Cockpit Tent

[Paul Flint]

As a newby to the CC19 I have been contemplating buying the purpose-made cockpit supplied through Honnor Marine. However, I can foresee two drawbacks with this idea: cost (at nearly £1,000 this is becoming prohibitive) and size when stowed (my fear is that it will swamp the cabin when not in use). On looking through previous posts I see that several owners have successfully adapted flysheets from Vango 'tunnel tents' with a hoop at either end. As there are several different models of Vango presently on the market, can those in the know say which model(s) have worked well for them? I wonder also how stable they are if the wind gets up? They certainly represent a great saving on cost and a massive difference on space when packed. Many thanks. Paul

[Steve Bradley]

Hi Paul, I’m interested to know if you got a reply to your enquiry about cockpit tent solutions? I too am looking for a tunnel tent style solution and have two 3/4 berth camping tents which may be adapted for the purpose. I just need to decide which one to butcher! One of the hurdles will be finding a method of retaining the pole ends at the sides of the cockpit, being loathed as I am to drill any additional holes around the coamings or rubbing strakes (mine are plastic ‘bumper’ channel strips). I figure that, by using the peak halyard to raise the aft end of the boom (like a topping lift) I will have good clearance which would tapper down towards the companionway hatch as it goes forward, to terminate just behind the tabernacle. Each potential ‘doner’ tent has a side door on either side with its own window and can be unzipped and rolled up. I would fit a couple of centreline webbing loops to enable the tent to be supported under the boom with straps to prevent deformation in breezy conditions. An alternative idea was to use sections of small diameter plastic pipe conduit to form the arch framework (fore, aft, and centre) and make the cover from scratch as a bespoke design. I do have a sailing buddy who makes covers and he did seem interested in scoping one out… watch this space!