Does anyone have the BWYachts Narrow Dodger on a 26M?

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Scott,

Yes you can sail with the Dowsar bimini up. The front edge of the bimini is about an inch aft of the end of the boom. All you have to do to sail is remove the connector panel between the dodger and the bimini. You can even go up wind with the full set of side panels in place. This can be useful in rough conditions. You can sail with the open sunroof effect and still be protected from spray on the side. To go down wind you have to fold back or remove the side panels to allow the mainsheet to pass outboard.

This is not totally unique. While the BWY and the factory bimini's cannot be used with the mainsheet mounted at the boom end, many have drilled a new hole further forward placing the bail in front of the forward edge of the longer low bimini. It's not the ideal sheeting angle but it does let you sail with the bimini in place.

[Scott]

Thanks Duanne, Your post inspired me to go back and take a closer look. We sail with the stock bimini quite a bit. My bail is about 60% back from the gooseneck. Were most of these boats boom end sheeters??

The one observation between the posted pics I have is that the dowsar bimini is so narrow as to appear cosmetic for sun protection (Narrow bimini long connector). The Genco looks similar. The BWY Bimini however is more akin to the stock setup (Long bimini, short connector).

I also seem to remember reading somewhere (here???) that there is a slot that folds back in the connector on the BWY connector allowing sailing with it up??

[Frank C]

The factory mainsheet has always attached straight up from the 26X pedestal, never end-sheeted. Lost somewhere in my files is my "boom map" showing all distances to the gooseneck of my boom - so the actual distances are preserved, if not accessible~!

Just a guess, your '97 boom probably still has evidence of a through-bolt, probably about 8 inches aft from your current boom bail.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

There is a slot in the BWY connector but it will not let you sail with the connector in place. The slot just allows the mainsheet to pass out when the boom is not in use. Using the slot requires that the bail be moved forward just like you have done for the factory bimini.

I find that with the Dowsar bimini there is usually still shade in the cockpit even though it is smaller. You also get a lot more shade from the Dowsar dodger than any others because it extends further aft over the cockpit.

Pehaps in Florida it wouldn't be enough shade, but up here in the Northwest we welcome an occasional sun beam.

While I would have prefered a larger bimini, anything bigger than the Dowsar and you are forced to lower it under the boom. I just couldn't see having a bimini so low I couldn't stand up under it.

Mind you my preference is colored by the fact that we spend a lot of time under power which means we get the best of both worlds in the shade of the dodger/connector/bimini combined with full protected headroom in the cockpit.

On an X the standard position of the boom bail is almost to the end of the boom which is straight up from the pedestal as you can see in this picture. Early Dowsar connectors also had a slot but they eliminated it as it was prone to leaks. I just disconnect my mainsheet from the boom bail and clip on my backstay mounted topping lift. This secures the boom in place without the worry of leaks and also clears out the mainsheet and it's tail from the cockpit when not sailing.

[Scott]

Correct frank, there is a hole rear of the current bale. Duanne our useage patterns are prob opposite yours. If we run the motor longer than it takes to get out of the cove to the main lake it is rare. Also I am 5'7" just shy of 5'8" and I can stand under my bimini at the helm but just barely.

[Frank C]

... On an X the standard position of the boom bail is almost to the end of the boom which is straight up from the pedestal as you can see in this picture.

Actually I suspect that there IS NO STANDARD for the 26X boom bail. Maybe each dealer drills his own boom bail position, but it seems that my boom extends well aft of Duane's. I measured my boom today, and found the "factory" bail position at 99 inches aft on the boom. That is 102" aft of the mast track, due to the gooseneck gap. The pedestal connector is yet another ~5 inches aft of my bail position, at 104".

But the full boom length is 128", which would place an end-sheet yet another two feet aft. That's impossible for sheeting my mainsail, since the boom actually extends slightly aft of my steering wheel. Perhaps the boom on a 2000 is longer than that of a '97 model ... (10 feet, 8 inches)?

I was measuring to determine whether my removable traveler can go across the coamings at the companionway bulkhead (ergo, providing a wider working angle) or needs to be at the pedestal. Even at the cabin bulkhead it appears that the mainsheet will easily swing clear of the hip stanchions for a downwind run. This sheeting position will be ~86" or about 67% aft.

Yes, such a position places the traveler directly across the cabin entry, but there's still plenty of space to "limbo" into the cabin. I noted a nice by-product too ... with the mainsheet at this forward position, a customized, seating height bimini can be designed to fully cover the cockpit. I'm prototyping that too.