Let me first explain, I am not talking about completely hard doger but some combination of hardtop or hardtop plus hard coaming but with a canvas front. Where I am (San Francisco Bay Area) it does get hot in the summer in marina so having an open front is important for air circulation. Although I know I can always build a hard dodger with opening front window I am not looking for that level of complexity in construction. I have seen a couple of hard top/hard combing designs in my marina that I thought are pretty good in design. Here is an example of hardtop/hard combing on a Cheoy Lee Offshore 40.
![Image](http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5247/5362830126_6809eb9a73_z.jpg)
![Image](http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5005/5362829052_3c6dde5a6e_z.jpg)
The owner explained to me that the dodger top and coaming are entirely made of fiberglass from a female mold. He also sat on the top to demonstrate how strong the dodger is. The only short coming is that it is bit small and does not protect the skipper from boarding waves from the front or side.
The other type of hardtop dodger I like is the design from Tartarooga. Here is a sample of their product.
![Image](http://www.tartarooga.com/images/Ontario321.jpg)
![Image](http://www.tartarooga.com/images/Cal391.jpg)
I anticipate that this will be a huge project which I accept. The question that I have is what are the pros and cons of each desgin? What aspect of the construction will be most challenge and not get right (I am very concerned to spend a lot of time and end up with a real eye sore which I have seen in other people's attempt to build hard dodgers.)