Nearly There

A major part of the construction is complete. The dodger is now ready for the frame and final fitting on the boat.

I got the top and front panels assembled a couple of days ago, and just this evening I added the trim along the aft edge and installed the rear zippered sleeve, which I cut shorter than Sailrite directed so it wouldn't interfere with the side windows.

Here are a few pictures of the fit so far. The dodger fits good and tight between the forward and aft bows. The wrinkles on the sides will (should) disappear when the front panel is tightly attached to the deck and the sides are finished and secured. Moderate tension in the right spots smooths it out nicely. Once the weather cooperates, I'll peel off Ariel's cover and reinstall the frame, fit the dodger, and take some final measurements to determine side curtain size. I have patterns, but I'm rethinking their size.

I omitted Sailrite's tail piece, as they call it, a flap designed to wick water away from the dodger's underside. Instead, I'm going to add a zippered flap to the top of the aft panel, right near the rear bow. This flap won't do much to wick away water, but it will allow us to quickly connect a cockpit shade that will be secured aft, most likely at the backstay. I arrived at this idea only recently, so I'll need to order a couple more yards of Captain Navy Sunbrella. The shade, and its ease of installation, will be a major plus during those scorching windless summer days.












A couple observations about the Sailrite kit:
- Include zipper terminations rather than melting or whipping teeth
- Attach the forward zipper from the aft sleeve directly to the top panel - there's no need to add the complexity of cutting the tabling strip in half, installing the zipper in that, hemming the ends, adding a 1/4" fold, then stitching the assembly to the top panel. Next time (if that happens), I'm stitching the zipper to the top panel with a piping piece sandwiched between for reinforcement.
- And while I'm on "next time," rather than construct the dodger out of four separate panels - top, front, two side panels - why not make it out of two: a top panel long enough to create the side panels, with a nice fair curve along the aft edge; a front panel that doesn't terminate at the dodger frame and mounting point, but one that runs aft, right into the top panel (side curtains).
- Patterning: pattern all pieces on the frame, one on top of the other, carefully transferring match-up marks. Oh, yes, don't use the cheap plastic junk that Sailrite includes in their kit; use Canvex(?).
- It's not necessary to follow the kit's steps in order. In fact, doing so makes it incredibly difficult to do detail/finishwork on the panels. I didn't follow Sailrite's suggested order, and instead worked with the panels separately, a much simpler proposition.
- Beef up thread size. V-92 is probably sufficient, but why not either upsize the thread or buy a stronger thread - such as Profilen?
- Use contrasting thread for accent. I assumed that the kit would come with white thread, but instead it came with black. I considered going with white, but decided that using a less visible thread would be a better option for an amateur, who might not always make the most even stitches. In retrospect, I'm to the point where I feel fairly confident about being able to stitch prettily enough, so I should have gone with it.
- With all of that said, the Sailrite kit is very complete, the directions are clear, and it's a great introduction to the art and craft of dodger making. Their designs, and the amateurs that produce them, are better than many professional dodgers I've seen. With a bit of tweaking, one can have an even more professional looking dodger. I'm very happy with Sailrite, and I will patronize them again.