A Sailboat Dodger Constructed From Low-Cost Basic Materials ~ Overview

How to make a low cost dodger from basic materials using simple hand tools and a 3D printer. In essence, I took some 3/4" schedule 40 PVC pipe and bent it over from one of the cockpit handrails to the other. This formed the arc for the rear of the dodger. I measured the angle relative to the the handrail and designed a bracket to clamp the PVC pipe to the handrail. Then I took a second piece of pipe and bent it to form the arc for the front of the dodger. I offered it up to the first pipe and marked the first pipe where I wanted to 'T' the second pipe into it. After which, I cut and glued the T's for the second pipe. This second pipe needed supporting at the front, so I built a bridge over the sliding hatch cover from mahogany. I then formed 3 vertical struts with more PVC 'T''s and designed and printed brackets to connect those to the bridge. Now I had a rigid frame on which to build the hard dodger. The dodger top is made from 1/4" plywood that had shallow grooves cut along the length of it to allow it to bend. I made a template from plastic sheet for the top and used it to cut the plywood outline, After bending the plywood I placed it onto the PVC frame and got the shape I needed, held into form under tension by tying a rope from one corner of the plywood to the other. I then added a layer for fiberglass to the entire plywood surface (both sides), and reinforced with an extra layer along the edges. The hard dodger top is bolted to the PVC pipe frame, and the canvas work forms the front of it.