O'day 34 dodger

[Sefuller]

It is time to replace the dodger on our 34. I met with a local shop and while they do great work, they didn't have any photos of another O'day 34 or 35 to show me. They are recommending a California style dodger but I am having a hard time visualizing it on our boat. There are a couple of things I don't like about our current dodger. There is about 4 - 5" of fabric above the center window which is right in my line of site when at the helm. Options are to make the window go all the way to the frame bow, or lower the entire dodger which may not be a bad idea. I also don't like that the side windows while providing good vision always have a wrinkle in them, I assume due to the fact the radius of the bow and the radius of the coaming are not the same. Wondering if any other 34-5 owners have dodgers they could post photos of?

 

[Stu Jackson]

Here are some ideas for you:

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,7161.msg48397.html#msg48397

 

[jibes138]

I hate sailing with my dodger up, so when I sail I just lower it down to the deck and keep the hatch closed. The visibility is so much better without it and it is a much better experience. A bimini is mandatory however. Just an idea for you if you want to save some cash, when my dodger finally rotted out I ripped out all the seams with a seam ripper and then used all the pieces to make exact copies from sunbrella fabric and a soldering iron with a cloth burning tip (looks like a flat blade). Then I sewed it all back together and had a new dodger for a fraction of what a shop will cost. I have a sailrite machine but you can probably do this on a non-industrial unit, Sunbrella is easy to sew and not too many layers involved. Professionals will do a better job of course if money is not a concern.

 

[SailingCal21]

I too generally sail without the dodger up... until the spray gets cold. Here's some pictures of Karma's dodger, as Jibes stated the visibility is compromised.



I'll be happy to post details if necessary, just haven't taken dodger specific photos at this time.

 

[Sefuller]

We don't really need a bimini here, and for the first and last thirds of our sailing season here we really appreciate the dodger for the shelter from the cool lake temps so we leave it up all the time! We have enough window area that visibility is pretty good, other than the band of fabric at eye level I have made sail covers, cushions and done a fair amount of upholstery but part of my hesitance to make my own dodger is the fact that I think I need someone with experience to design the frame so that the curve of the side windows is better - as it is there is always a wrinkle in them making them difficult to clean. The current dodger was made (by Harken) at my request using the old one as a pattern and as they warned me would happen, it is not a great fit because the old one was stretched out. Still looking for photos of an Oday 34 or 35 with a California style dodger but I am beginning to think we may be the first ones to ever try it

 

[Ron20324]

Is one of the posted pictures a "California-style" dodger? Never heard the term before. When Sailrite had a store here in Annapolis, Dan was an old friend who worked there. He had the idea for an easy dodger. Make a flat dodger top with (5?) zippers around the top. Left/Center/right/2 sides. Make the panels/windows with side zippers. If one window goes bad, you can just replace that one- not the whole dodger. I am in the process of making mine that way. I will make it flat across the front three panels, use battens to put stiffeners in the joint between the L&R and side panels. You can limit any width of the fabric part to have just enough to attach the zippers to. AND, you only need strips of the fabric, not a 30x30 that you cut away most of the center, which leaves just a frame. I believe Dan's Dodger project is on the Sailrite.com web site. The pizza oven he posted was my idea.

 

[Stu Jackson]

If one window goes bad, you can just replace that one- not the whole dodger.

Very good points. We had a 10 year old one piece dodger. The top fabric only was disintegrating. The glazing and the rest of the dodger were just fine. Our dodger guy came down and cleverly came up with a fix that added these zippers so only the top needed to be replaced. Was only 1/3 the cost of complete replacement, and in the future I can do sections at a time. Brilliant. My glazing also opens in the front, but I've never bothered to do that.

The visibility is so much better without it and it is a much better experience.

I think the link I posted earlier discusses dodger height and details, too. We love our low dodger, I don't have to look through glazing all day. And the line between the front and rear frames should be horizontal.

 

[DannyS]

I don't know if this will help but here's a video of our dodger/bimini setup. The dodger is very low profile so that when I'm at the helm, I'm looking over the dodger, not through it. Also, it's swept back into the cockpit so that when you are sitting in the cockpit next to the companionway, you are completely covered by the dodger. I love it but it's a compromise. Going down below is not like walking down a flight of stairs, it's more of a sit on your butt and slide/spin your way in.