Fitting a solid "sprayhood" (doghouse?)

[Peter]

Fitting a solid \"sprayhood\" (doghouse?)

One of the jobs on preparing my boat for a move to sunnier climates is looking at the idea of fitting a solid “sprayhood” (is doghouse the correct term?) in place of the current tatty sprayhood. Any comment on this idea with respect to reduced ventilation into the cockpit/cabin with a solid “sprayhood” especially when moored up, or does the better weather protection/durability of a solid sprayhood” outweigh its possible disadvantages.

Thank for any comments

Peter


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[Sybarite]

Re: Fitting a solid "sprayhood" (doghouse?)

I like very much the idea of a solid doghouse because I fail to see the pleasure in freezing on a wet night watch. The problem when retrofitting one is that a lot of them look terrible and probably devalue the boat. Also a lot depends on the size of the boat. Presumeably you want to be able to stand under the doghouse. This means that if your boat is under say 40' long the doghouse will seem disproportionately high.

Boats that are designed from scratch with one normally look better eg the Trintella 42. There are other alternatives: Maurice Griffith designed Kylix (29' ?) so that the doghouse covered him when sitting (with forward facing windows) and he could look over it when standing. The Amel boats ( Super Maramu & Santorin) have substantial windscreens (the window panes open for ventilation) with a folding out bimini. I also like the line of the LM 30/32 motor sailors but they would not be appropriate for a retrofit.

If you are going for sunnier climes don't forget about ventilation and the need to be able to watch your sails when under the doghouse. The doghouse can however provide great shade when it's very hot.

Good luck.

John




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[snowleopard]

Re: Fitting a solid \"sprayhood\" (doghouse?)

we didn't have the doghouse for the first couple of months because we needed to be sure it wouldn't foul the boom. we motored up to inverness where the rig was fitted then sailed & motored back to chichester arriving early december. coming out of dover into a westerly 6 at that time of year with spray coming straight over into your face was one of the most miserable sailing experiences in a 45 year career.

next spring we added a hard top and now enjoy a bit of spray. the hard top stays up when canvas would be thrashing around in the wind. it has protected us from wind, rain and sun from 12N to 60N and winds up to 60 knots. I'd never go back to an unprotected cockpit.


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[jamesjermain]

Re: Fitting a solid \"sprayhood\" (doghouse?)

I wouldn't do it, specially if you are going to warmer climes where ventilation is so important. A fixed srayhood on a boat not designed for one will be very difficult to fit, probably expensive and may not work well. It will also make the boat difficult to resell.

Much better to fit a decent bimini on a frame which can be demounted simply and quickly. A bimini is surprisingly resistant to high winds when sailing and should be secure in up to Force 6. You will suffer some windage, obvioiusly. It will protect you from sun and to an extent from rain and spray, specially when combined with a sprayhood. Indeed, I have seen biminis which can be incorporated into a full cockpit tent, with side and end panels, for cold weather sailing.

Depending on the design of your boat, you may have issues with the height of the boom. But that would also be true of a fixed hood. You may need to raise the boom a bit by shortening the leech.A semi-permanently rove flattening reef could do the same thing and allow full sail to be set when the bimini is removed.

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[mikewilkes]

Re: Fitting a solid \"sprayhood\" (doghouse?)

Was it your cat that was sitting on the end of one of the pontoons at Muirtown for a couple of years waiting for your mast? Round about 2000 / 2001 ish?

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[ranga]

Re: Fitting a solid "sprayhood" (doghouse?)

I also have a tatty sprayhood that needs replacing, and I am considering a more solid structure. The current sprayhood works well and the lines of it match the boat's lines. It isn't anything to protect the helm, but it does offer the off-watch crew total protection from the elements....I have a nice deep cockpit which helps too.

In 15 years, I have only sailed with the sprayhood down once (just to try it out), and have now gone through 2 sprayhoods and am ready for the third. Why not something more permanent I ask myself? Another reason for considering something more solid is that everytime someone goes forward they use the sprayhood to balance themselves and quite frankly the design of the stainless supports for it leave much to be desired, so unnecessary pressure is always applied to the canvass, stitching etc. It would be fair to say that the canvas supports the stainless supports!

I am reluctant to do anything that affects the lines of the boat, so would need to be careful to make sure that anything solid was designed correctly and looked good. My latest favourite idea is to have a setup like the HRs i.e. solid windows and then having the canvas sprayhood come off that. That would at least give better windows for looking forward than the current flexible ones and also give a better support structure for the canvas.

I'll be interested to hear what you decide on and how costly it is.


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[snowleopard]

muirtown

no, we sat in muirtown for a month in nov. 2000 and briefly during 2001 & 2 but the white 55 footer you are talking about was ocean highlander which is now at portsmouth - it has a larger version of the rig. you might have seen ours - cream & green, 'only' 40 ft.



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[claymore]

Re: Fitting a solid \"sprayhood\" (doghouse?)

I once saw one added to a Centaur which looked a real dogs dinner - completely altered the lines of the boat and it didn't seem to offer as much protection as a sprayhood - it was all square bits of ply and odd angles instead of any nice curved sweeping lines
I think its why I don't like the look of the Konsort Duo - the Konsort sails quite well and looks OK the Duo just has a 'deck saloon' stuck on it and its neither a shave nor a haircut really

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Claymore
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[Chris_Robb]

Re: Fitting a solid \"sprayhood\" (doghouse?)

What type of boat do you have? I would go along with James on this, even though I would never have a boat without a covered steering position. I have a victory 40 with a covered cockpit and its great in English weather and also good when its boiling hot as it remains cool and well ventilated.

Some of the conversions I have seen are just so awful that you would never resell your boat. This is nothing to do with workmanship - but its normally plain out of proportion.

Have a look here at one that works <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.myboatdetails.com/corsair>here</A>




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[oldsaltoz]

Re: Fitting a solid \"sprayhood\" (doghouse?)

G'day Peter,

It is important to get the lines right as many have noted above, I have found that boat plans are good to draw on to get a good idea of what will look right. If you don't have plans you can still an idea by drawing on photo.

Some points to ponder:

Material,
I have used closed cell foam with some very good results, its easy to shape, strong and light, and remains cool underneath due to its excellent insulation properties.

Construction,
When building a hard top, don't forget to add cables for lights, speakers etc, also include some side pockets and extend the lower edges to ensure water runs off and along the underside. Front windows should open out, or if clear plastic roll up, or unclip. You may have to change the companionway entry, but in any case make sure the bottom of the front widows is at least 400 mm ahead of the companionway bulkhead, this will provide space and protection for items such as GPS etc. The forward end of the hard top is best glassed to boat rather than bolted or screwed, as this will make it much stronger and prevent any leaks.

A simple tinted hatch will provide a good view of the main.

I hope this helps...




<hr width=100% size=1> Old Salt Oz /forums/images/icons/cool.gif Growing old is unavoidable. However, growing up is still optional.

 

[snowleopard]

Re: Fitting a solid \"sprayhood\" (doghouse?)

one way of making sure it doesn't look hideous is to make a mockup. i use REP (rigid expanded polyurethane) foam. it comes in sheets 12mm thick and around 4ft x 2ft. very cheap from eg. glasplies. it lets you put in a few curves which are absolutely essential to avoid that dreadful boxy look. trim with a stanley knife, stick with hot-melt glue and play around until it looks right.



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[Ric]

Re: Fitting a solid \"sprayhood\" (doghouse?)

I would strongly advise against a solid sprayhood if you are going to be sailing in warm waters. I am in the Med and my folding sprayhood stays down most of July and August as otherwise the cockpit becomes unbearably hot, especially at anchor.

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