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We decided to build an awning to
protect the cockpit (well, mainly its occupants) from the sun. Way back
when we had the dodger built, we already had the general plan in mind for the
awning, having seen a nice design on another Triton in our area, Jock Brodie's E-Ho
II. We decided to more or less emulate his design for our own, so we
had a zipper built into the top of the dodger at that time.
With our long cruise pending, we
knew that some sun protection at anchor would be critical, so we moved forward
with building the awning in time for the cruise. The basic design and
construction is very straightforward: a basic rectangle of cloth (Sunbrella,
in our case), which is attached to the dodger with a zipper at the forward end
and supported by a batten at the after end. Heidi did all the sewing, of
course.
The following measurements were
critical and were taken by Heidi and I off the boat:
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Width of the front and back
of the awning
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Length between dodger zipper
and the mainsheet (which requires a cutout)
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Overall length from dodger
zipper to just forward of the backstay (our awning extends past the
mainsheet a bit)
With these measurements in hand,
construction could begin. Heidi sewed the whole thing up in a pretty short
time. The width of the awning (over 48") requires two pieces of Sunbrella
sewn together longitudinally, with the seam in the dead center. Once the
basic rectangle is made, the edges are folded over and sewn to avoid any exposed
edges. There is a 1" wide slit in the back part of the awning to
allow it to pass around the mainsheet tackle, and a 1" pocket in the aft
end into which a batten will slide. Pretty simple stuff. To finish
things off, we added a grommet in each corner for some lines that help secure
everything, and in the center, on either side of the mainsheet slit, Heidi sewed
a piece of webbing on each side that we can tie around the backstay. For
the batten, I went to my local sail loft and picked up a length of 5/8"
diameter round batten stock--it's nice and stiff.
The pictures tell a better story
of the awning than my description, so here they are.
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Our first deployment of the
awning was a rousing success (when these photos were taken). We had a few
gusts of wind early on to test it out (good), a little bit of sun (good), and
even some light rain. It's amazing how the awning has such an effect on
the living space of the boat. That little piece of fabric effectively
extends the living space to the cockpit even more than the dodger does, and
helps protect the cockpit from rain, enabling the occupants (us) to stay up
there longer. Of course, it's not wide enough to block all the sun all the
time, but it sure is a big help. Future modifications might include basic
screens, or basic side curtains to block more of the sun from the side.
We'll see...no rush to change anything. It works exactly as planned, and
perhaps will make even more of a difference to our comfort than we originally
thought.
Removing the awning is a matter
of untying the four corner lines, slipping the batten out of its pocket (so that
it can get by the mainsheet), and rolling it up. Removal or deployment
takes a minute or two. And it's still easy to get in and out of the
cockpit.
Nice job, Heidi!
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Here's how it looks from the
water. The aft end can be raised or lowered if desired. A couple
full size pictures (click them) are shown below for a better view. The
control lines at each corner really only serve to slightly stretch the fabric
and stabilize the batten at the aft end for a tight fit.
