Pram Hood Design Improvements

[John Stone]

I don’t have a dodger on the Far Reach. I am very happy with the pram hood style hood over the companionway. For the last five years we have sailed with a homemade hood patterned exactly on the one used by Lin and Larry Pardey on Taleisin. It has worked very well. The hoop is semi flexible black plastic irrigation pipe and the white material is heavy weight Stamoid.

The hoods concept is very simple. One of the things I like is its low profile. Your eye is not pulled to it so it blends in to the boat. But, the key to making it work is its clever hinge mechanism. With the push of the hand it hinges forward to allow unobstructed entering and exiting of the companionway. The hood snaps back because of the shock corded hinge. Another neat feature is it is totally removable and stows flat. I like that. You can see a close up of the bronze attachment plates I installed diluting the rebuild if you click here snd scroll 2/3 of the way down. http://www.farreachvoyages.com/projects/wrinkles.html

But, I would like to make some improvement to the appearance. By that, I mean another bow to extend the hood forward slightly in the middle and eliminate the concave “dish” of the forward face. However, I have not figured out how to add the second bow without degrading the general design. One of the restraints we have is the distance between the mast and the forward edge of the open companionway—it is 8.5’. But, the Fatty Knees hard dinghy is 9’. So, the dinghy overlaps the open companionway about 8”. The pram hood cover has to slip under the transom of the dinghy yet not leak or collect water, which it doesn’t. If the bow frames are too tall they will hit the transom of the dinghy.

I have been so happy with the pram hood approach I am considering replacing ours with a more refined and permanent (though still removable) design. It would still be hinged but it would be of a slightly different design. The tubing would be SS...the covering Stamoid but maybe Sunbrella. Might have a window. Anyway, I built a full size mock up of the companionway and have been testing different concepts. No firm designs. Just ideas.

Truth be told the pram hood has worked so well I may just leave it alone. But, one small changed I will make is to shorten the overall length of the material forward of the companionway. It doesn’t need to be that long. A shorter length will make it quicker to remove and a little easier to stow.

Before I build or modify anything on the boat I always sketch it out. Sketching helps me think through the design and what might or might not work. Plus, it gives me an idea about how it might look. I am not an artist and I don’t have a CAD program, so my sketches are a little crude but they always serve their purpose. I sketched a few ideas. Right now I like the design of the one labeled “A” which has a more curved radius in the tubing than a standard “square” style frame but still has a slightly arched tube across the top. I think I like the profile of the one slightly angled down on the top. The rear arched tube is shaped like an “L” with the hinge pivot forward. Shock cord hold the rear tube in position but you can still push it forward to open up access into the boat.

This is just a side project and does not detract from the major effort to install the engine. It may come to nothing. Maybe the pram hood discussion will appeal to others that don’t want a full dodger or don’t want to spend the thousands of dollars a well built full dodger can cost.

If you have any ideas feel free to share them.

[csoule13]

Very much interested in how this works out, John. My old man has an ericson 30+ and a regular dodger just doesn't work, given how everything is laid out. Something like this is a better option. Will reading with much enthusiasm.

[Jim Walsh]

I like the angled sketch with the windows. When you just want to take a peek it’s nice to not have to expose more of you than is necessary because spray, or an errant wave, will invariably notice you no matter how stealthy you think you are. Stainless tubing would also be my choice for a bow.

[John Stone]

Copy all. I visited with our sailmaker/canvas shop. I took the mock up and the original hood and we brainstormed it a bit. We agreed on a general approach to include using heavyweight Stamoid. I thinking about staying with white. Any thoughts on the color?

I am waiting for a quote. I visited a local fabricator and they wanted me to decide on the hinge layout then they will provide a quote. So, the whole thing as envisioned is doable.

Because the dodger needs to be able to hinge forward the sailmaker recommend the softer plastic for the windows. But they acknowledged they don’t last as long as the higher quality windows due to increased vulnerability to UV damage. So, I’m wondering about window covers that velcro on and can be removed when needed. Anyone have experience with removable window covers?

[JD-MDR]

Screenshot_2021-02-25 velcro - jgdoyle123 gmail com - Gmail.png (9.02 KiB) Viewed 1226 times

Hi John. I have wondered why so many don't like velcro . I emailed Iverson Design, the maker of my dodger, to ask what they think. Here is their response:

[John Stone]

Screenshot_2021-02-25 velcro - jgdoyle123 gmail com - Gmail.png

Hi John. I have wondered why so many don't like velcro . I emailed Iverson Design, the maker of my dodger, to ask what they think. Here is their response:

Aye. It’s true. I’m nit a fan of velcro though it has its place. Good point though.

[John Stone]

Refined the mock up companionway to reflect the transom of the Fatty Knees hard dink inverted and about 8” over the forward end of the companionway. This is important for the canvas shop to make all this fit.

I rebuilt the hinge assembly. The plywood represents the horizontal part of the frame. It’s fixed to the aft vertical bow. They want to use SS plate for that “short” horizontal part that sits on the teak rails. I prefer the same SS tube as the rest of the frame. It will look more uniform that way—mo betta.

The way it works is the frame is held in place by the forward hinge (at the quick pin). Then moving aft there will be a tab welded on for the forward bow to attach to. It’s hinged by that single fastener and held in position by the canvas. Then aft of that is the vertical bow and it’s welded at a 15° angle, as I mentioned, to the horizontal tube (plywood). That horizontal piece is important. It acts as a lever arm allowing the shock cord to apply more force to the aft tube holding every thing down.

Tomorrow I’ll visit with the fabricator and get the quote. I am glad this is not a full dodger as it would be a shocking price I am sure. After the quote I’ll ride the ferry over to the canvas shop and let them take another look at it before I give the fabricator the green light.

I have also been reading about bending radius for SS tubes, blah blah blah. Bottom line, I drew out a 8.5” radius. Slight upward camber on top foot both bows. Looks pretty good to me. What do y’all think?

[John Stone]

I met with the fabricator. Good discussion. They do quality work. Lots of post welding polishing. They welded an extension to the fiddle bracket on my Force 10 Stove before my last trip to the West Indies. Even looking at it closely you could not tell it was modified. So, I left it with them. Should have it back end of the week. It’s more expensive than thought it would be. I’m glad it’s not a full width dodger. I should have learned to weld....

[SVFayaway]

I highly recommend window covers. We do ours with a soft backing (the product is called Evolution) to help protect the glass. It can add years to the life of your windows. Snaps or twist fasteners are the best way to secure those covers.

[tvangilder]

I do like this idea a lot and may just borrow it!!!!

[John Stone]

Go for it.

I heard from the fabricator today. Says the welding is complete and they are in polishing stage. Should have it back in a couple days.

Canvas work scheduled for mid May though. Caught in the queue like everyone else. SV Faraway, they want to use turn buttons or snaps for window so your comments were spot on.

[John Stone]

Picked up the pram hood frame. They did a very nice job.

[Tod Mills]

Pretty similar to the design a previous owner of my Montgomery 17 came up with:

[Tod Mills]

The aft bow is stainless tube, mostly hidden by the canvas but the fwd one, visible underneath, was laminated wood.

[Tod Mills]

This one has two removable (snaps) triangular side pieces and the whole thing is mounted on a frame that is screwed to the strips of teak that form the groove for the sliding companionway hatch. I wasn't real keen about that method of mounting it, but it is what it is.