Work started some weeks back on a new idea,we have to replace an existing cockpit spray dodger thats made out of canvas,with a stainless steel support frame,to be fair the canvas has done ok but at six years old,its past its best.
The brief to make the hard dodger,was that it must blend in with the boat it will be fastened to,so the windows take their form shape from the existing ones on the boat in question.Making this from scratch and on the boat seemed a long way about doing things,it also seemed like a good way of making it wrong? So we made a full size mock up in the factory,chopped and changed it,then took it to the boat for a quick fit.
Did I say quick? the half hour I expected it to take to scribe the plywoods lower edges to the cabin roof,soon became two and half hours work,the boats owners wife was there,she had her own ideas on what the new dodger was to look like,so we cut and chopped the demo unit some five times, only then were we allowed to take some pictures and I must say the lady was right ( its my wife by the way) We then took the much revised rig back to the workshops and re worked the windows to a new style and size,what we have now looks good and we will soon offer SPRAY DODGER KITS.........sounds easy,well it was the way we did it and I am really pleased we did it the long way.
The roof is pre glued and curved on a special CNC cut jig,we use three layers of 5mm Superform bendable plys,plus epoxy to glue that to bond as one unit,the roof panel sets over a weekend,we then remove it from the jig,take the jig apart and store untill the next order. The part the supports the roof is made from 15mm Ockume Marine Plywoods,the sections are precut to shape,even the window recceses are pre cut,we will offer toughened glass 6mm thick in either clear or a light smoke shade.
With the design now near complete and in the computer,we can resize what we have designed to be larger or smaller,so we can resize to fit most boats,sail or power,prices will come out in a short while.
Roy
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