Self-Building a Hard Dodger

[Rhosyn Mor]

well... I had heard that ABS had no UV protection. This was my thinking.
1. at the cost and time (117 and 2-3 hours) if it lasts 5 years, I am a happy guy
2. Can always paint the stuff, Automotive paint works well on ABS, ( Perhaps a spray painted Madonna and Child, of course then I would have to have a stainless chain link steering wheel, and a hula girl on the transom)

[Charlie]

Sounds like a good idea RM:

If you paint the ABS it should laast a good long time. I don't know where you will hang your fuzzy dice as most boats don't have rearview mirrors.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Rhosyn Mor

well... I had heard that ABS had no UV protection. This was my thinking.
1. at the cost and time (117 and 2-3 hours) if it lasts 5 years, I am a happy guy
2. Can always paint the stuff, Automotive paint works well on ABS, ( Perhaps a spray painted Madonna and Child, of course then I would have to have a stainless chain link steering wheel, and a hula girl on the transom)

Or use PVC pipe.

[neelie]

I guess at $117 and only 3 hours to fabricate, if it only lasts a couple of years it probably still makes economic sense. The only question remaining is the rate of deterioration due to UV.

[speedoo]

Hey RM.... interesting solution, especially given your cost and time invested.

How strong do you expect it to be... Will you be able to stand on it? A hard dodger for me will have to be strong enough to take my (substantial) weight in order to allow me to get to the boom to put my mainsail away.

[Charlie]

Here is a link to the tap plastic site. The offer a product called ultra white PVC. I called them and they quoted me a cost of $242. To me this seemed like a good deal since I would want to get quite a few years.

The question of strength to stand on whatever you put up there is going to depend on the support posts and the span between rafters. I have a cloth dodger now and I can't stand on it but I can lean over it to get to my mainsail.

[captjohn360]

charlie wheres the link....jt

[Extemporaneous]

If it is that easy to form, how do you think it would work it you laminated it with fiberglass once you've got the shape you want. It would become the core material. Like a non removable plug.

What do you think?

Extemp.

[s/v Jedi]

If I would have that nicely formed piece of ABS, I would have waxed it already with the first couple of layers glass and epoxy on it ;-) Seriously, you did 50% of the work for a fibreglass top here.

cheers,
Nick.

[Benjamaphone]

There is a fiberglass product that is about 1/8" thick and comes in a big roll 50" wide. We use it to cover our hardtops and hard dodger designs.

Its easy to work with; can be cut with heavy duty shears (basically big scissors), is completely waterproof and UV resistant and is very light. It can also be easily drilled for attachment point at the edges. The frame is constructed out of 1.90" anodized aluminum, basically the industry standard for hardtops, t-tops and dodgers.

[Colorado Dreamer]

Originally Posted by waterdog

I did a hard dodger on my last boat. 3 layers laminated 1/4" ply with epoxy glass over top. Windows were removable acrylic. It was a great upgrade to the boat. I would do one again.

Very cool waterdog. I am thinking of doing this same thing on our boat. Did you document your construction on a blog or here on the forums somewhere?

[waterdog]

Colorado,

I didn't document it. This is a little different than some of the hard skin on frames described in this thread. This version of a hard dodger you can jump up and down on.

First step was matching the overall curve of the cabin top. I used a straight edge and measured the rise of the arch eg. 4" over six feet or whatever. Then I used a wood batten to replicate the same curve onto plywood forms. Run the batten over three nails and you get a fair curve which is pleasing to the eye.

Then I nailed the first sheet of plywood to the form with finish nails. I spread epoxy on it and screwed the second sheet onto the first. Let cure. Remove the screws and spread more epoxy on and screw on sheet 3. Let cure, pop off the forms, and pull the finish nails out the underside.

I cut to shape rounding corners and whatnot so it looks shippy and no hips get snagged exiting the cockpit. I put half round wood strips front and back for drip rails and to give an edge to grab on. Covered with a layer of glass and several coats of epoxy.

The sides are 3/4 plywood. The slopes match the sides of the cabin top. I started with cardboard. Then cut 1/4" inch ply from the carboard templates and finally did the final pieces out of 3/4" plywood. The sides are scribed to the dodger top and the cabin top to give a perfect fit.

I recessed dados for the lexan windows to fit in. They were held by clips that could twist out for easy removal of the windows.

Underneath, If fitted it out with LED dome light, integrated storage for the window inserts, and a little chart slot. On top, grabrails and some criss crossing bungies to hold down whatever.

On, my new boat I installed a canvas dodger with grabrails. Nice unit, but I really wish I had taken the time to build another rigid dodger. Much more versatile.

[Colorado Dreamer]

Originally Posted by waterdog

Colorado,

I didn't document it. This is a little different than some of the hard skin on frames described in this thread. This version of a hard dodger you can jump up and down on.

First step was matching the overall curve of the cabin top. I used a straight edge and measured the rise of the arch eg. 4" over six feet or whatever. Then I used a wood batten to replicate the same curve onto plywood forms. Run the batten over three nails and you get a fair curve which is pleasing to the eye.

Then I nailed the first sheet of plywood to the form with finish nails. I spread epoxy on it and screwed the second sheet onto the first. Let cure. Remove the screws and spread more epoxy on and screw on sheet 3. Let cure, pop off the forms, and pull the finish nails out the underside.

I cut to shape rounding corners and whatnot so it looks shippy and no hips get snagged exiting the cockpit. I put half round wood strips front and back for drip rails and to give an edge to grab on. Covered with a layer of glass and several coats of epoxy.

The sides are 3/4 plywood. The slopes match the sides of the cabin top. I started with cardboard. Then cut 1/4" inch ply from the carboard templates and finally did the final pieces out of 3/4" plywood. The sides are scribed to the dodger top and the cabin top to give a perfect fit.

I recessed dados for the lexan windows to fit in. They were held by clips that could twist out for easy removal of the windows.

Underneath, If fitted it out with LED dome light, integrated storage for the window inserts, and a little chart slot. On top, grabrails and some criss crossing bungies to hold down whatever.

On, my new boat I installed a canvas dodger with grabrails. Nice unit, but I really wish I had taken the time to build another rigid dodger. Much more versatile.

I think this will be my summer project. It sounds like the way you built yours is along the lines of how I planned to do mine. Thank you for the post.

[sandy daugherty]

Gord: what happens to exposed ABS? Will it chalk out, or sag in the heat?

[nautical62]

Just a couple more thoughts on ABS:

It is the material of choice for quality plastic canoes. However in support of what GordMay said I find the life of these canoes to be pathetically short if kept outside: Less than 10 years. For comparison, I know of aluminum canoes that are 50 years old and should be good for another 50. I imagine an ABS hard top, sailed in the lower lattitudes would degrade from UV even faster, though one might be able to live with a degarding hard top a bit longer as well.

Sandy, I can't speak for Gord, but my experience with ABS outside, is it first fades, then gets chalky, then begins to get more brittle and also begins to physically degrade: Cracking, pitting, etc at which time it is also much more prone to catastrophic failure.

Often one must decide between ease of construction & cost versus longevity. When weighing this, the scales may tip differently for different people.

Considering the UV tolerence is something to think about when purchasing sit on top kayaks, etc as tenders which may be stored on deck as well.