Sybarite
Well-Known Member
I cannot understand why they are not more popular on cruising boats. Who wants to be cold and wet when there is a simple alternative?
Here is an example of what people say :
SV Hawk (Van de Stadt Samoa 47’) (of this parrish)
“High on our list was a good looking integral hard dodger. We considered this a safety priority as it would reduce fatigue on passage and allow better watch keeping. It also proved to be one of the toughest elements to find and ultimately drove our final design choice. We were not interested in the more popular pilot house/deck saloon concepts as we believe it essential to maintain some contact/exposure with the weather, so we can sniff out early signs of a weather change.
The hard dodger has proven to be one of Hawk's best and most distinctive features. We continue to be surprised the concept is not built into more cruising designs. (Me too)
We used 10mm tempered glass in the dodger, primarily because that's what Oyster uses on their big deck saloon windows and they have never had one break. It has proven flawless and in Australia we replaced the Lexan fixed side windows with the same glass. The Lexan scratched easily and expanded/contracted so much with temperature changes that it would break the caulking seal and start leaking.”
Runnalls 38’
“Of the many innovative and functional design solutions incorporated in this yacht, two elements define the overall layout - the lifting keel and the solid dodger. The lifting keel allows shoal draft capability combined with a high aspect ratio foil and high righting moment bulb combination for good windward performance. The solid dodger provides dry and secure cockpit seating with the mainsheet mounted out of the crew’s way.”
Condesa (Salar 40)
Condesa’s most distinctive, and in my opinion her best feature is her prominent wheelhouse. While perhaps not the most pleasing to the eye, the wheelhouse accomplishes three major functions:
1.It protects the crew from wind, waves, sun, sleet, hail, spray, and the general beating of the elements.
2.It provides relatively dry and convenient place for all of the instruments.
3.It provides a perfect exposed surface for mounting an array of solar panels.
I cannot imagine cruising without it. I guess I would be much more at one with the elements, meaning cold, wet, and having skin cancer. In a recent passage down the coasts of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego we had rain, sleet, and hail being driven by fifty knot winds. From behind the protection of the wheelhouse it was nothing more than a curiosity; step outside and we were being gunned down by an icy firing squad. Consider strictly the ravages of the sun in the tropics: By having a roof over my head all these years I have saved my skin untold damage.
I have all of the instruments—GPS, depthsounder, radar, and VHF radio—all mounted on the ceiling, hanging down in easy view just in front of the helm. These instruments are all water-resistant, but even the worst of weather can’t get any spray up there. I can also connect a computer for electronic chart navigation, but I usually keep it below. This arrangement allows me to fly by instruments in zero visibility, as everything is right there in easy view of the helm. Boats that have a navigation station down below are putting all the instruments where they are useless to the person who needs them most, the helmsman. I realize this is usually a necessity of the design, but it’s cumbersome in practice. Having someone yell up the companionway what they see on the radar is inferior to seeing the radar oneself.
Many boats have solar panels in precarious places on adjustable mounts. Condesa’s are securely bolted down on top of the wheelhouse where they are always in the sun. I made rounded teak guards for the sharp corners of the panels to protect crewmembers from injury and rigging from getting snagged.
Here is an example of what people say :
SV Hawk (Van de Stadt Samoa 47’) (of this parrish)
“High on our list was a good looking integral hard dodger. We considered this a safety priority as it would reduce fatigue on passage and allow better watch keeping. It also proved to be one of the toughest elements to find and ultimately drove our final design choice. We were not interested in the more popular pilot house/deck saloon concepts as we believe it essential to maintain some contact/exposure with the weather, so we can sniff out early signs of a weather change.
The hard dodger has proven to be one of Hawk's best and most distinctive features. We continue to be surprised the concept is not built into more cruising designs. (Me too)
We used 10mm tempered glass in the dodger, primarily because that's what Oyster uses on their big deck saloon windows and they have never had one break. It has proven flawless and in Australia we replaced the Lexan fixed side windows with the same glass. The Lexan scratched easily and expanded/contracted so much with temperature changes that it would break the caulking seal and start leaking.”
Runnalls 38’
“Of the many innovative and functional design solutions incorporated in this yacht, two elements define the overall layout - the lifting keel and the solid dodger. The lifting keel allows shoal draft capability combined with a high aspect ratio foil and high righting moment bulb combination for good windward performance. The solid dodger provides dry and secure cockpit seating with the mainsheet mounted out of the crew’s way.”
Condesa (Salar 40)
Condesa’s most distinctive, and in my opinion her best feature is her prominent wheelhouse. While perhaps not the most pleasing to the eye, the wheelhouse accomplishes three major functions:
1.It protects the crew from wind, waves, sun, sleet, hail, spray, and the general beating of the elements.
2.It provides relatively dry and convenient place for all of the instruments.
3.It provides a perfect exposed surface for mounting an array of solar panels.
I cannot imagine cruising without it. I guess I would be much more at one with the elements, meaning cold, wet, and having skin cancer. In a recent passage down the coasts of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego we had rain, sleet, and hail being driven by fifty knot winds. From behind the protection of the wheelhouse it was nothing more than a curiosity; step outside and we were being gunned down by an icy firing squad. Consider strictly the ravages of the sun in the tropics: By having a roof over my head all these years I have saved my skin untold damage.
I have all of the instruments—GPS, depthsounder, radar, and VHF radio—all mounted on the ceiling, hanging down in easy view just in front of the helm. These instruments are all water-resistant, but even the worst of weather can’t get any spray up there. I can also connect a computer for electronic chart navigation, but I usually keep it below. This arrangement allows me to fly by instruments in zero visibility, as everything is right there in easy view of the helm. Boats that have a navigation station down below are putting all the instruments where they are useless to the person who needs them most, the helmsman. I realize this is usually a necessity of the design, but it’s cumbersome in practice. Having someone yell up the companionway what they see on the radar is inferior to seeing the radar oneself.
Many boats have solar panels in precarious places on adjustable mounts. Condesa’s are securely bolted down on top of the wheelhouse where they are always in the sun. I made rounded teak guards for the sharp corners of the panels to protect crewmembers from injury and rigging from getting snagged.
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