Details, Details

As of Saturday evening the side curtains are fabricated and attached. I ended up using the pattern for the port side to create both side curtains to ensure that they'd be identical. I was in a hurry and didn't take any pictures of the construction. The process was much like the other panel construction.




Mom and dad were here for the weekend, so dad and I went over to the boat today to work out the attachment details for the front panel. I'd purchased some PVC channel material from Sailrite last week, so we determined the mounting locations. One section of track will mount to the aft end of the seahood, just under the traveler. The other will mount on the port deck just beneath the traveler. I brought the seahood home to over-drill, fill with epoxy, redrill and tap for final mounting. The holes in the deck will have to wait until I get an angle attachment for my drill or rotary tool that will allow me to get under the traveler - my current angle attachment is too big.

Sailrite's awning track:



Fastening the forward edge of the dodger to the deck with snaps or twist-locks is standard practice, but neither dad nor I like the idea of projections cluttering up the deck when the dodger's off the boat, hence the awning track idea. The track requires creating a boltrope along the edge of the dodger, but sewing as one continuous piece along the dodger would make it difficult to install or take down. Borrowing an idea from some dodger construction pictures floating around the internet, I decided to create zippered panels that attach to the boltrope on one end and the dodger on the other. Then, installing or removing the dodger is a matter of zipping the front panel in place. Much simpler - not to mention slicker.

Test Fit

I had the day off so Jake and I removed Ariel's cover and reinstalled the dodger frame to do a test fit. I need to determine just how best to attach the dodger's edges to the boat. I'm not eager to use a bunch of snaps, so I think I'll order some awning track from Sailrite and boltrope material so attach the majority of the front panel to the traveler bridge. The dodger is wrinkled in all of the pictures because it isn't secured along the forward edges, but the pictures give a basic idea of the final appearance.

Zipper-flap-thingie

Mother Nature is toying with my emotions. The weather service is forecasting snow tomorrow and ice on Sunday, so it doesn't look like Ariel's cover is coming off any time soon.

Before cleaning up my mess in the living room and dining room, I added a flap to the aft edge of the dodger that will allow us to quickly attach a cockpit shade. I cut a piece of Sunbrella 50" long and 1-1/4" wide to match the rear curve, attached one half of the zipper, and added binding to all of the edges. I then sewed the piece to the dodger top.

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.

Panel Assembly

Basting tape ready for vinyl trim along forward edge of top panel.


Vinyl trim prior to sewing panels together.


Top and forward panels joined together.


Detail of forward seam and binding. Seam includes top panel, vinyl trim, front panel, and zippered sleeve.


Forward trim secured.


Detail of forward trim.


Top and front panels assembled.

Hiccup

Last night it dawned on me that there was a potential problem with the aft zippered sleeve interfering with the side panel window. Sure enough. It turns out that the sleeve is supposed to be secured in the area where it overlaps the window. I appear to have two options: terminate the sleeve above the window, or reduce the witdh of the sleeve. Terminating the sleeve above the window is probably the easiest option, but what I don't know is if doing so will prevent the dodger from fitting snugly in the lower part of the side panel. I loathe the thought of a wrinkly, loose-fitting dodger, especially after all the work. The alternative, reducing the sleeve's width, might be a better route, but it may make it difficult (or impossible) to secure the dodger to the aft bow since the sleeve tolerances would be so narrow.