Time to Cover Up For Summer
by Sarah Egan on September 18, 2011
Recently, I decided to redo the dodger and bimini onboard Sirocco as the factory fitted Sunbrella fabric just didn’t cope with the harsh Australian sun.
Remember, what’s great for the Med often just doesn’t cut it down under.
With my great mate, Phil Baker from Craft Coverings, we set about designing the ultimate covers for the Beneteau Oceanis.
Requirements:
Waterproof. As I take it rather personally when things drip into my rum and coke.
Adequate Headroom for my 6’5” husband and giant children.
Minimise Windage. At 17 tonnes, we’re slow enough.
Foldable and Removable for race days.
Zip On and Off Drop Sides, for the chilly nights and wet days on the Bay.
As I had a good look around at what everyone else had, I realised we were going to have to break some new ground.
We chose Seamark, a vinyl backed Sunbrella fabric in cadet grey for it’s waterproof qualities for the dodger and bimini, Strataglass for the clears and a combination of Sunbrella and Strataglass for the drop sides. Lots of measuring and tweaking and we now have a new outdoor room our own, Crystal Palace.Now, when all the covers are on, the yacht looks rather boxy, some unkind sea going mates refer to it as the Stratco Outback or the Verandah but weighed up against the great new amenity, I declared the the project a complete success.
Recently while delivering Sirocco South from her stint of racing to Keppel & Airlie Beach, we hit a big storm front. Three hours of choppy seas, up to 40 knots of wind and driving rain. Happy to report we stayed totally dry and warm holed up in the cockpit with all the covers on. Impressive. Thanks Phil.
A properly executed dodger and bimini will make your boat a lot more user-friendly with great sun protection. Apart from increasing the amenity of the cockpit, dodgers and biminis provide an opportunity to individualise the appearance of production yachts. Bespoke canvas work allows the coverage, profile, colour, and other details to be selected to suit the owner’s personal preferences.
Dodger attached to the deck or coachroof around the main hatch need to conform to the contours of the boat. Many production yachts have raised mouldings for dodger skirt attachments in-built, a few also have deck recesses into which a dodger can be folded down, but others have no specific provision for a dodger. When sketching a design, overall dimensions to note include seated headroom if the dodger will extend over the cockpit seat, clearance for winch handles on the coachroof or coaming, and, within limits imposed by the boom, adequate height amidships so the companionway can be used even with the washboards in place. Generally the highest point should be along the aft edge, with a natural watershed forward and to the sides. If the mainsheet track is in the cockpit, the profile or webbing needs to prevent sheet lassoing the dodger’s aft corners.
Professional marine canvass workers have the right materials, tools, and experience. It still helps to have a clear idea, preferably including a dimensioned sketch. A beam-on recent photo of your boat with the proposed dodger superimposed to scale is useful when considering the overall style, colour etc. Get the tradesman on board to inspect, and listen to suggestions.
Biminis (named for islands in the Bahama group) are cockpit awnings supported essentially like dodgers, by hoops, struts and guys. They developed on power boats, which lack the booms and masts that a sailboat traditionally used to support in-port awnings, but have become popular on sailboats because they can be quickly stowed away. There are many possible bow arrangements, but one, some, or all of the bows are pivoted such that they can fold against each other, with the fabric then protected inside a compact cover. Easier than deploying or finding stowage space for a battened awning, and in many cases the bimini can remain up or be deployed while sailing, at least in light conditions. Although physically separate to the dodger, if a bimini is to be used at sea consideration should be given to the helmsman’s headroom and view forward, and perhaps view of the masthead wind indicator. On some yachts clearance for the main boom limits bimini length, but an overlapping or zippered in-fill panels can be added in port to bridge the gap between it and the dodger.
Crystal Palaces “Oxygen Tents” are particularly associated with high latitude cruisers, but elsewhere comprehensively enclosing the cockpit may still significantly extend the usable accommodation at night, or in poor weather. Apart from protection from rain and wind, transparent sides may trap some heat from weak sunshine. For use under way, side clears will probably extend to the lifelines and down to the toe rail rather than just the cockpit coaming, entry points for sheets will be needed, and rigid clear sections are advisable to improve visibility. Rather than attach to the sides of a bimini, such an enclosure may instead be a real tent, passing over the top of the bimini, or over solar panels, which on some cruisers provide significant cockpit shade, and unlike fabric biminis, can withstand high winds. It is also possible to use cambered lightweight rigid paneling to create a permanent bimini top, above which solar panels might be attached, with the option to zip on side shades or clears.
Call or email us today to organise a quote for your boat covers
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