Sea-going tent

Shelter from the elements

Unconstrained visibility to ensure effective watchkeeping

Rapid access to the deck

Quick and easy setup and removal

Added security
Cost-effective

Having visited Mark's impressive 'Grey Goose' I noted he has a hard grab-rail on the sides of the sprayhood (dodger to our North American pals) while mine has long soft webbing.  He's happy to keep the sprayhood up all the time while I prefer it lowered for close-quarter manoeuvring which is impossible with the hard rail.  That's but one example of individual preference but getting details like that correct for you can become very important.

All of these are custom-made to our own requirements but don't let that put you off.  Recommend you think-through with whoever sails regularly with you and come up with a list similar to mine above, then adding specific details of what you want and do not want included.  You can then sketch out a basic design or, like me, just go to a friendly sailmaker and invite him down to the boat.  I was glad I did that as mine came up with a lot of small but important ideas that increased ease of use while reducing the costs.  Any decent sail or canvass-maker in your area should be able to turn your ideas into reality although of course there's a literal price to pay unless you're clever enough to make it yourself. I used a small husband-and-wife business in Ramsgate, England who took tremendous care to get the details right. I'm not sure if there's any differences between model years on the sprayhoods which would render my 'add on' approach unsuitable for a simple copy to be made but I'd be happy to supply details if required.  However, if your sprayhood was nearing the end of its life and you had money needing a place to run to you could always have a completely new structure made.  Peter's looks lovely!

VR

Iain