Wish me luck... I wish the best of luck to you!
Since most boats have the dodger added after they are sold, it is unlikely that any online company can do one for you just using the boat model.
There is absolutely nothing worse than a poor dodger (except possibly not having one at all). If the cloth sags, water will pool and come off at the most inconvenient times. If you can't see through the windows, or your view is obstructed by wrinkles and it can be really dangerous. A poorly built dodger can really make the whole boat look shoddy, IMO.
I think the reason most folks have one made by a local canvas guy/gal is so it is custom fit to the boat and you can get it reworked if you are not happy with it.
When I bought this boat I hardly gave the dodger and bimini a thought. I have since been aboard several other 530s and their dodger/biminis were terrible compared to ours. First, none of the other biminis were high enough to actually stand upright under (I'm only 5'10") even at the helm. Who wants to be crouched over for hours at a time if one must steer and keep a sharp lookout? Those with the dodger unconnected to the bimini (leaving a space through which water would enter in a squall or from spray) were usually too low to see out of when docking, so you would have to peer through that space between the two. Lastly, and really a lot more important than it might seem, none of the others had clear side panels. That obstructed visibility to the side if one was standing in the companionway, obviously, but even more interesting to me was that it turned the dodger into a sort of cave. I didn't like that at all.
My advice is to have yours professionally made and thereafter, if you choose to, you can use the old one as a pattern for your next.
There is absolutely nothing worse than a poor dodger (except possibly not having one at all). If the cloth sags, water will pool and come off at the most inconvenient times. If you can't see through the windows, or your view is obstructed by wrinkles and it can be really dangerous. A poorly built dodger can really make the whole boat look shoddy, IMO.
I think the reason most folks have one made by a local canvas guy/gal is so it is custom fit to the boat and you can get it reworked if you are not happy with it.
When I bought this boat I hardly gave the dodger and bimini a thought. I have since been aboard several other 530s and their dodger/biminis were terrible compared to ours. First, none of the other biminis were high enough to actually stand upright under (I'm only 5'10") even at the helm. Who wants to be crouched over for hours at a time if one must steer and keep a sharp lookout? Those with the dodger unconnected to the bimini (leaving a space through which water would enter in a squall or from spray) were usually too low to see out of when docking, so you would have to peer through that space between the two. Lastly, and really a lot more important than it might seem, none of the others had clear side panels. That obstructed visibility to the side if one was standing in the companionway, obviously, but even more interesting to me was that it turned the dodger into a sort of cave. I didn't like that at all.
My advice is to have yours professionally made and thereafter, if you choose to, you can use the old one as a pattern for your next.
Good luck Todd, I was thinking of doing the same. I decided to have mine made. Just finding space large enough to lay everything out can be challenging. My list of boat projects never end. My Bimini is large enough to carry 4 100w solar panels. I will lose the window which I'm ok with. I am usually standing in front of the wheel for access to the winches and let the autopilot steer. I am using a 3/8 corrugated plastic backing and want the panels oriented bow to stern. That's a lot of sewing. Now that all non essential business is shut down I'm doubting it'll be ready until early summer. Who knows if we'll even have a sailing season? Fingers crossed!
What part of Cape Cod?
What part of Cape Cod?
We sail out of Hospital Cove (which nobody has heard of), which is right near the Chart Room and Kingman's Marina in Pocasset (which everyone has heard of).
While I definitely do understand some people's concerns with a DIY dodger... I just feel like the price of custom canvas work is absolutely outrageous. I'm pretty handy, crafty... have done a little sewing... have added rooms onto my house by my self... do all the rest of the work on my boat myself... and I could literally buy a brand new Yanmar engine for the boat for less money than the dodger and bimini would cost. I certainly can't MAKE an engine from raw materials... but the canvas stuff seems way easier. It'll cost me somewhere a little over $1000, but well under $2k to do BOTH bimini and dodger, and that's including springing for the better cloth, better thread, better windows, etc. compared to the custom-made existing, tired one that's on the boat now at 15 years old... Am I a LITTLE scared? sure... but I've done bigger/tougher projects than this.
Also... everyone has different amounts of time and money in their lives... for some people, their time is too scarce and worth too much to embark on large DIY projects... I totally get that. For other people, money is too scarce and time is plentiful. Personally, where I'm at right now (especially with COVID-19 lurking) I forsee lots of time in my near future where I'm "locked inside"... this is one of the only boat projects on my list that I can tackle during evenings at home (other than the initial patterning/measuring day)... hours away from the boat which I may not easily be able to commute to in the foreseeable future . Maybe I'll regret it... but it seems worth a try.
I have access to a Sailrite machine and I have been doing repairs and new projects for several years. I work with Sunbrella, duck canvas, and leather mostly. The Sailrite machine with the walking foot makes it possible to do quality work, but it does have a learning curve. Personally I would not try a dodger or a bimini as my first project. I think a dodger would be more difficult than a bimini. When it comes time for me to replace my dodger and bimini, I am thinking that I will take my existing canvas apart and use the pieces as patterns. That may have its own disadvantages and problems- I don't know.
I was unaware they called that Hospital Cove. A little tight turn in there. Been past you many times. Going over to Kingmans and the Chart Room makes a great day trip providing the afternoon winds don't oppose the currents heading back. Had some of our worst sails doing that.
The dodger is an order of magnitude more complex than the bimini. Besides the fit, the commentary about simple space is a good one, I pretty much filled the kitchen with it, I used the mid sized strata glass, and leather handholds and trim. A household machine would never have survived, and a walking foot is a necessity. I bought a knockoff machine, and I've seen two versions of this very machine that would not run out of the box. Mine is starting to sound a bit "worn".
Building a Yanmar is easier. The bolts only go in one way, and they don't want to stretch or move around on you, and they don't alter their trajectory as you are turning the wrench. Fabric has a nasty tendency to want to wander, and that results in stitches that are not straight.
Here is the assembly going together. I adopted the sailrite methodology of using "ShelterRite" as an edge liner. This stuff is cool, its a vinyl/webbing sandwich, and it does not seem to stretch. There will be no flapping. We will see once out in the real world.
Building a Yanmar is easier. The bolts only go in one way, and they don't want to stretch or move around on you, and they don't alter their trajectory as you are turning the wrench. Fabric has a nasty tendency to want to wander, and that results in stitches that are not straight.
Here is the assembly going together. I adopted the sailrite methodology of using "ShelterRite" as an edge liner. This stuff is cool, its a vinyl/webbing sandwich, and it does not seem to stretch. There will be no flapping. We will see once out in the real world.
whatever you decide, insist on stainless poles w/ extra reinforcement -- webbing tie downs on welded eyes at the midsections of the dodger side pieces. i watched an aluminum framed dodger on a catalina 25 collapse blow to shreds in hurricane isaac some years ago. my last dodger was $2000 for the nauticat in 2017 from al's awning in erie -- w reinforcement webbing , removable side windows, front 3 part rain windows which folded up and velcro'd to the dodger roof for nice weather. dodger came w a connecting piece (w/ a viewing window for the mainsail) to connect dodger to bimini so the whole cockpit became a waterproof porch in rainy weather. each side of the dodger had stainless hand rails and the cockpit aft edge also had stainlesss handgrips. i gladly spent the $ for a beautiful dodger though i've made a lot of stuff myself on my sailrite. NB the price did not include the stainless poles as this dodger was a replica of the original fitted by the nauticat factory.