Refit after Hawaii Cruise--and "Hey, Why no Dodger?"
- Thread starter Christian Williams
- Start date
Bolo
Contributing Partner
Christian, Looks to me that all your Ericsons have all become "test beds" for sailing and for that I, and I'm sure for other Ericson owners, we are all grateful because you share the knowledge from your experiences. As for "cockpit canvas", well you're right, it's a matter of personal preference but also, in my case, "marital preference" too! Yes, I'm a married sailor and I'd bet that most wives of sailors, like your wife, prefer to have a dodger protecting their "dews" while sailing along on a windy, rainy or hot day. Mine certainly does even though I have gone over the benefits with her of not having a dodger but as they say, "Happy Wife, happy life." Even though I realize all of the benefits of a boat with little or no cockpit canvas I must confess that I too feel more comfortable with a dodger, bimini (mine cannot be folded down) and yes, even the connect that joins the two. Blame it on my fair 100% Eastern European skin and the fact that I've had cancer twice. Neck cancer once, that had the potential of killing me, which I beat with a rather heavy exposure to surgery, chemo and radiation. The second time it was skin cancer on my nose that require a special surgical technique called "Mohs Surgery".
All that has made me a bit paranoid, to say the least, about sun exposure that I also combat with copious amount of sun screen and large brim sun hats or at least baseball caps. During my bi-yearly visits to my dermatologist he always asks about what I'm doing to protect myself from the sun because he knows that I'm a sailor. So, cockpit canvas is a compromise for me although I'd rather sail without it. But if I must, I try and make it as ascetically pleasing and functional as possible. I've also been thinking of adding some flexible solar panels to the top of the bimini, as long as it's there, to help out the batteries when I anchor for a few days in a row. As for looking up at the sails, which I too often do, I had the canvas maker put an observation "port" in the bimini just about the helm (I'm sure you've seen them) which I eventually replaced with solid plexiglass after the clear plastic window cracked from the sun exposure!
By the way, I absolutely love Brussel sprouts, especially in a nice butter sauce!
All that has made me a bit paranoid, to say the least, about sun exposure that I also combat with copious amount of sun screen and large brim sun hats or at least baseball caps. During my bi-yearly visits to my dermatologist he always asks about what I'm doing to protect myself from the sun because he knows that I'm a sailor. So, cockpit canvas is a compromise for me although I'd rather sail without it. But if I must, I try and make it as ascetically pleasing and functional as possible. I've also been thinking of adding some flexible solar panels to the top of the bimini, as long as it's there, to help out the batteries when I anchor for a few days in a row. As for looking up at the sails, which I too often do, I had the canvas maker put an observation "port" in the bimini just about the helm (I'm sure you've seen them) which I eventually replaced with solid plexiglass after the clear plastic window cracked from the sun exposure!
By the way, I absolutely love Brussel sprouts, especially in a nice butter sauce!
Teranodon
Member III
Dodgers are an excrescence. I did exactly what Christian recommended: took the dodger off just to experience what it would be like. What a difference! All of a sudden, I could see ahead of the bow without a nasty piece of plastic in the way. Plus, my E34 looks much, much sharper. All this was four years ago, and I'm not even sure where the thing is anymore. Protection from the rain? What rain? I sail on Puget sound. During the primary April - September season, we just don't get any. For sunny days at anchor, I have a simple, inexpensive bimini off of Amazon. Takes about 10 minutes to deploy and covers the whole cockpit.
We're of light skinned Danish and Irish descent and have had the first skin cancer scare/removal, so shade has been mandated. We also get a lot more rain in the Chesapeake than Southern California does.
I like this O'Day 322 showing another way to go at it with a removable front windscreen and connector between the dodger & bimini.
I like this O'Day 322 showing another way to go at it with a removable front windscreen and connector between the dodger & bimini.
I had a dodger. I took it off. It's very much easier to operate the winches and lines, easier to see forward on busy bay days, one fewer set of canvas covers to take off and put on.
I think the value is best explained as a "spray-hood." With green water coming over the bow, or blowing off the peaks of the waves in 20kts, sitting in the companionway looking forward through the dodger is rather warm and pleasant, and still close enough to hop out and make adjustments if needed. Without the hood, you're only as warm and dry as what you are wearing allows.
Also: Vesper is a pretty boat. Look at that nice dark Navy Blue all around(!)
I think the value is best explained as a "spray-hood." With green water coming over the bow, or blowing off the peaks of the waves in 20kts, sitting in the companionway looking forward through the dodger is rather warm and pleasant, and still close enough to hop out and make adjustments if needed. Without the hood, you're only as warm and dry as what you are wearing allows.
Also: Vesper is a pretty boat. Look at that nice dark Navy Blue all around(!)
Bolo
Contributing Partner
Thanks for the compliment, goldenstate! The hand rails on the sides of the dodge make it much easier to go forward especially in rough weather which doesn't happen too often cause all lines, including reefing lead into the cockpit. Yes, there is some restriction as far as the winches are concerned but not that much IMO. The winch on the port side of my boat is for taking in the reefing lines and I can get almost a full 360 with the handle but I rarely need to do that to tighten up the lines. On the starboard side there is a winch for the main sheet and main halyard and when I use them I'm moving the winch handle back and forth only. The biggest restriction is with the main halyard which I pull up without using the winch till it needs to be tightened thanks to the low friction Tides track I installed. As for seeing though the dodger the front "glass" is rolled up most of the time and only zipped down in rain or rough "seas" on the Chesapeake where a short chop in the right direction can bring water up over the bow like every 30 seconds or so and a dodger does help with keeping drier. When I sail I'm usually sitting on the windward side, looking around the dodger, with one hand one the wheel anyway. Also, the sides on my dodger can be un-zipped and taken off which we do often when the hot weather comes around. Doing that along with rolling the front glass up and we have almost no dodger at all. Doing that a In short, I'm use to having a dodger.
Somewhat older photo. The reffing line clutches and winch on the port side were replaced with, four Spinklock clutches and all clew and tack reefing lines brought into the cockpit, and a smaller non-self-tailing winch.
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jtsai
Member III
Geographical location and climate have large influences on boat designs and what we put on the boats. I would not have dodger or bimini either if rarely rains and humidity is low year round. Perhaps that's why there are many songs about California weather, none about east coast's humid summer.
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For the Ericson insider crowd, a few points I didn't have time for:
--Boats of our vintage have deep cockpit seating which provides shelter against the cabin house. The new boats, which raise the cockpit to accommodate an aft cabin, often put cockpit crews sitting in the wind. A dodger helps then.
--I cut the best benefit of dodgers: the sturdy dodger grab rail which helps the move from deck to cockpit.
--I wanted to mention the usefulness of the companionway dodger--Loren had one. It covers only that, not the deckhouse. It allows the sliding hatch open in the rain.
--I forgot that "dodger" is an Americanism, and puzzles everybody who calls it a "spray hood," which is in fact more descriptive.
--Singlehanders have an empty cockpit most of the time. But these days, with the advent of affordable self steering, so do most cruising crews in bad weather. There's no reason to sit in the cold spray or rain the way we used to.
--Boats of our vintage have deep cockpit seating which provides shelter against the cabin house. The new boats, which raise the cockpit to accommodate an aft cabin, often put cockpit crews sitting in the wind. A dodger helps then.
--I cut the best benefit of dodgers: the sturdy dodger grab rail which helps the move from deck to cockpit.
--I wanted to mention the usefulness of the companionway dodger--Loren had one. It covers only that, not the deckhouse. It allows the sliding hatch open in the rain.
--I forgot that "dodger" is an Americanism, and puzzles everybody who calls it a "spray hood," which is in fact more descriptive.
--Singlehanders have an empty cockpit most of the time. But these days, with the advent of affordable self steering, so do most cruising crews in bad weather. There's no reason to sit in the cold spray or rain the way we used to.
Gary Holford
Member II
Love the interior of your boat. My 27' has a bimini which folds back and what I call a poor man's dodger. Basically it is a piece of clear thick vinyl or PVC sandwiched on two ends to 1/2" plastic slats. Front ties to the hand rail and the back rides over the bimini and ties to the backstay or whatever works. It keeps rain and waves mostly out of the cabin/cockpit and the helmsman's face and is rolled up and stowed when not needed. Sorry I don't have a picture handy I'm in the Rio on the winter boat.
gabriel
Live free or die hard
An dodger\enclosed cockpit turns a sailboat cockpit from what can either be, hot, wet, cold, windy into a cozier place where the majority of non sailors feel more comfortable (and parents with kids). some people make this a priority over performance or being able to check sails every five minutes. Different strokes for different folks.
Absent the 5,000-word essays and the loaded words (ie., excrescence), there's always this: If you're out sailing in a down coat with a thermos of warm coffee while your guests have the blankets out, you're likely very pleased to have a dodger.
July 2020 and August 2021 in the south Puget Sound. Smiles, everyone.
July 2020 and August 2021 in the south Puget Sound. Smiles, everyone.
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Richie 32-3
Member I
Nice upgrades Christian, I do have a question, I am adding new Genoa sheets this season and like the idea of one continuous sheet with a Larks head knot. Do you experience any slippage with this knot, is there anything I should know about using it, Thanks
gabriel
Live free or die hard
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Larks head knot. Do you experience any slippage
No, not at all. In fact, it takes pliers and patience to get it off when the time comes.
No, not at all. In fact, it takes pliers and patience to get it off when the time comes.
Alan Gomes
Sustaining Partner
In other words, you were wearing your dodger.
peaman
Sustaining Member
That's what I had on my 32-3 when I bought it last March, and it worked fine all last season. I don't think I had seen that since I got the idea to do that on my 15' dinghy nearly 40 years ago. It might not work for racers, in event of a quick sail change, but it seems like an improvement otherwise.
-->Larks head on single sheet:
Sounds like a great idea. My large bowline knots do get hung up on tacks and I had to add nylon rings to the sheets to keep the knots out of the whisker pole jaws.
Glad I haven't yet replaced the ones I inherited. I'll replace with a single.
Sounds like a great idea. My large bowline knots do get hung up on tacks and I had to add nylon rings to the sheets to keep the knots out of the whisker pole jaws.
Glad I haven't yet replaced the ones I inherited. I'll replace with a single.