How much does a dodger cost?

[Dan Hayes]

My E28+ has all the hardware for a dodger. When the seller moved the boat down here from the Northwest, he removed the dodger (it was shot anyway) and used the frame with just a bimini, as he felt a wet weather setup was overkill here in the land of eternal sunshine...

I'm curious - has anyone recently replaced the canvas and isinglass windows on their dodger lately, and how much would that cost?

Finally, does anyone have a canvas person in the San Pedro/Long Beach area that they can recommend?

Thanks,

-Dan Hayes

 

[Sean Engle]

Mine was just under $4k (back in 2002) - but that's because I had the entire thing replaced - and used HD 1" bows (plus covers for the windows and rails - and a rain cover for the cockpit). I would imagine that you could save lots of money by keeping your existing bows...

//sse

 

[Dan Hayes]

Yes, the frame (bows?) on mine are in great shape, very heavy duty polished stainless steel. I'll have to get some quotes locally - I'm sure someone down here can recommend a good canvas maker. Four grand is way, way over my budget, though, so I may up with another "bimini", or whatever you'd call a bimini over just the companionway.

Those swinging doors on your companionway look great - haven't seen those on an Ericson before. I'm sure your "blue water" friends lectured you on how unsafe they'd be in a big following sea, but they sure look a lot easier than cranky old crib boards to me. Seems like every time I button up the boat to leave, I find something else that has to go down below, and off come the crib boards to get into the cabin... sometimes a couple times!

Your 35 was a beautiful boat. There are lots of great Ericson's for sale right now, I'm sure you're perusing Yachtworld on a regular basis. I went to the boat show down here in Long Beach this fall, and I was actually disappointed in most of the boats - way too much plastic for me, and the wood on many models looked either flimsy or poorly finished. Unless, of course, you're looking at the Pacific Seacrafts or Tartans, and have a major huge budget. They made me appreciate my boat even more, and all those nice little touches that Ericson built into their boats. We all take these things for granted until we start looking at other boats.

 

[escapade]

dodger costs

To custom build a dodger for our E34 was $2200.00. This was with 1" stainless tubing, double polished glass, grab rails (highly recommended!!!) with zippers added to finish a full encloser. If your stainless is good and you have the old canvas that can be used as a pattern it should cost a fraction of this amount ($1,000.00 would be a good guess). As for a canvas maker we are in Michigan (hense the encloser) so any ideas won't help you much. BTW, the bimini & screens were about $2,000 which puts it right where Seans price was. Ours has the removable window in the center for hot days (we have 3 or 4 every year in Mich) which is nice. Hope this give's you an idea.
Have fun & sail fast
Bud E34 "Escapade"

 

[Tom Metzger]

I paid $1400 for a custom made dodger for my E-34 in September of 2003. The canvas man said that the tubing was worth about $500, possibly a WAG. That did not include handles. He made cutouts in the rear edge for hand holds.

 

[Sean Engle]

...Those swinging doors on your companionway look great - haven't seen those on an Ericson before. I'm sure your "blue water" friends lectured you on how unsafe they'd be in a big following sea, but they sure look a lot easier than cranky old crib boards to me. Seems like every time I button up the boat to leave, I find something else that has to go down below, and off come the crib boards to get into the cabin... sometimes a couple times!

Your 35 was a beautiful boat....

Thanks for the complement. The doors were custom - a nice feature as they let in a ton of light and were easy to get through, etc. I also had a set of hatch boards made up for the boat - and these doors popped off their hinges easily and were replaced by the boards whenever we got into heavy weather.

That said, however - Puget Sound is not really known for heavy weather other than the 50-60 mph winds we get occasionally in the fall....so I used them zero times during my ownership.

//sse

 

[kari]

Sean: Just curious, am I missing something or was your last reply about 6 years late? I'm glad it brought me to the thread though...

 

[Glyn Judson]

All, Wouldn't that best be and answer given by Frank or Jamie McCourt? Glyn

 

[mherrcat]

Ha! Good one!

 

[D & DM Cahill]

Dan. Our boat has the usual hatch boards which are often exposed to the weather during the long periods of rain experienced in our Salish Sea winters. I thought about having a cover made just for the boards. However, when we are on a cruise but at a mooring during cool weather periods, we often find ourselves taking out and putting back in the four hatch boards every time we enter and exit the cabin - which gets to be a pain. While considering the weather cover for the hatch boards, we decided to have a cover made for the rear of the dodger. It uses the existing snaps on the dodger that are for the bimmini. It now allows us to leave the hatch boards out but still close off the cool air or wind entering the cabin. The two sections divided by the zipper can also be tied back to leave the companionway open. It provides a good cover for the hatch boards and anything else we put under the dodger during the winter. The cover cost about $280 at a local shop. It is just another option for dodgers. Our old boat did not have a dodger and I can't believe how much more comfortable my wife is when we are out. Good luck on getting your dodger. Attached is a picture of the cover (taken last winter before I rebedded the hatches and ports). Thanks. Dave

 

[Walter Pearson]

Not a dodger, but takes care of the boards

I'm still dodger-less, but my solution to putting those boards in and out - sometimes on a minute-by-minute basis due to the fickle weather in my area - was to make a canvas cover that snaps to the sides of the companionway sliding hatch. It has a weighted lower perimeter and two lengths of fiberglass tent poles pocketed horizontally that keeps the middle from caving inward. I also have inside curtains that slide on these poles to get privacy from the transparent 'port lite'. The hatch can be moved forward 6-8 inches which is enough to eliminate a head bump on the way past and still keep the opening covered. It's just one of those things done on the spur of the moment without any plans that has worked out over the years. Maybe worked so well I'm still without a dodger - but the pros and cons of that are still waging a battle.

 

[Glyn Judson]

SLiding hatch cover.

We too have something similar covering the drop boards. It extends forward along the top of the sliding hatch to protect the varnish from the sun and has a pocket along the bottom edge filled with sand. When on the boat, he whole thing is rolled up and temporarily stowed on the aft edge of the sea hood where it is attached with a series of snaps. Alas, ours has no window, a clever idea. Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA

 

[ref_123]

Dodger kit?

... from Sailrite.com would put you down for about $1K (AKA BOAT unit)... The rest is elbow grease.

We bought one and it's a part of over-winter projects.

Regards,
Stan