Dog house V spray hood ?

[pcatterall]

Our 'new to us' yacht will almost certainly have a spray hood rather than a dog house simply because the dog house is rare nowadays. My 2 previous yachts had dog houses though I have sailed on many with sprayhoods.
I still like the old dog house, if you are going to fit any sort of protective structure not make it solid? Going forward I like the fact that there is something to hold onto and also when packing and managing the main.

 

[Sea Change]

I've never had a solid doghouse. We quite often fold down the sprayhood so I think I'd miss that.
However on our new boat we are seriously contemplating a beefy solid doghouse which would have the traveller on top (it's currently on the bridge deck). It's going to be a big job though, and will need some proper engineering input.

 

[MontyMariner]

I dislike, with a passion, spray hoods.
They spoil the lines of the boat, there longevity is low and a lot of the time, you can't see through them.
I've never had a boat with a dog house but I can see benefits of a screen with a roof - solar panel and AIS antenna location, as well as sun and rain protection.

 

[geem]

This is my hardtop. Built last winter.

 

[ridgy]

I'm part way through building a little roof over my companion way. The bulkhead is on a forward angle which is great for leaning against but means when it rains, it gets in the cabin even when the hatch is shut.
I'm far too tight to buy a spray hood but want something that keeps the rain off while still being able to poke your head out of the cabin and have a look round. It will have another solar panel on top and also cover the instruments. I've already got a galvanised frame up, just need a plywood roof for it. I'll post pictures when done but I expect it to cost less than £60.
Galvanised tubing and fittings from here:
Key Clamp Fittings for 21MM (1/2") OD TUBE Archives

 

[Porthandbuoy]

I love my doghouse. I've hardly ever had to wear full oilskins in the 4 years I've had Sheolin. It may not be as aesthetically pleasing as some, but by god it keeps you dry when rain, spray and green water are coming over the bow.

 

[Minerva]

This is my hard top doghouse…



Spent more time than I care to admit making a cm accurate 3d model in Autodesk CAD of my boat. Now at the stage of trying out various iterations of the doghouse design and 3d printing them off to check for aesthetics.

Been quite fun so far.

 

[MontyMariner]

This is my hardtop. Built last winter.

That is a lot of Solar.
Did you mould the hardtop yourself?

 

[ducked]

On the various long distance races people seem to go in for solid or textile shelters that are only the width of the companionway, probably because they are single handing, resulting in lower windage.

I'm thinking I might eventually try that, possibly a solid narrow one inside the "normal" sprayhood, which I think I also have, though I didn't get it out of the shed so dunno what state its in. This should be especially useful in view of the limited headroom.

Perhaps I can initially use the dinghy, at least at anchor.

 

[Neeves]

I think the choice of doghouse vs spray hood depends on how you might use your yacht. What works in waters local to Sydney (where the focus might be to reduce exposure to the sun), might be a bit uncomfortable for crossing Bass Strait

This is Novak's earlier Pelagic, the dog house is built for serious weather in Southern Ocean waters, pictured in the Falkland Islands.

Interestingly about 20/30 years ago most multihulls were built with open helm positions. Today they at least have a hardtop (for the sun?) and many now have an extensive dog house (and increasingly look like a multi storey town house)

Jonathan

 

[garymalmgren]

Dog house or spray hood?
Both are better than sitting in the rain or getting doused with cold water every 5 minutes.
Sitting out of the spray with both hands wrapped around a mug of cocoa. Heaven.
I have a small boat so a spray hood.

This is my mates boat.

gary

 

[geem]

That is a lot of Solar.
Did you mould the hardtop yourself?

We didn't do it with a mould. Its foam core composite construction but it was laid up in panels over the original frame in a stitch and glue type approach. The core was then bonded inside. We then turned it over, once it was rigid enough, and laminated it fully. It was a lot of work but we are very please with the outcome.
Yes, lots of solar. 1300w. No gas on the boat. Electric galley with combination oven and induction hob. Everything runs from 14kw of lithium batteries.
We haven't plugged in at a marina or run the generator since we launched in July. The boat is so much cooler in the Tropics without gas

 

[pcatterall]

I love my doghouse. I've hardly ever had to wear full oilskins in the 4 years I've had Sheolin. It may not be as aesthetically pleasing as some, but by god it keeps you dry when rain, spray and green water are coming over the bow.


View attachment 201449

Ah!! missing my old Neptunian!!

 

[geem]

I think the choice of doghouse vs spray hood depends on how you might use your yacht. What works in waters local to Sydney (where the focus might be to reduce exposure to the sun), might be a bit uncomfortable for crossing Bass Strait

This is Novak's earlier Pelagic, the dog house is built for serious weather in Southern Ocean waters, pictured in the Falkland Islands.

Interestingly about 20/30 years ago most multihulls were built with open helm positions. Today they at least have a hardtop (for the sun?) and many now have an extensive dog house (and increasingly look like a multi storey town house)

Jonathan
View attachment 201469

I don't describe my hardtop as a dog house as its a perfect replica of the previous sprayhood. It was actually patterned from the old sprayhood. The window openings are also the exact size. The big benefits for us over the old sprayhood is the sun protection and the reduced temperature underneath it.
The old navy blue sprayhood was brutally hot in the tropics. So hot that going to weather with some spray flying, you either sat outside and got wet or sat under the sprayhood and cooked.
We can now sit under the hardtop and its cool. The windows are perspex and tinted, which helps but we have phiffertex covering the curved windows to keep the sun off. They work really well but still allow good vision outwards.
The foam core gives lots of insulation and the white finish helps reflect heat. We can also enclose the rear completely with our 'Alaskan flap' as it now know
I didn't think we would use it in the Tropics, but at night when it's raining with a following breeze, it simply zips on and keeps you dry. Night sailing in shorts, T shirt and slippers is a reality!

 

[geem]

Another view. There are flaps of Stamoid material that extend the hardtop at the sides to provide more protection. These slide into a track on the hardtop. They roll up when we want to use the genoa winches.
If anybody is interested in how to build like this, I have full build photos that I can pm you rather than on this thread

 

[Minerva]

Another view. There are flaps of Stamoid material that extend the hardtop at the sides to provide more protection. These slide into a track on the hardtop. They roll up when we want to use the genoa winches.
If anybody is interested in how to build like this, I have full build photos that I can pm you rather than on this thread
View attachment 201477

Yes please Geem - would love to see your photos. Planning a similar project this winter once I refine the design a bit more.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Our 'new to us' yacht will almost certainly have a spray hood rather than a dog house simply because the dog house is rare nowadays. My 2 previous yachts had dog houses though I have sailed on many with sprayhoods.
I still like the old dog house, if you are going to fit any sort of protective structure not make it solid? Going forward I like the fact that there is something to hold onto and also when packing and managing the main.

There are sprayhoods, and there are sprayhoods .... if well fitted and robustly built they are sturdy enough to hold on to and waterproof/windproof enough to hide behind, but not ultimately as strong as an original solid dog-house.

Things I like about a sprayhood (my boats) .....

Must have an opening middle window to let the breeze through with an unobstructed view forward - a must for warmer climes - and also possible with a doghouse.
It can be folded away completely, along with the Bimini, for that completely open feel, with great all-round visibility and proper wind in your hair sailing.
When completely removed there is less windage, but this is not something I have ever needed yet.

Things I like about a doghouse (my dads boat) .....

Shelter from the elements is generally better than a sprayhood.
Windscreen wipers! - generally work better than hydrophobic coatings on sprayhood windows.

 

[geem]

We found that in tough sailing conditions, water would burst through the zips of our sprayhood when bashing to weather in big seas. Anything inside would get wet. It would also splash under the sides where the zip ended. The difference now is we have a totally dry space. We can leave phones or tablets out and risk no salt water on them.
We never took our sprayhood down as it was generally too hot to sit in the direct sun. Having the front window open in the breeze with some shade is far more tolerable for us now we have an insulated hardtop.

 

[MontyMariner]

I don't describe my hardtop as a dog house as its a perfect replica of the previous sprayhood

but looks so much better than a sprayhood.

 

[geem]

but looks so much better than a sprayhood.

Your very kind.
How about this one. Night bling