Hello there!
The dodger that came with Beautiful Swimmer and stayed for 25 years was recently expired. (rip and tear) . The Dodger we did not plan to replace before we leave but I realized it was very old and not in a good shape so I decided to replace with an old canvas given to us by Merv and Jeannie on Meridian Passage. Steph said that his red duct tape would do !!!!!!!
We decided to remake a used canvas dodger remix with old stuffed we have (such clear plastic, wax thread). Measure and mostly sewn with traditional needle (use wax thread). Luckily that this used canvas material has a shape and zip that can wear on the frame but there is no clear plastic window. We solve this problem by cut off the front part. It is a heavy duty job to sew a whole parts together. Mae and Marty on Wild Abandon let me use their canvas sewing machine but later we found out that the machine stop to work properly because the plastic may be too thick for a canvas machine. The new fabric order from sunbrella arrived but too late and the shop to make was closed. We keep new fabric to make the new one later.
From this job, we don’t pay CA$ 2,000 at this time to get a brand new dodger. This used materials may not look perfect but the important thing is it will be strong enough to protect the wind and rain while we sail across the Pacific Ocean.
Thank you for your follow up.