Hard Dodger Construction

After sailing in the tropics where the rain is very heavy I decided that a canvas dodger was just not waterproof enough plus when the wind really blows it shakes like a tree branch.  The solution was to build a hard dodger.  The best I have seen is on a van de Stadt Samoa design like Beth Leonard's Hawk.  All the rest looked like add-ons.  I realized I did not have the talent of van de Stadt and I was adding on to an existing setup with jammers, instruments and boom travellers. 

I made a stupid decision to cooperate with a person building an Adams in Newcastle.  Mistake - big time.  Well I finally took the mould and dodger back to Canberra and finished it as best I could plus installing the polycarbonate windows.  This was all undertaken with the clock ticking as the sailing deadline drew closer.

The dodger may be removed at any time and the canvas restored.  This is an essential piece of safety equipment not only to keep the water out but is secure to hold onto when exiting the cockpit.  It is made so one can stand on the roof and navigate through the reefs and bommies in the Pacific.

 Bluewater Yachts is now recommending their dodger design to be fitted to all new Bluewater 420.  It is a very sturdy construction and adds quite some weight.

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