Hi, sorry for late reply, just saw your note. Yes, our dodger is factory fitted. I'm about 5'11 and it just skims the top of my head if I stand tall. I have the optional teak floor grate and in that case I have to bend my head down a bit in order not to hit the dodger. Yes you can open the center panel in the dodger to get air flow though the dodger at anchor. One advantage of the dodger is it is a nice place to mount solar panels. I have a post on the forum what shows a picture of this. I installed 300watts of 17% efficient solar panesl (2 x 100 watt and 2 x 50 watt). Very useful to keep batteries charged and run electronics without the engine. Hard dodger has been useful in heavy weather. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Regards,
Phil

Hi PiMatrix, I noticed the photo of your Catalina 445 with hard dodger on this forum. I have a Cat 445 on order (my third Catalina) and I am contemplating a hard dodger. I assume yours is a factory fitted option. Could you tell me how much head room there is under the dodger i.e distance from cockpit floor to dodger, please. Also can you open the centre panel in the dodger to get air flow under the dodger when at anchor? Any other thoughts on pro or cons of the hard dodger would be appreciated
Whim003
Sydney, Australia