Forums › General Discussion › hard dodgers

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    • #67146
      Anonymous

      I have a hard dodger and bimini on Revery since 1998 and it is terrific. I have six 80 watt solar panels on top and I can walk on it if I have to. I made it with the help of a friend who knows a lot about fiberglass fabrication . I recommend it highly. Jim-Revery Cutter #219

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    • #70557
      Tor
      Participant

      Jim,

      I sure would like to see some photos of your set-up. That’s what I’d like to have on Silver Heels, too – eventually. Right now I’ve got too many other projects ahead of it, including doing some cruising before I forget how to sail. So I’ve settled for building a dodger hard top and doing the rest in Sunbrella & Strataglass this time around. A true hard dodger/bimini is on my Refit Phase II list, somewhere down the line.

      You cutter owners have it easy designing a bimini. On an aft-cockpit ketch it’s a bit of a challenge. I finally came up with a way to have a full, semi-permanent bimini top and also have full access to my mizzen sail for furling, etc. Life is good.

      Tor
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      Silver Heels, P-424 #17
      http://www.SilverHeels.us
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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    • #70559
      quent
      Participant

      Hi Jim-
      I’d like to see pictures, too. Especially interested in how you reenforced the structure to support the solar panels.
      Best regards,
      Quent

    • #70560
      Anonymous

      Hi Tor,

      I would love to see your bimini solution. I am getting quotes on a bimini
      for my ketch now.

      I have also wondered about just doing a fly, but this is mainly in response
      to the prices.


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    • #70562
      Tor
      Participant

      Walter,

      Photos attached, labeled to illustrate some of the main points. I put the framework together myself from
      scrounged parts around the boat yard and from a nearby used boat gear store. Had to re-bend, cut and otherwise
      modify the 1″ ss tubing to get what I needed out of it, but it saved me a bundle and I learned a lot. However,
      I do not sew. My “canvas guy” lives on a sailboat down the pier and gave me a great deal on the work. Really,
      he way under-bid this job. It turned out to be uncommonly complex. I lucked out in that regard. Figure I at
      least owe him a lobster dinner gratuity.

      Access to the mizzen sail is excellent through the four opening panels. However, even though we put Sunbrella
      rain deflector strips over the zippers they leak a little when it rains hard. Everything’s a trade-off, I
      guess. I’m now having an in-port tent fly made, a simple trapezoid that will pass over the mizzen boom and
      secure to the shrouds. This will rain-proof my bimini except when I’m actually sailing in the rain with the
      mizzen hoisted. I can live with that. The fly will also enable me to leave the four large opening panels open
      most of the time without letting in the brutal tropical sun, thus providing extra ventilation in the cockpit.
      FYI, I’m also having a reversible Sunbrella rain-&-spray side panel made, which I can put up on the weather
      side of the cockpit on long, wet passages. It’s a poor man’s version of a full enclosure, something I used and
      appreciated on my last cruising boat.

      I have not been sailing with this new canvas yet, but I’m pretty happy with it at this point.

      Tor
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      Silver Heels, P-424 #17
      http://www.SilverHeels.us
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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