Dodger Windows

Bob Baltiera, the canvas man in Newport Beach, fabricated my sail covers and dodger.
On the dodger he used a clear stiff plastic for the windows. Now after 13 years the plastic has turned yellow and started to split or crack.

Does anyone know what that window plastic is ? Could it be polycarbonate .05 mm thick ?

He used Gortex thread and sewed right through that plastic, and the thread is still holding up well .

Maybe there is even a newer and better dodger window plastic these days, does anyone know ?

It’s probably Strataglass. Great stuff but nothing lasts forever. 13 yrs where it’s sunny most of the time sounds OK to me. Strataglass was available in Australia so I expect you can get it in Thailand and Indonesia.
Dan

It is polycarbonate with the brand name Lexan as told to me by Bob Baltiera. After 10 years my dodger needed new windows and zippers so I sent it back to Bob for repairs. That worked great but now another 10 years has elapsed and my windows have again become hazy and yellowed as well as the zippers non functional. I am getting by with it but it is time for another repair or considering a complete remake of the dodger itself.

Ron Thompson
Ho’okahiko

Lexan is GE’s brand name for their polycarbonate.

Hi,
I took my jıb and stay sail to BACON’s (Annapolis MD) in be fixed. Very nice people. They advised me that even though they could be repaired they weren’t good enough to take me to Bora Bora. Not to Hawaii. May be not even to St. Michael’s.
They quoted me $1791.00 for 110% roller furling genoa and $980.50 for stay sail.

-7.4 oz or 8.4 oz. dacron (same price)
-Contender Supercruise Dacron
-Triple Stiched seams
-Sunbrella suncovers (standard)
-Foam padded Luff (standard)
-Radial corners
-Draft stripe
Leech/footlines w/clamcleats
-Webbing Loops at head and tack
-Tell tales and sailbag
Genoa:
LUFF:37’0 luff
26’8 leech
20’0 foot

Mehmet,
Prices seem about right. If your going cruising go with the heavier cloth. if your going to Bora Bora that means trade wind sailing. 15-20 knots most of the time. I would go with the jib top vs the Genoa. It is a more versatile sail than the genoa for beating and reaching. used in conjunction with your staysail it will give you all the boat speed you need.

Then add a drifter to your inventory that sets flying. Easier to use with a roller furling jib in place.

I personally would trash the old sails if they are in that bad of shape. They will take up a lot of valuable space. I have done the spare sail thing before and have never needed them if you have good sails to begin with.

Sensible advice from Gary there on both the job top and the spare sails. I agree on both points.

I have the jib top, and think it’s just perfect 90% of the time. I fly a nylon drifter for light winds.

Recently I’ve been going through the boat and removing stuff I just haven’t used over the past 2 years. I can’t imagine carrying a set of spare sails… it would take up way too much space.

Old sail cloth can be used for chafe protection on rope or made into a bag.

On Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 6:53 AM, BCC Forums bccforums@samlmorse.com wrote: