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The Admiral is interested in finding out if anyone has a hard dodger on their 424. What do you like/dislike about it? She has seen a few other boats with hard dodgers and thinks we should have one. She heard of one that was in the area (North Carolina) but cannot find it, previously named “Grits,” and she heard about another in California. What are the group’s opinions on a hard dodger?
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Dale
Don't know anything about hard dodgers… but…
I saw the P424 previously known as Grits in a slip at York River Yacht Haven on Sarah's Creek (off York River in southern Chesapeake Bay) the weekend of July 4. It's new name looked Polynesian or some such and I don't remember what it was… (you could still see Grits on the hull)
She is a sloop.We were anchored up the creek and I saw it on a dinghy ride and almost missed it. No one was above decks to wave to and we didn't have time to stop and say hello…Rick
EclipseOn 7/29/08, dale < ([email][/email])> wrote:
The Admiral is interested in finding out if anyone has a hard dodger on their 424. What do you like/dislike about it? She has seen a few other boats with hard dodgers and thinks we should have one. She heard of one that was in the area (North Carolina) but cannot find it, previously named “Grits,” and she heard about another in California. What are the group’s opinions on a hard dodger?
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Hi Dale,
I think Tor did a hard dodger. I don't remember the link to the project, but I think it's in the 424 site. What he did was put a hard material on the frame for the canvas dodger. It seemed to work pretty well. If you're thinking of designing/building a real integral hard dodger, that's another story. I know if I did, I'd make it so the traveler was on a track as far aft as possible with the ability to mount two 4' solar panels, meaning the dodger would be significantly foreward of the current track to as far back as I could without affecting the mizzen.
Oh, with opening windows, too.
Bob
On Tue, Jul 29, 2008 at 4:22 PM, dale < ([email][/email])> wrote:
The Admiral is interested in finding out if anyone has a hard dodger on their 424. What do you like/dislike about it? She has seen a few other boats with hard dodgers and thinks we should have one. She heard of one that was in the area (North Carolina) but cannot find it, previously named “Grits,” and she heard about another in California. What are the group’s opinions on a hard dodger?
—
Bob Fine
Fine Software LLC
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Dale,
I built a hard dodger top (only) on Silver Heels’ existing pipe frame this past year, and am happy with it. My
idea was to start with that, then decide whether I wanted to continue and make a hard windshield, too.
Ultimately, I decided that was too much of a project for me at that time, having other more pressing things on
The List. I went ahead and had a soft windshield made, so I now have a hybrid dodger. When the windshield’s
Sunbrella and Strataglass eventually wear out years from now, I intend to finish the all-hard project I
started.I think hard dodgers make a lot of sense on a cruising sailboat. We virtually never take down a soft dodger
anyway, except to replace it every 5 years or so. Of course, you’ll still want the center window to open.Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Dale,
I built a hard dodger TOP on Silver Heels’ existing pipe frame this past year, and am happy with it. My idea
was to start with that, then decide whether I wanted to continue and make a hard windshield, too. Decided that
was too much of a project for me at that time, having other more pressing things on The List. I went ahead and
had a soft windshield made, so I now have a hybrid dodger. When the Sunbrella and Strataglass eventually wear
out years from now, I intend to finish the all-hard project I started.Personally, I think hard dodgers make a lot of sense on a cruising sailboat. You virtually never take down a
soft dodger anyway, except when you have to replace it every 5 years or so. Of course, you’ll still want the
center window to open.Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Hi Dale: I brokered and sold “GRITS”about a year ago from our Oriental, NC brokerage. It did have a hard dodger. It was home made (teak I believe) but somebody did a fairly nice job. I’ll check in the office tomorrow and see if we have any file photos that I can post for you.
Best Regards / Jack Coulter P424 “MOJO”Calico Jack
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Dale,
My boat already had a bare dodger frame of 1″ stainless tubing when I bought her, so I just built on that. I
was inexperienced working with fiberglass then (I know a lot more now), so I was loathe to lay up my own top.
Instead, I bought a couple of (approx) 4′ x 8′ (they might’ve been 3-1/2′ x 7′) sheets of prefab FRP panels at
Home Depot for about $30 apiece. These panels are normally used in house construction to cover bathroom walls.
They’re white, 3/16″ thick, smooth on one side and textured on the other. They are not very strong – whatever
glass fiber is in them appears to have been powdered – but they’re wonderfully flexible and easy to work with
ordinary wood tools. I cut a first layer to shape and clamped it onto the dodger frame, then laminated a
second layer over that, smooth side to smooth side. Finally, fastened the whole to the frame with screws and,
underneath, 5200, and painted the top surface with UV-resistant EasyPoxy deck paint.The result is stronger than Sunbrella, but not strong enough to stand upon except where I added a 1/2″ plywood
core in the middle section – because I intend to mount a small, flip-up boom crutch there. If I were doing it
again I might core the whole thing, but even as it is I’ll be able to mount small solar panels port &
starboard.I’m all of 5’7″ and definitely prefer looking through the dodger rather than over it. The whole point of a
spray dodger is to stand between the helmsman and oncoming wind and spray. Of course, the center section of
Strataglass on mine unzips and rolls up in fair weather and the rest of the windshield is clear, so I have
excellent visibility.Photos attached. Feel free to ask more questions if they arise.
Reef early,
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Tor,
Really nice looking job! I wish I had seen these photos a couple of months
back. I just replaced my dodger and would have preferred your solution.
Where did you get the grab rails mounted on the top?Rich – BlackSheep
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Thanks, Rich. The grab rails were bolted to the bare frame when I got the boat. I just removed them during the hardtop fabrication process, then re-bolted them on again. I believe I saw the identical handles for sale at West Marine.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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