Anticipation

Now that the major pieces of the dodger are taking shape, it's nearly time to begin assembling the panels. Last night I constructed the two zippered sleeves that attach the dodger to the forward and aft bows. Tonight I'll cut and bind the tabling strips that form the small flap that extends beyond the dodger's aft edge - I'll probably add zippers to that piece as well to give us the option of adding a zip-on awning for the cockpit. Other steps will have to wait until I get a shipment from Sailrite - a yard of SurLast to reinforce and protect the aft edge of the dodger, Sunbrella facing to trim out the inside edges of the windows, and another yard of Captain Navy Sunbrella to use for the side curtains. Once those parts are in place, it will be on to final assembly.

Dodger Panel Construction

With the drifter project completed and some minor sail repair on the Yankee jib out of the way, I got back to work on the dodger kit that dad and I had started back in the fall. Resuming the project after being away from it for so long required at least a few hours of mental preparation as I did my best to recall how we'd gone about patterning and cutting the panels months ago. Once I felt confident, I cut the remaining pieces - 2 tabling strips to reinforce the aft edge of the dodger, and a sleeve for the front bow zipper.

With that done, the instructions indicated that "now is a good time to install the windows," and that was about it - not much in the way of just how to go about it. Fortunately, I'd purchased Sailrite's "Constructing a Dodger" DVD a few years ago, so I reviewed the relevant sections and began working on designing the windows for the front panel.

Although the Sailrite DVD suggests designing the windows on the Strataglass, then adhering each one separately to the back of the fabric with basting tape, I decided that I'd be more comfortable drawing my design on the front of the fabric - with all of the necessary stitch, fold, and cut marks - then position the Strataglass on the back and cut along the lines to reveal the window material. The window design for the front panel came together nicely and allowed me to simply sew one long piece of Strataglass to the panel, then make the cuts in the fabric to reveal the windows. To ensure a smoother finish and allow a little more flexibility, I cut the window material into three separate panels once it was stitched in place. My hope is that the cuts will allow the panel to follow the contours of the deck and the frame more smoothly. The pictures below demonstrate some of this process.



Center window pattern and measurements.


Port window measurements and design.


Fabric cut away, revealing window, and edges finished.


Detail of lower radius.


Detail of corner and stitching.


Completed front panel windows.

This morning I went back to work on the top panel. I really like the look of windows in the shape of inverted triangles on either side of the dodger, so I set about to add them. I managed to take more pictures of this process since I was more comfortable with the process and wasn't so worried about wasting nearly $200 of Strataglass.

I made a few measurements of the dodger frame before beginning to ensure that the side windows were located as high as possible without being too high - I wanted them to begin just below the bend in the bows.



Side window measurements and design.


Cut Strataglass ready to begin stitching to back of fabric. Checking for size.


Securing Strataglass to fabric. First row of stitches along outside edge of window material.




Outer row of stitches completed. Strataglass secured to fabric now and ready to be exposed. (Dashed line within inner triangle represents location of grab bar)


Fabric removed, exposing Strataglass.


Cutting reliefs and folding the fabric under itself to finish the inner edge.


Ibuprofen cap worked well for forming the corner radius.


Material folded and ready for row of stitches along inner edge.


All three corners folded and ready for stitching.


Laying down inner stitches.


One window sewn in place (back side), one to go.


Both windows sewn in place and inner edge of Strataglass trimmed.

The boy made off with my ruler and pencil.



One of the hazards of spreading out my mess in the middle of the living room is that both boys are always eager to "help".

Jib Repair

Dad and I dragged the Yankee jib out of the bag Sunday evening and made some repairs. The stitching along the luff was chafed through in places, exposing the cable. I restitched it in the worst spots, then decided to add new material along the luff to reinforce the seam. I had some 3" luff tape on hand, so dad creased it while I removed the jackline and snaps. I laid down a row of straight stitches as close to the luff wire as possible, then a row of zig zag stitches along the edge. I stayed up until I'd finished seizing the snaps and eyes back to the sail. With Emiliano Marino's book perched on the footstool in front of me, I followed his illustrations until I had the seizing process down. My hands were red and sore by the end, but it was fun. I'm guessing that the seizings will outlast our thirty-year-old sails!















I need to order a new Swedish snap to install near the head since this old snap is worn.

Drifter Done

Between watching the boys and taking care of other business around home, I was able to spend some time finishing the drifter. Wrapping up the construction included:

1. A line of straight stitches along the inside edge of the boltrope
2. Securing the head thimble to the sail
3. Installing two brass rings with whipping at the head and foot
4. Adding leather chafe protection at the head, tack, and clew
5. Installing spur grommets along luff
6. Installing Swedish snaps along luff

I grossly underestimated the amount of time involved in all the handwork. What I thought would take about 4 or 5 hours was almost double. Watching the boys while trying to finish the sail contributed to the extra time, but not by much.

Here are some pictures of the final steps.



Clew (with obligatory blood offering)



Swedish snap installed on luff



Head with reinforcement and snap

My handwork isn't the prettiest, but it should be effective. With more practice my handwork should look better.

I said in my previous post that I wasn't going to add the snaps just yet. After thinking about it and considering the geometry of the sail, I decided that the sail wouldn't set well without being hanked to the forestay. So, rather than fuss with adding snaps in the middle of sailing season, I took care of it now.

Drifter Details

Work on the drifter continues. I worked a bit Saturday evening and today, and I'm nearly done. I added the reinforcement along the luff, foot, and leech, and installed the leechline and luffrope. I have some handwork to do still, then I'll trim out the three corners with leather. I've decided not to add the snaps. I think we'll try setting this thing flying and see how it looks. If it's clear that we'd be better off hanking it to the forestay, then I'll install the snaps. This will be our first season with a light air sail, so I suppose we'll be doing some experimenting before we know just what will work best.

Once the drifter is done, it's on to the dodger. Spring is rapidly approaching.




Unfinished tack. I still need to finish some stitching and add leather reinforcement.


Tack and the head. Again, more stitching to be done.


Leech.


Leechline visible through tape reinforcement.





Leechline cam installation. Sailrite's suggested method of mushrooming the rivets didn't work. I'm going to drill them out and use a proper pop-rivet tool.