Article: Making small boats bigger (Part 1)

Posted By: Buzz
Date: 7/5/99 5:22p.m.

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Click on images for larger version Who hasn't, in a moment of weakness, wished for a "bigger" boat? You know, more stowage, perhaps standing headroom, perhaps just the look and feel of a "bigger" boat. Then reality sets in. Most of us pretty much like the boat we have. Especially if she's paid for, we've cleaned her up and outfitted her pretty much just right. And we know that "two foot-itis" carries a fairly hefty price tag. Well the good news is you can substantially increase the size of the small boat you already own for no more than $1,000, perhaps substantially less if you're real handy. Install a dodger. When we added a dodger to our 22 footer, here's what we got: Standing headroom in the companionway, which is where you want it most; An enhanced ability to leave the companionway hatchboards stowed below while at anchor in the rain, thus enhancing ventilation; The world's largest cabin exhaust vent while at anchor. With any kind of breeze over the bow the air moving aft up and over the dodger created a noticeable suction which helped exhaust air from the cabin, especially if a cabin port or forward hatch was open a bit; A good handhold for boarding the boat from the dock and for going forward underway. A well built dodger is amazingly sturdy when properly installed, and who couldn't use another reliable handhold? Protection from raw wind and spray under sail or power. Get an auto pilot with remote and you can sit on your bridge deck under the dodger under the worst of conditions, and wonder what all this talk about big boats is about. The perfect place under which to hang a shower curtain (with the bottom of the curtain hanging inside a 10 gallon tub on the cabin sole), the solar shower hung from the boom or a halyard as usual. No more stepping up into the cockpit to take your shower. Change, enter and exit the shower from the privacy of the cabin. Especially popular with my wife. A great unexpected place for stowage of odds and ends. Things you would normally not consider leaving on the cabin top (because they were destined to roll off) will remain there quite happily, hemmed in by the sides of the dodger. Designing a dodger does take some thought. Some boats just don't seem designed to accomodate one. And some shoddily made dodgers, or those of a clashing color, just seem to spoil the lines of an otherwise pretty boat. And probably on too small a boat a dodger would be an unnecessary nuisance and to be functional would be out of scale with the rest of the boat. But certainly on most boats in the 21 to 25 foot range they are a viable option. We came to believe that for cruising they're on our "must have" list. Most dodgers are fabricated by sailmakers, although there are specialty canvas shops that will make them (but don't make sails.) I recommend a good sailmaker because, if nothing else they understand sailboats and sailing. They'll appreciate the need for heavy duty stainless steel tubing, heavy vinyl windows and a good rugged grade of fabric. They also have a feel for what, for lack of a better term, looks lousy. The funny thing is, we installed our dodger and we gained the two feet to boot. Inevitably we'd just anchor our little 22 footer in some harbor and as somebody came rowing by in their dinghy they'd look us over and say "Nice boat. What is she, about 24 feet?"