On Sun, 15 Jun 2014 17:23:47 -0700 (PDT), True North
wrote:

On Sunday, 15 June 2014 20:58:02 UTC-3, Sir Gregory Hall, Esq. wrote:
Let's talk about sailboat dodgers. You might wish to

think I am totally against them. You would be totally

wrong.



I think sailboat dodgers are a capital idea in that

they serve admirable as spray hoods in adverse weather,

especially when going to weather. A properly designed,

fitted and used dodger can be a real benefit and improve

the sailing experience.



Now, for the bad part. Most every dodger I have seen in

use is never folded down after it is installed. Instead,

they are left permanently in place no matter the weather -

a fading blister that ruins the lines of an otherwise

comely vessel.



This stupidity or sloth causes them to weather and the

front vinyl window to yellow and become an impediment to

seeing forward. Why, I wonder, do so-called sailors leave

them up permanently when most, if not all of them, are

designed to fold down with ease?



But, does anybody else realize how stupid it is to keep

a dodger up all the time even in the best of weather?



Do any of you walk around, rain or shine, with your

umbrellas open? Do you wear your Mac in the hot

sunshine? Galoshes during a drought? So what's

with the dodger misuse fetish?



--

Sir Gregory

This used to be a bit of a pet peeve of mine when I crewed on a friends Mirage 33 sailboat.
He usually had the dodger up to keep his various lady friends comfy on our afternoon sails.
Trouble was, if you sat in the forward area of the cockpit, you were subject to objectionable
odors coming from inside the cabin due to the open forward hatch.
I believe the odors came from the unused sanitation holding tank. Back then (and maybe
ow) you could discharge the head directly into coastal waters so the holding tank was never
re-freshed or emptied.
I left that crew before I knew about the free advice offered by Ms Peggy Hall.
A sensitive nose and a queazy stomach in any kind of following sea made many sails
less then pleasent for me.


I suspect that dodger use depends greatly on how one uses the
boat. For "day tripping" where the "cruise" is broken up into
single day sails, or less, sitting out in the weather may not be
of much concern. If one is crossing oceans then it may very well
be of come interest. The trip from the Galapagos to Tahiti is
something like 3,600 miles and in a small boat this is more than
a month's sail. Having no alternate to being out in the broiling
sun or the pouring rain for a month is a whole new story.

Another point. People who reside on their boat, as ocean crossers
must, appreciate the additional room that a dodger gives. It
allows the entire cockpit to become an all weather space, in fact
the erection of permanent dodgers is not uncommon on boats that
are used as a residence. I might mention that a large number of
people I meet cruising have sold their land dwelling and bought a
boat.

The idea that the boat must look yachty is usually not a major
consideration to those who have to sit out in the weather all
day, every day. I must say that sailing along in a cloudburst
wearing a tee shirt and shorts isn't bad at all when you have a
dodger :-)

--

Bruce