Sabre 28: Hard dodger!

 With the summer sailing season coming to a close, I have been looking forward to the joys of cool weather sailing.  I enjoyed watching Sam Holmes make his hard dodger and thought that would be useful even if I don't sail to Scotland.

With carbon fiber scraps from my SUP work, I began to build a composite dodger.

First, I roughed in the shaped with green 1 inch construction foam.  This was sanded and formed and eventually laminated inside and out with 2 layers of 6 oz CF.  Additional 10 oz cloth was added on the vertical legs and 3 inch glass tape was incorporated around the bottom edge and around the port light openings.  Here are some photos...

The finished dodger.

After fairing and primer, before glazing.  The tung depressers are temporary.  They will be used to support the Lexan as the bonding DOW 795 sets. 

The dodger before fairing and Lexan.

Sabre 28: Cabin top hatch

 The old smoked plexiglass hatch on the Saber was in need of attention.  I assume it was original plexiglass.  It appeared as though it could give way with a misplaced foot.

I ordered 1/4 inch thick Lexan for its replacement.  professionalplastics.com supplied the piece cut to exact dimensions down to the 64th.  You can specify how accurate you want the cut.  This is a great service.

All I had to do for the fit was round off the corners with a grinder.  We used DOW 795.  It is the correct sealant for sheet plexiglass  / Lexan.

After the frame was sanded and painted, the new part was bonded in and fastened mechanically with screws.

The clip in dog bed does double duty as a sun screen in hot weather.