Need to bite the bullet - spray hood

Hi Graham. My wife does spray hoods, sail covers etc and is based in Gloucestershire. Can give you details and there are good few boats in the local area where you can see the standard of work.
Could she make one using the old as pattern, I mean without visiting the boat?
 
Well you must be very skilled. Looking at how complicated mine is, with its many different panels, pockets, fasteners, webbing, zips, windows, etc., it would take me ten days to take it to bits! :LOL:
Mrs D is the star, I helped. We did it in three "bananas" The fittings put on firstrst before doing the connecting seams
 
Hi Graham. My wife does spray hoods, sail covers etc and is based in Gloucestershire. Can give you details and there are good few boats in the local area where you can see the standard of work.

Thanks but I'm not in UK. 3/4 the way through after about 6 part days. Biggest problem is the (old) frame has a different radius to the coaming. Needs the sides and rear stretching out and finishing.
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Could she make one using the old as pattern, I mean without visiting the boat?

The other problem with making from an old sprayhood fabric is that over time, the fabric/frame can distort and the old seams don't end up lying inline with the frames.

With new fabric the seams really need to be centred on the frame/tubes, hence the reason for the usual patterning to make the new canvas fit the frame perfectly.
 
Well they say you only get what you pay for. not always the case I suspect. I had a new sprayhood with a new SS frame made that was a pretty good job done for 900 including Vat. Canvas maker called Quay Canvas at Deacons. Id have got a better product from Tescew but 3 -4 times the price. I know where id go next time.

Steveeasy
 
Just had new one made. Old one was a bit wrecked when I bought the boat 10 years ago. I think it only lasted till now because I took it in every winter. Can't understand why boats are left with sprayhoods in UV for 12 months of the year
 
I have a problem with canvas dodgers as most seem to be gangway covers.

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It is not a "problem" - that is what they are designed to be. On smaller boats (say sub 12m) it is not possible to do much more for reasons of space and headroom if you want to use it underway to protect the cabin entry and deflect spray and even solid water that comes on board. As boats get bigger so do the options . Sprayhoods/dodgers are a very well established compromise.
 
It is not a "problem" - that is what they are designed to be. On smaller boats (say sub 12m) it is not possible to do much more for reasons of space and headroom if you want to use it underway to protect the cabin entry and deflect spray and even solid water that comes on board. As boats get bigger so do the options . Sprayhoods/dodgers are a very well established compromise.

I assume you mean headroom when you are sitting?

Was it this forum or another forum where there was a thread on dodgers recently? Several people commented that a dodger with full headroom would look silly on most yachts AND you need to look over the dodger when at the helm.

I think I'll follow this guy's lead and go for a height of around 5ft (from the cockpit floor)

This guy on another thread says

I'm 5'-10" and rapidly shrinking!
:D
Our dodger is lower and also doesn't have a large curve on the top. I enjoy NOT having to look through plastic all day long.
:clap


Dodger Height with Flix
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Physically impossible to get standing headroom under the sprayhood on a smaller boat. The main thing is to ensure you have adequate headroom to enter and exit through the companionway and the hood fits under the boom.
This is my new hood
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I spent a morning with the person who designed and made it working through the details of the design and materials used. it is designed to have a cockpit cover attached which she will make later in the year. Very pleased with it.

This is my last boat made by a different company showing the cockpit cover. tecsew.com/boat-covers/tonneau-covers-zip-attached-to-sprayhood/bavaria-cruiser-33-tonneau-cover-zip-attached-to-sprayhood/ Elsewhere on the site you will find the actual sprayhood which was the standard item they make for the Bavaria importer. Interestingly the price of the two sprayhoods was much the same even though the Bavaria one is much bigger. That is because Tecsew make 20 or 30 if them a year and use CAD and computer generated cutting lists which is great for production runs, but in one offs gives very little cost advantage because of the design time.

lots of other examples of different kinds of spray hoods, cockpit enclosures, biminis and so one on the site.
 
Physically impossible to get standing headroom under the sprayhood on a smaller boat. The main thing is to ensure you have adequate headroom to enter and exit through the companionway and the hood fits under the boom.
This is my new hood
View attachment 133833

View attachment 133834

I spent a morning with the person who designed and made it working through the details of the design and materials used. it is designed to have a cockpit cover attached which she will make later in the year. Very pleased with it.

This is my last boat made by a different company showing the cockpit cover. tecsew.com/boat-covers/tonneau-covers-zip-attached-to-sprayhood/bavaria-cruiser-33-tonneau-cover-zip-attached-to-sprayhood/ Elsewhere on the site you will find the actual sprayhood which was the standard item they make for the Bavaria importer. Interestingly the price of the two sprayhoods was much the same even though the Bavaria one is much bigger. That is because Tecsew make 20 or 30 if them a year and use CAD and computer generated cutting lists which is great for production runs, but in one offs gives very little cost advantage because of the design time.

lots of other examples of different kinds of spray hoods, cockpit enclosures, biminis and so one on the site.
That looks fine. I like the cutouts providing handholds.

I have a tonneau and a cockpit enclosure (our 'conservatory') on my 28-foot boat and they are worth every penny they cost. The tonneau provides low-windage protection for the cockpit when the boat is unoccupied (and sometimes when it is), and the cockpit enclosure provides an extra room; pleasant for sitting out in in inclement weather and somewhere to dump wet gear etc. I only wish my cockpit seats were a bit longer and wider so I could sleep out there.
 
the cockpit enclosure provides an extra room; pleasant for sitting out in in inclement weather and somewhere to dump wet gear etc. I only wish my cockpit seats were a bit longer and wider so I could sleep out there.
We got a full cockpit tent for Jissel, our old Snapdragon. It was far too much money to spend on an old boat, but it was probably the best money we ever spent. Jazzcat's cockpit is something like 4m X 2m, so it would be even more money to do it properly, so I think we'll end up bodging something supported by the boom.
 
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That looks fine. I like the cutouts providing handholds.

I have a tonneau and a cockpit enclosure (our 'conservatory') on my 28-foot boat and they are worth every penny they cost. The tonneau provides low-windage protection for the cockpit when the boat is unoccupied (and sometimes when it is), and the cockpit enclosure provides an extra room; pleasant for sitting out in in inclement weather and somewhere to dump wet gear etc. I only wish my cockpit seats were a bit longer and wider so I could sleep out there.
Thanks. The handholds came about because a separate grab bar would have looked out of place. the top of the cover also has a pvc covering which you can see in the second picture. The zip for later attachment of the tonneau is under the flap on the top and there are 2 zips so it can be opened from either side of the boat. These are the sort of details that came out of the initial deign session. The tonneau on the Bavaria was brilliant as in the winter she was berthed stern to the prevailing wind an it kept the cockpit clean and dry as well as deflecting the wind over the top rather than straight into the raised sprayhood.
 
We got a full cockpit tent for Jissel, our old Snapdragon. It was far too much money to spend on an old boat, but it was probably the best money we ever spent. Jazzcat's cockpit is something like 4m X 2m, so it would be even more money to do it properly, so I think we'll end up bodging something supported by the boom.
There's always the ready-made Habitent. Not as good-looking as a bespoke one but a much cheaper alternative.
 
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