I finished the sewing for the dodger on Saturday, but didn't have the nerve (and the snaps) to try to fit it to the boat until today. The most difficult aspect of the process of patterning and sewing is that you have little sense of whether you're accurate enough until the end. The very end. Today, under warm sun, I installed the snaps (every 4 inches) and studs, working from the front and moving around 1 snap on each side at first, then a pair at a time. They all went in securely and easily. I set the snaps in the canvas by hand, rather than with a fancy snap tool, but it went ok. The straps I will set to the forward jamb cleats in the cockpit, the forward most hardware that exists in the cockpit. The angle is slightly acute (less strong), but the whole assembly seems to be plenty strong enough, and not too difficult to move around in order to gain access to the foredeck. I am thinking about how to do an extension (about 24 inches) aft from th...
