Protection in the Cockpit

One of the aspects of most modern cruising boats is the simple fact that the cockpits are open to the weather. That means that we are obliged to retrofit some sort of cockpit protection system to keep us dry and out of the wind when sailing upwind or in poor weather or protect us from the sun in the fair weather. This usually translates into a dodger over the companionway and forward part of the cockpit, a Bimini top over the helm and an insert between the two that can be easily fitted and removed. These are made of fabric, such as Sunbrella, stainless steel tubing, hard fastenings and zippers. On some boats, particularly in cooler climates, owners add isinglass sides and backs for a complete enclosure. These retrofitted enclosures do their job but it does raise the simple question of why designers and builders don’t more often provide a more permanent solution to a problem every cruiser faces, protection from the weather. A few builders offer hard dodgers as an option and a few are providing inside steering stations in a raised saloon configuration. Catamarans often have an inside nav station where you can run the boat with a remote autopilot. But, in most cases we are beholden to somewhat flimsy canvas, tubes and zippers to protect us from the weather. I wonder if there isn’t a place in the sailboat market for cruising boats that come with a hard dodger and permanent helm protection?
   What do you think? You can send your thoughts to george@bwsailing.com