Fold Down Convertible Spray-Hood

• Designing, templating-patterning  and fabricating of these spray-hoods can be tricky depending on the height, length and width.

• For the racing sailor they are ideal offering protection for foul weather and ease of access to the lines when racing.

• These spray-hoods are designed with a folding arm that tensions the canvas into place.

• Available with grab rails and leather trim we can colour coordinate the spray-hood to match existing canvas or design a new suit of canvas for your boat. Precise and exact stitching finishes the work perfectly.

• If designed with a rigid strut in the front only the aft of canopy section will fold forward. this enables the use of poly-carbonate glass to be used for ultimate visibility. 

• However, for those client who would like to have the dodger fold down completely as I did for a director of  Price Forbes  we elbow the front strut but the glass needs to be strata glass or the equivalent.

• Boots can be made to cover the fold down convertible tops. 

• When designing the rigid dodger the height is the most important factor. You need to take into account the owners height so that he/she can see under or over the dodger. 

• These rigid designs lend themselves to using a poly carbonate glass which can be stitched into the canvas. for more solid glass choices the glass can be laminated and heat formed into shape. 

• For this you require an ultrasonic polymer welder designed for the materials you are using.

• Standard rigid dodgers are entirely stitched and use support struts in the front as well as horizontal struts between the front and aft bows. 

• These struts can be designed to function as grip holds or as handles. Aft grab rails can be attached with joints or welded  for ultimate strength. I have put boom cradled on these designs as well.

• The rigid dodger can totally finish the boats lines and offer the perfect protection from the elements.

• I will not go cruising without one.

• Hard top Dodgers are the next step from rigid canvas designs.

• They offer the structural integrity to stand on whist still enabling the removal of the front and side panes and at the same time offer a rigid coach roof to add a track for a water tight seal to connect a bimini for enclosure purposes.

• The hard tops are also ideal to attach solar panels boom cradles and hand grips.

• Using zipper tracks enable quick and simple side and front panel rolling to maximize air flow for the tropics.

• The design of the hard top may include Lewmar hatches and lighting. 

• I have created hard top with molded ceiling mounted instrument boxes for electronics which keeps the cockpit clear to operate the winches and organize your running rigging and lines.

• Lighting fixtures and speakers with fold down flat screens are all an option with the hard top.

• Let me know what you would like in your bucket list and we can include them in the design and fabrication.

The Rigid Spray-Hood

• The rigid dodger is a structural piece of engineering that is an integral part of the boat.

• For this one needs to take many factors into consideration. Height, width, length and then all the features one would like to include.

• The rigid dodger is what we has circumnavigating the world. Probably the most important feature of the rigid dodger is the aesthetic quality. As this is now a permanent part of the vessel the design, lines and functionality really have to be looked at carefully.

• Whether you are using aluminium window frames or a wood- composite recess into which the tempered shatterproof glass is inserted the over all appeal needs to follow the lines of the boat.

• Adding hatches, hand grips and main sheeting track are all possible. 

• The addition of a main sheeting track means that the structural integrity of the main arch needs to be supported with an aluminium frame.

• This in turn presumes the addition of composites glassing. Where I have done this carbon and standard tri-axel glass has been laminated into the substrate layers which are then later routed for the window recesses.

• The over hang over the side is a very important  design feature. This creates shade while stopping the water in the rain from leaving streaks down the sides.

• Normally when I build the top I use a one and a half inch foam core, into which the stringers, cleat for canvas track and ribs are integrated. Through this intergrated form the conduits for the wiring harnesses are laid. 

• It is important to note as I have made this mistake before, that radar cables tend to be thicker than standard co-axial.

• So you might need to run a second conduit if there is to be an additional drop down display for a radar screen.

• Adding an instrument box is also a good idea for all the connections.

• Boom gallows  and hatches are also features I have routinely added. 

• There is not much more work in the boom gallows and they enable you to hide the structural elements behind a functional piece of teak or formed arch.

• Please, remember the most important part of the fabrication process is the initial design and the boat owners bucket list.

• Once the fabrication process has started it is almost impossible to add a hatch or and additional conduit for wiring in another piece of equipment.