Hard Dodger. Hand built

[ITMaster]

I have an additional idea for you to incorporate with this Hermit. When you make the top, put some "coamings" around it and when you make the supports for it out of the tubular stainless that I suspect you will use, you can collect the rain water to replinish your fresh water supply with.

I saw someone that had made a hard top doger and done this and had some directional valving to alllow a flush with first, and then he will collect the water and it works like a charm. I was just thinking about the fact that you seem to like better mouse traps :dance: and I had seen someone that had set up a slick arrangement like this and thought that I'd share it with you .

 

[sailingdog]

Not a bad idea ITmaster... especially if he's planning on taking the boat on longer cruises.

 

[Hermit Scott]

I do plan on cruising not too far from the coast, and not too far from ports. But that feature would be easy enough to incoporate as an option.
If we do get to live on this thing for a month or so at a time we'll use every inch of it for something.

 

[Hermit Scott]

Ron

I received the article today in the mail about the artful dodger. Thank you for sending that to me. The method they use there is a good compromise between having a canvas dodger and going full fiberglass with real port lights and lexan windshields.
I could definitely be happy with what they built. I am gonig to canvas craigs list and see if anyone is selling a stainless dodger frame.

 

[Ron20324]

Glad the mail went so quickly. It's not really much $$$ to get two made for you. Also, sailrite has them.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Bondo and paint vs gelcoat

Hermit
I've used bondo and white paint with great success. I'd not recommend it for a submerged part but above the waterline it works great. After 7 years you still can't tell where I repaired the toe rail on my old Catalina.
I would make the observation that autos use it all the time for repairs and smoothing fiberglass panels and they are exposed to shocks, salt and a host of other things you find in the marine environment. Just make sure you sand the fiberglass well to give the bondo a good grip. It is much easier to work with (when soft) and cheaper too. The key is the paint. Use a premium quality to seal it and keep the water out.

And gelcoat is just a different application of the chemistry behind bondo. If I was covering a large surface that was made from an already smooth mold I'd spray on gelcoat too.

 

[Ross]

Hermit
I've used bondo and white paint with great success. I'd not recommend it for a submerged part but above the waterline it works great. After 7 years you still can't tell where I repaired the toe rail on my old Catalina.
I would make the observation that autos use it all the time for repairs and smoothing fiberglass panels and they are exposed to shocks, salt and a host of other things you find in the marine environment. Just make sure you sand the fiberglass well to give the bondo a good grip. It is much easier to work with (when soft) and cheaper too. The key is the paint. Use a premium quality to seal it and keep the water out.


And gelcoat is just a different application of the chemistry behind bondo. If I was covering a large surface that was made from an already smooth mold I'd spray on gelcoat too.

Consider the many incomplete repairs that we see with unpainted Bondo exposed for weeks and months on cars on the road. That stuff is pretty tough.

 

[Hermit Scott]

That is true. I live in San Antoino; we probably have the highest rate of unpainted bondo repairs in the free world. We were second in unwed mothers; can't be first at everything.
NExt to me in the boat yard, there is a guy redoing some repairs in his hull that he filled with bondo. They fell out after a short time. That was below the water line though. I guess it would be ok if you were sure there wasn't going to be too much water in contact with it.
In the article that Ron sent me, they used a thin fiberglass top on a canvas dodger frame. I wish I knew where to get a frame like that on the cheap. There is always people selling bimini frames with no canvas, but I haven't seen a dodger frame for sale with no canvas yet.
That looks like the way to go for me. When I find a frame I will replicate the dodger in the article.

 

[Ron20324]

Scott, I really don't think there's much-if any- difference in the frames. Only the width and height. My 323 has a 76-inch wide mount for the dodger. I have 6 or 8 "bows" on the back deck. If you pass by Annapolis you can have two. Have you measured to see what w x h measuremnt you need? The guy in the slip next to me (JIMM) has a catalina 30. A hardtop I would like would be like a 60 Chevy sedan's roof- like a raft almost.

 

[Hermit Scott]

I wouldn't even know where or what to measure for hxw. What I do know is want to be out of the sun and out of the rain as much as possible. I do have a traveler mounted above the hatch so that complicates things a bit for the dodger. If I pass by Annapolis I will take you up on that offer, but if I am that far north something went really wrong with my plans.