The height of the dorade
guard is purposely made longer than what is normally needed to fit over
the dorade and cowl vent. Some cutting of the tubing will be required to
achieve the proper height. Cuts can be made with a portable 4 to 4-1/2"
cut-off grinder available from a number of companies including Sears,
Makita, and Dewalt, designed for cutting metal tubing. A properly sized
metal cut-off wheel will quickly make the desired cuts. Alternatively,
using a hacksaw with a blade for cutting stainless steel is another
option, but it will take several blades and a lot of energy to complete
the job.
Flat deck installation, once the dorade and
cowl vent have been installed, measure the height to the top of the
vent. Ideally, you should allow at least 1-1/2" from the top of the vent
to the bottom of the guard. You will need room to unscrew the vent from
the deck plate, for removal from under the guard. From the bottom center
of the guard, measure the height from the deck. By subtracting the
height of the cowl vent and dorade plus 1-1/2" from the height of the
guard (bottom center), this will give you the amount to cut from the
guard legs.
(vent + dorade) + 1-1/2"
- (guard height) =
the amount to be cut from each guard leg.
Cambered deck installation, some people
chose to ignore small amounts of deck camber and install their guards
employing the system mentioned above. However, if you chose to install
your guards vertically straight then a different method is used. Once
again, after the dorade and cowl vent have been installed, the height of
the center of the cowl vent is recorded. Now the angle of the deck
camber needs to be determined.
With the vessel being as
close to horizontal as possible with the use of a level, cut a paper or
plastic pattern of the deck camber in the location of the guard
installation. Draw a horizontal line on the pattern in relation to the
deck camber. Mark on the pattern the dorade and the height of the cowl
vent height. Also, mark the location of the guard legs.
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Transfer the pattern onto
the U portion of the guards with the top of the cowl vent measurement
1-1/2 “ from the bottom center of the guard. It is very important that
the guard is perpendicular to the horizontal line drawn on the pattern.
Now with a marking pen, transfer the deck camber from the pattern to the
three guard legs. The guard legs will be cut on this line.
If you are planning to use Rotating Deck Sockets with
your guard installation, it will be necessary to cut one additional inch
from each leg.
As a good
practice, I recommend that you plan at least one preliminary cut below
the actual cut. This
will allow you to place the guard in its location to see how close you
are to the final cut. Remember, it is wiser to remove a small amount of
material first than to be faced with finding yourself short.
If you have any suggestions, we'd like to hear your comments.
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