tophatyachts.com

Im going to get a dodger made for my TH M1.
Anyone have any pictures, or contacts to get 1 made????

Hard or soft dodger?
Im considering a hard dodger, can put solar panels on it, can collect water on it, use it as boom gallows etc.
Only you need to get the design & build of the hard dodgers right, a lot of ugly hard dodgers out there already don't want to add another.
cheers

Shaun, do you have any sketches of your ideas or pics of made-up ones on other boats perhaps? I have been wondering about them for ages and would be interested in your thoughts.

Louis

Im all for a soft dodger with a center zip down screen. There must be people around who custom make these. I also want a zip on it so the rolled up bimini canvass can extend to dodger for complete cockpit shade. With the lifeline screens in cockpit and all this it would almost be a pilot house! I have a vision!
I havent seen any tophat dodgers yet.

Not exactly like this but along these lines would be nice...


Subtle sloop down to the front, grab rails & solar on top, low so not to obstruct view when standing, opening window on the front of it for ventilation.

All of my halyards(& reefing) is directly above the companion way so design will be important, also don't want to be banging my head on it.

I had a dodger on my Mark 111 when I bought her - it is a pretty simple arrangement, with 2 zipped plastic "windscreens" that can be rolled up when you want ventilation.
I would be only too happy to share a photo if someone could advise me how to upload a photo.
Cheers,
Kevin
Wayward Lady (a Mark 111)
Williamstown, Victoria

My dodger is great but makes the main sheet position tricky. My cockpit was split by the traveler and the mainsheet so I'm experimenting with moving the main sheet to mid boom and losing the traveler.. in my experience the traveler rarely gets moved from the middle anyway (which everyone disagrees with! but i still see them always in the middle.. ) and i think having a good vang to keep the boom down is good enough for sail shape.. what do people think? I've been reading up on it a bit and no traveler seems to be reasonable..

It's freed up the cockpit but i haven't sailed it yet

anyway here's some photos of the dodger and new mainsheet setup etc

cheers
shea

I think id prefer the main sheet traveller left alone somehow with the dodger working around it. a bit tricky though aye!
Personally i like the option of having the main traveller hard to 1 side.
Interested to see more dodger applicatons!

You could install a round bar traveller. This is essentially the same tube as your bow rail, fitted in an arch across the front of the dodger to the top of the coach roof. The lines controlling the car (different to a norma car) it can be led through small blocks and back to remote jaw cleats closer to the helm if need be.

Or, there are some companies who sell traveller kits for boats with dodgers. It's worth a google.....

A traveller is important for some points of sail to keep the sail shape whilst sailing off the wind, and can be used to come even closer to the wind in some circumstances.