Making a Tent for a Sailboat

[hawk232]

It does hunt at anchor but the boat alone, without the tent, hunts at anchor so I am not sure how much the tent is creating and issue versus exaggerating it. typically I bow and stern anchor myself in the lee of an island and its not an issue.

[Paul356]

Here's what I have now.  (Instead of the full mizzen mast, I just had a piece of mast tubing stuck in for the canvas crew to work with.)  In use, I'll run the mizzen sail up above this unit and tie the sail and sprit up with the halyard.  Same for the main.

This rear "tent" ties into the dodger I already have.  The back end hangs down to the bottom and lands on the seats with no tie downs, enough to run rain down and off.  It's stiff enough that I don't foresee any wind problems.  The sides are snapped in.  There are screens in the back, with canvas covers over, and the back flaps also roll up nicely for an open rear if desired.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I gave up trying to keep the full cockpit dry.  This gives me enough room to sleep and cook (if needed) on the platform made of the boards I put across the front footwells.  Yes, there will be rainwater on the boat bottom below, but I will bail and pump it out when the time comes.  Works for me, I guess.  Harken Canvas did the work.

 

 

[Paul356]

Inside, but without the platform boards in place....

[Don Silsbe]

@Paul356— It looks very nice.  Which snaps did they/you select for attaching it to the boat?   How are they attached— to the coaming or the deck?  With short wood screws, or…?

[Paul356]

The attachments on the sides are the little turn screws.  You put the oval shaped piece in the canvas over the fitting and turn the top of the fitting.  It's worked well on the dodger.  Very quick, and has held up well in the dodger. They just used some wood screws, yes.  I've watched for signs of either pulling loose or water intrusion or other ills, but so far nothing that I can see.  I figure if something goes bad, I can substitute small flathead through bolts, but not needed yet.

[Don Silsbe]

@Paul356— These?

[Paul356]

Yup.

[PadrePoint]

An approach to tents and dinghy cruising. 

 

[Alan Stewart]

One to add. A simple sun tent without sides supported by the horizontal sprits. 3 poles keep it spread wide and it's held down to the gunwales at the end of each pole. As seen in this recent video. https://youtu.be/orSLDokXGAs?si=opB9RIi-gHSpmxCB. Boat is Gira Gira. 

[PadrePoint]

Gira Gira… I was watching Sailing Kate Louise’s latest video as Gira Gira passed by on the screen… and I turned to the B&B Forum to see if there are new posts… I noticed Alan’s post above ABOUT Gira Gira… a fun coincidence. 

 

I’ve noticed his tarp setup in previous Australian videos and will take a look at what is posted above.  
 

Hey wait… Alan posted the video I’m half way through as I’m writing this.
 

I will figure a way to spread out a sun shade canopy on Avocet this year with some type of poles, rather than the v-shape formed over the secured sprit.  This shows what was started by Richard, who built Avocet (he sewed little pockets into the tarp for spreaders):

 

In this shot I look like I’m praying to the mizzen mast.  (I was moving to the rear cockpit.,, I’m a big guy and I’d like the sunshade to be wider… and longer… a 2024 project.)

 

I will now finish watching the Sailing Kate Louise video.