Dodger

Paul Grecay · Post by **Paul Grecay** » Oct 21st, '07, 06:59

Hello all,

The dodger on my CD 28 is an Island Nautical and it has served me very well. It still looks fine but the fabric is near the end of its life...it is somewhat weak and I don't think it will last much longer. I had an idea which I wanted to run by people on this board. I am considering fiberglassing the material to make it a hard dodger. My thought is to fiberglas it on the boat so that it will keep the proper shape. Once it is strong enough, I should be able to remove it and work on it in my shop. I am thinking that this might work well and allow me to modify it for viewing windows etc. Does this make sense? Anyone ever try it before? If it doesn't work, I could always just get a new IN doger made. Whaddaya think?

Paul
Lewes, Delaware
CD 28 Peapod

tartansailor · Post by **tartansailor** » Oct 21st, '07, 07:31

Hi Paul,
Saturating cloth to stiffen it is big business. It is called sizing, and wetability is very important.
Give these guys a call, describe your "commercial" venture, and ask for a free sample.
BF Goodrich - Specialty Chemicals Div.
Lawrence Industrial Park
1 Jacobs Way
Lawrence, MA 01843
800 776-4155
or
800 626-8274

Then when it is stiff as a board, you can laminate glass to it.

Dick

jerryaxler · Post by **jerryaxler** » Oct 21st, '07, 08:01

Even if you can get the sunbrella to absorb the resin, consider that the weight of the resin will cause sagging of the cloth.

Steve Laume · Post by **Steve Laume** » Oct 21st, '07, 08:36

This could all go horribly wrong. You could not only ruin what is left of you dogger and destroy the frame. It would seem a great probability of making a huge mess of your beautiful Cape Dory herself. The idea of a hard dogger is somewhat intruiging but I am not so sure glassing the canvas one you have is the best approach. I would be the last one to stand in the way of innovation but you must always weigh the risks against the potential gain. The seems to be huge potential for disaster with not a great deal to gain. You might want to look at some of the strip built or stitch and glue kayaking sites to consider build a hard dogger. I beautifully curved cedar strip dogger with canvas windows would be a thing of beauty. You could paint the top and leave the underside bright. The nice thing about that type of construction is that it all gets glued together with carpenters glue then taken off of the boat to do the nasty old epoxy work. No drips or smears on your deck. Nice pleasant arch that you could play around with before glassing. Incredibly strong and a proven method. I am starting to convince myself, Steve. [/b]

Chuck · Post by **Chuck** » Oct 21st, '07, 13:19

I saw a hard dodger on a Cape Dory in one issue of Good Old Boat magazine. Maybe you could find it on their website.
Chuck

MarkW · Post by **MarkW** » Oct 21st, '07, 21:53

Here is a link to the article on Sailnet.

Fair Winds...................................Mark out

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37194

The Cape Dory Board

Dodger - What if ... ??

Dodger - What if ... ??

Stiffening Canvas

Drips????

Hard Dodgers

link