BR20 Cockpit tent - images/design/manufacturers?

[Andy Stobbart]

I am interested in (preferably) acquiring/making a cockpit tent for my BR20 which already benefits from the spray hood but I need something longer and more enclosed.

I enquired of Swallow Yachts but evidently they are no longer making them ("too much hassle").

If anyone has one to sell I would be very interested per my request under the for sale board but failing that does anyone:
- have any good pictures of one that they can share?
- know who made them for Swallow Yachts (they didn't seem to know) so that I can see if they may be able to make one up for me?
- have any design info/tips/photos of one they built themselves?

The MSR Gear Tent referred to in other posts on the subject is another possibility which I believe is still available for sale but there are only a couple of photos of that on the forum so if anyone can provide some better photos of theirs that would also be potentially helpful.

Thanks & regards

Andy

[Matthew P]

Lots of advice on tents, including making one can be found at various places on the forum, including at Swallow Yachts Association »Swallow Yachts Forum »General Discussion »Cockpit tent.

My main criteria are:

Storm proof

Robust

Easy to put up

Easy access to the foredeck for mid-night nautical emergencies such as a dragging anchor

Access into the cockpit from a pontoon

I've made a few but I'm always interested in new ideas.

Matthew
BR17 Tarika
Ex BR20 Gladys
Mystery and other boats

[Graham W]

Andy,

Using the seach facility will bring up plenty of references to boat tents, of which the one highlighted by Matthew is probably the best.  If you've seen photos of the MSR, then it sounds like you have already seen that thread.

You would think that someone, somewhere would be prepared to run up standard tents for BayRaiders.  There are standard Drascombe tents but that maker, when asked a while back, couldn't have been less interested.  Living national treasure Roger Barnes (now in exile in France) made an interesting video of how he sewed his own boat tent out of ventile - see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDSEbhyIzX0.  It was not without its difficulties and is not something that I would ever attempt.

My BR20 with standard sprayhood has been used in conjunction with an MSR Gear Shed (sorry, no further photos), an official Swallow tent and a C & J Marine boom awning.  Of the three, the last has had by far the most use - it is the sturdiest, easiest to put up, take down and stow away, is pleasantly airy and has quite good headroom.  It also doubles as a sunshade.  If the weather's really foul, then the fiddly Swallow tent does a good job of keeping the elements out.  The MSR Gear Shed was a compromise until the official tent came along and is now only used pegged to solid ground together with its matching (and unusually named) Hubba Hubba tent.

[Mark Rushton]

Hi,

Our BRe has a cockpit tent made by Jeckells which zips onto the sprayhood provided by Swallow. There are some photos of it on our advert in the 'for sale' area of the forum. The cockpit tent folds up into a tonneau style cover which sits on the stern deck whilst sailing. To erect the tent you have to temporarily remove the mizzen to slide the tent and supports forward of the mizzen.

I assume something similar could be achieved on the open version of the BayRaider.

Mark