Category Archives: Dodger

Waterproofing Sunbrella

From Wes Giles “Spring Fever” C387 #53:

Haven’t seen this topic on this list yet. Last weekend while on a mooring at Ithmus Cove Catalina Island in a fairly heavy and steady rain; very unusual for So California, water started seeping through the canvas. Spring Fever is a 2004 387 with original canvas installed by a local (Marina Del Rey, CA) canvas provider. The boat has always been kept in-slip, so it is exposed to the elements (both sun and rain) year round. Has anyone found a way to remedy such a situation before? I have to believe there is some compound that I can buy to apply to the dodger that will provide water repellent results.


From the Sunbrella site:

http://www.sunbrella.com/en_us/how/cleaning/marine-tops-covers.php


From Mike Moorehead “S/V RHYTHM” C387 #29 :

My canvas shop recommends 303 exclusively for Sunbrella. Avoid getting 303 on your Eisenglass or other window material. 303 spray

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Dodger Replacement

From Craig Spear, Free Spearit, C380 #273:

This winter I want to replace the original dodger on my boat and am just starting the research.  As luck would have it the guy in the next slip had is getting a new one on his power boat so I got to talk to his guy and get a price or $1800 for a new dodger about the same as the original one but with heavy gauge (I didn’t catch how thick) Strataglass.  They will match the zippers to the connector and side windows (the big ones I added behind the normal side windows).

I haven’t committed yet and am looking for recommendations.  What weight Strataglass have you used?  We didn’t discuss it but of course we want to use Sunbrella fabric, what weight?  The boat is in Winthrop, MA, so are there any people I should consider who do excellent work

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Hard Dodger Considerations and Recommendations

One of my larger ($$$) projects last spring was the installation of a hard dodger on my C387.  Though I won’t mention the company that created it (good craftsmanship and poor customer relations), I have learned a lot about what makes the hard dodger a good investment and what issues captains should think about before they spring for this costly upgrade.

First of all, we love the new hard dodger.  Our old dodger’s glass was scratched and becoming opaque and difficult to clean.  The new dodger has a thicker Strataglass ™ that is sparkling clear and without the wrap-around nature of the old Eisenglass that caused wrinkles and distorted the vision.  The downside of this thicker glass is that it doesn’t roll up easily for storage.  When you take out a panel, you need to store it flat which can be problematic.  We tend to store it on the rear

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