new dodger...why are clutches so far forward???

[gwp]

Just finished my new dodger and clutches are so far forward there isn't room for levers to swing forward. I am having to relocate clutches and teak mounting block. Anyone else have this problem? If you've ever pulled up those blocks you won't forget it.... Catalina used heaping share of bedding compound making sure they stayed there.

[Stu Jackson]

Could be that your front "window" slopes back at a certain angle.

[Roc]

Can you post some pictures of the problem?

[waterdog]

I had to move mine aft about 6inches.  The factory position doesn't allow for a decently swept back dodger. 

[gwp]

Yep... Catalina didn't allow room. It just suprised me as I've never heard anyone else mention this issue. 6 inches on mine too. Took a floor scraper to pry the teak blocks off the deck. For the archives.... Thx

[patrice]

Hi,
Same problem with mine too.

When I want to open completeley the clutches, I open the Zipper of the front section of the dodger to give some room.

Can't change the angle of the front of the dodger, it follow the line between boom and traveller car.

[Gary]

An alternative to moving the rope clutches is to have a sail maker sew in a piece of stamoid where the clutch makes contact with the glass. My son, a canvas expert, has done this for us only at the location of the starboard main & jib halyard clutch. The port spinnaker and spare halyard clutches are not opened often enough on our boat to make the change there.

It is a good design and has worked well.

Gary

[Stu Jackson]

If you've ever pulled up those blocks you won't forget it.... Catalina used heaping share of bedding compound making sure they stayed there.

Sounds like this is too late, but did you consider simply adding new wood blocks aft of the existing ones instead of moving them?  IIRC, this may have come up years ago, but it took me a few days to recall the concept.  [Don't know if I could find a link, either.  Might have been ina Mainsheet article.]

[Ross Fisher]

I had the same problem when I had the Dodger fabricated for my C34. There was major interference between the front clears and the clutch levers. The fabricator got round this problem by cutting out a section of the clear and fabricating  a nacelle-like pod in the clear material which provided the necessary clearance.
This has worked well and avoids the major work involved in removing and relocating the clutches.

[Ron Hill]

Guys : Surprisingly, I've never heard of this problem before!!  Mine were perfectly located.

It would seem to me that any canvas make would design their dodger to accommodate where the clutches were installed.  I'm sure that the clutches were installed by the factory and not the dealer.

A thought

[Stu Jackson]

Ron's right.  The connection to the dodger face is pretty far forward of the clutch location, at least on my boat.

Like these pictures show.

[Stu Jackson]

2

[Stu Jackson]

3

[Ross Fisher]

I hope that this and the next photo will illustrate the way that we overcame this issue. The angle of the dodger front window is the core problem.

Regards,

Ross

[Ross Fisher]

Photo Number 2