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Post by MickeyB on Jan 28, 2019 7:51:50 GMT
Morning all, just wondering if anyone has attempted to build their own dodger and if it was worth the hassle?
I have a bimini which has an (unused) zipper along the front which I am told is for a dodger. As my forward bimini pole is quite forward I was wondering if I can just attach Sunbrella to it and literally measure to the normal protrusion for the dodger. Cut out some windows etc?
Must I have an additional metal frame if I have the bimini?
I am not intending on it being up in serious weather (I rarely go out or get caught in those conditions) so up to about a F6 max.
I so prefer building things myself, but don't want it to look stupidly odd without frames....
Thoughts?
Mike
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Post by rene460 on Jan 28, 2019 11:28:27 GMT
Hi Mike,
I paid to have mine made, but I am not sure that I achieved a lot over having a go, except saving my time. I expected that the expert would know the design tricks and have skills which I don’t have, but the result, while acceptable, was a bit ordinary. So I don’t see why you could not do it if you are handy with a sewing machine and have access to a reasonably heavy duty one. That said, I have also seen other setups where the design stood out as excellent, as did the workmanship. Had I found them early enough I would have been happy to pay for their skilled work and excellent design ideas. After nine years, the effect of weather is starting to show, though the original materials must have been good, as they are still not too bad, but I will get them made by a company I have tracked down recently when replacement becomes necessary. They do what my wife calls “pin and tuck” in her dressmaking activity, so made to measure rather than a pre-made design.
Our dodger and Bimini both stay up in all weathers. There is a gap between them which is necessary for the main sheet when sailing, but we have a panel which fills in the gap, attached by zips on the front of the Bimini and back of the dodger when we are moored or in the pen. Gives extra shade or shelter from rain, but we remove it in windy weather.
I am not sure how you would make a dodger without a frame. I had a guy bend an extra tube to help support the solar panel on the dodger, and he used a pipe bender that I have seen available and it might be viable to buy one, or track down a stainless steel fabricator to bend them up and do any welding for you. We have a hand hold welded to the aft bow of the dodger which I would not be without. Lots of design details worth thinking about.
rene460
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Post by rxc on Jan 28, 2019 18:26:32 GMT
I have both a bimini and a dodger, which I keep up all the time, plus side curtains, and this creates an enclosed space that has withstood F9 conditions across the Atlantic, a knock down to horizontal (the side curtains kept the water out of the boat and make it MUCH more pleasant to sail in cold weather), and all sorts of wet conditions. They are pretty common in the US, but seem to be rare in Europe. The dodger really needs the frame to support the canvas and forward windows. That zipper you have is for a separate "transition piece" between the dodger and the bimini.
You might be able to find old stainless tubing that people want to sell because they are upgrading to a new dodger, but you really do want to understand what you are doing to make sure it is mounted properly and does not compromise the operation of the boat. I have seen instructions for doing the canvas work but I would never consider it. You need a really good sewing machine, a large space to work, lots of clips to help figure out how to fit the canvas to the tubing (it is like tailoring a suit), and a good bit of experience. If you have never had one before, you won't even know what you need or want, and that will make it even harder.
You can see the back window behind me in the photo. Those tapes hanging down are used to roll up the curtains when the conditions are good. The side curtains also serve pretty well to keep the cats inside the cockpit.
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Post by Trevor on Jan 29, 2019 9:40:02 GMT
Hello MickeyB, I have a Sailrite sewing machine that I have used on many projects. If you are an amateur like me it takes some passion to learn what is required to manufacture a product that is functional and looks ok. Even sometimes with lots of passion things can go wrong and you end up with a product that is a bit rough. I think it is a difficult trade but with enough time and effort reasonable results can be made with significant savings by amateur trimers. I watched Sailrite videos on how to make a dodger. Very helpful indeed. It is important to have patience and the same materials that a professional would have in their workshop. The correct thread, correct zippers, correct canvas, correct glass(plastic see through material), correct bias binding to make the edges look nice etc. You need the correct materials even if you are only going to make one item. I used builders plastic to make a pattern. It is stuck to the stainless bows with basting tape (double sided sticky tape) and painstakingly set out for no wrinkles. It is them carefully marked to be later transferred to the canvas. The canvas is cut out and the various pieces assembled. The results are shown below. For this dodger I was lucky enough to have the stainless steel bows given to me by a friend. Setting out the pattern on the forward section.  www.23hq.com/yachtbird/photo/51108940/originalDetailed marks on pattern for transfer to canvas  www.23hq.com/yachtbird/photo/51108961/originalStainless bows very carefully held in place  www.23hq.com/yachtbird/photo/51108999/originalFinished Product  www.23hq.com/yachtbird/photo/51109030/originalDetail at front of dodger  www.23hq.com/yachtbird/photo/51109057/originalInside pocket added as suggested by "The Admiral" of our ship.  www.23hq.com/yachtbird/photo/51109072/originalA lot of the work is rough and the stitching is sometimes not as a professional would do but it was our first effort and satisfied our need for a lower cost dodger for our boat at the time. Regards, Trevor |
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Post by Trevor on Jan 29, 2019 10:41:41 GMT
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Post by rene460 on Jan 29, 2019 22:56:59 GMT
Hi Trevor, you have done a wonderful job on that dodger and Bimini. Excellent fit, sewing and design details. You can be very proud of it.
As you say, having the right machine and then all the materials is key. Your work would stand up very well beside any of the professional jobs I have seen.
well done,
rene460
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Post by sitara on Jan 30, 2019 0:22:20 GMT
Trevor, most impressive canvas work. I have seen plenty of dodgers made by professionals that don't look this good.
I got a quote for a bimini a few years ago and was horrified at the cost. I was able to buy all the materials for the bimini including frame and a walking foot sewing machine (very similar to the sailrite) for half the cost and made my own. It has been up for five years now and is still fine. You have inspired me to do the dodger, an exercise that I have kept putting off. One question for you - how did you attach the leading edge of the dodger to the deck? Rob
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Post by Trevor on Jan 30, 2019 8:19:36 GMT
Many thanks Rene460 and Rob for those positive comments. Rob, the dodger is secured to the deck with sail track. Plastic sail track can curve nicely and follow the profile you want. In the case of the Beneteau that dodger was for, during manufacture the deck cross hatching was smoothed on the curve that the dodger was meant to follow so very easy to simply put the sail track up the centre of that smooth part. On the bottom of the dodger is sewn a "keder strip", a flexible strip that perfectly fits up into the sail track. If you sew the keder strip in the correct place, the bottom edge of the dodger covers the sail track so it never has to endure any UV from sun and the join is hidden behind the edge. You can see the end of the sail track and the white keder strip if you look at the last photo of the dodger post, just behind the stainless frame deck mount. I think it is good to try these things. It is a great hobby although it is sometimes quite daunting!  One comment about replacing a dodger or bimini. If you like the look of the existing canvas work, you can use the old material as a pattern. However, if it is loose and misshaped, using the old one as a pattern will give you a misshaped new one just with new material. I did this once in the early days with a bimini. It was very disappointing as I thought new material may have changed how it draped on the frame. My wife advised me of what would happen and guess what? She was 100% right!!!!!!! I hate that!  Regards, Trevor |
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Post by MickeyB on Jan 30, 2019 9:39:04 GMT
Fantastic work there!! Really impressive and now I got the bug - I think I will have to try myself.
Appears I do need a frame though which will add to the cost, but I think it will be worth it. Will try to find some poles now....
Thanks to all.
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Post by zofiasailing on Jan 31, 2019 1:26:29 GMT
As always, a fantastic project completed and documented by Trevor!
Can recommend Sunbrella Plus for any area that needs to be waterproof and there is no such thing as too much double sided basting tape!
Cheers
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