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We are having a dodger made locally but we have no dodger to measure.
1. With the cabin hatch pushed forward in the open position: What is the measurement from the aft end of the hatch to where the dodger crosses the hatch?
2. How tall is the dodger above the hatch?
3. Are there any snaps on the hatch roof or is the dodger just stretched across the hatch with the snaps on the deck off the side of the hatch.
4. How tall would you make the bimini if you were not sailing?

There is no standard factory dodger for an

They are all custom made. I could make some measurements on mine this weekend.

If sailing isn't an issue, make your Bimini high enough to stand!!

Catigale wrote:There is no standard factory dodger for an

They are all custom made. I could make some measurements on mine this weekend.

If sailing isn't an issue, make your Bimini high enough to stand!!

Fwiw, my Dowsar Bimini is easily high enough to stand under, but the end of the boom fits under it with the main up. I use the topping lift to raise the boom to clear it when not sailing.

I just discovered that my dodger canvas had shrunk a little. So I adjusted the dodger. It's easy to do, it has allen key screws on the clamps.
The take-away from this is that there is no way to canvas a dodger that you don't have yet.

Come to think of it, I'm raising an eyebrow at anybody who is willing to take your money to do so.



BTW, my Dowsar Bimini is well over my head, and over the boom by a foot or two.

We are having the dodger, poles + canvas + snaps made and installed at a local canvas shop. My problem is I have never seen a whole enclosure on a Mac in person just pics. So I am not sure how tall a dodger is in height. They look about 16 inches to 20 inches tall but I can only look at pictures. I am only 5'7" and the canvas guy said if boom height was not a problem then have the bimini 10 to 12 inches higher than my head because of the hot Florida sun. The connector of course will simply be from the dodger to the bimini so its height will be determined by the other two heights. When the cabin top is moved all the way forward, and the dodger is up, how much of the cabin top is inside the dodger? It looks like only a foot or 18 inches. The canvas guy asked did I want the dodger to go from the steps down into the cabin all the way to the mast. I said no but am not sure how far forward it should go. Catigale I would really appreciate those measurements. DaveC4... hope this answered your question about the canvas man and thanks for some idea of how how your bimini height.

My dodger covers the entire cabin top with the sliding part fully forward. I think that makes the most sense ..it's close enough so that you can see when sailing or motoring in weather but let's you leave the top open in weather too, without getting wet below.

My Dowsar dodger ends where the sliding hatch ends, with snaps for the 'window' on the front of the dodger that have to be unsnapped to slide the hatch open. With the hatch fully forward, the 'window' panel will still lay on the sliding hatch, so weather doesn't get in. It's a good arrangement.

But the dodger is very low, and I bang my head into it constantly. Any higher and it may interfere with the boom and flaked sail. And the height is just enough to get in my line of vision, so I sit on a throwable cushion or two (type IV pfd's) for a better view. But I'm not sure there much that could be done differently as far as height goes.

I prefer to sail without the dodger at all, but I like the protection from the overhead canvas, so compromises are in order.

Oh, and the way my dodger is set up, the pins on the main hoop to the deck fittings aren't in line, so it doesn't hinge well. If i were you, I'd emphasize the ability to fold it forward neatly, so it's out of the way for sailing or even storage (hoops only, or even a cover). Unless it's lively sailing with spray coming over the bow. But when it's really hot out, or just for the great visibility, not having the dodger is really nice, but if the pins aren't aiming directly at each other, it won't fold without stressing the deck connections and eventually loosening them. I just finished filling the holes in my deck with epoxy and re-fastening the attachments (with butyl tape) due in part to folding it with the pins not in line, and partly from leaning on the dodger which causes one set of attachments to be pried upward, which eventually stripped out the SS wood screws.

Here,s my I have the Dowsar full enclosure
http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... G_4823.jpg

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab1/ ... 010097.jpg

J

I want to say thanks to all those who responded to my post and especially to Herschel who invited us up to where his boat is in Sanford Florida. My wife and I spent about 3 hrs with him. We went on a ride on his boat which has a new 50 hp Yamaha. Seeing his enclosure helped answer a lot of our questions about where to have windows on the dodger and how large to make the dodger. So thanks Herschel we had a great time. He even supplied a few foamy beverages which helped in the heat.

Here's the dodger sold by Blue Water Yachts for $750. I bought one and it's a perfect for my 2000 X. No measuring. It's made to fit an X.
http://bwyachts.com/web%20catalog%20312 ... dodger.htm

You might want to see if your dodger maker can avoid doing this:



"What?", you ask? All I can say is whoever made my dodger never used a winch, and even though the winch handle ratchets easily it's still a drag to not be able to go all the way around.

A nice feature that you might want to incorporate (there are many) from the Dowsar M dodger is a bar that staddles the sliding hatch at the front under the windshield. There are dome fasteners along it that don't need to be touched to open and close the hatch. A flap below it that rides on the top of the hatch maintains weather tightness in any position. I took that feature for granted until I read this (Tom's) thread.


You can see part of it in the bottom left of this pic.

make a hardtop instead . i used a top from a boat With nearly same width and placed it on a plywoodframe bolted to deck . fill Your Board With lead and reinforce it for better Balance for the already too topheavy mac .

Arvid,

Do you have any photos to go with your hard top mod?