Wear patch for a dodger

[j34035]

What material would you recommend for wear patches to be applied on my new dodger? I have seen leather, clear vinyl (eisenglas), doubled up sunbrella, etc. What has been your experience? Thanks!
DD

[Vasco]

Where are the wear patches? On mine I've got fake leather (like naugahide) all along the top aft edge, about six inches wide. Also the edges are lined with vinyl where they meet the coachroof and sides.

[j34035]

I'm looking at the lower edges where the dodger meets the cockpit to keep the sheets from burning the sunbrella and also on the cabin sides where my jib car control lines exit under the material. I was thinking leather patching but I have options now since we are not starting the new one until next week.
DD

[bubb2]

leather, leather, leather

[j34035]

Thanks for the feedback. Leather it is!
DD

[braidmike]

Leather. We built a new dodger a couple years ago and used the vinyl from Sailrite around the top edges over the SS tubing. I'm sure the sorry excuse for air we breathe in Southern California is the primary culprit, but it is impossible to keep clean. I've tried every cleaner WestMarine sells, and getting black fingerprints off is close to impossible. My neighbors dodgers with leather is probably as bad, but doesn't show it quite as bad.

[j34035]

I think we will go with a pearl gray leather, we are using cadet gray sunbrella for the main body of the dodger. Will post pics when it is on the boat.
DD

[Faster]

We have leather in the way of cutouts for halyards, etc. and along the aft top rail. A couple of things we've noticed:

It's not as easy to clean as the Sunbrella... we're in the middle of a city between two bridges and there's always a black "dust" (probably actually tire dust from all the bridge traffic) that's difficult to get out/off the leather.

3 - 4 years on it is wearing a bit, with 'white' starting to show thinning and exposing the greyer 'suede' stuff underneath.

How it looked new:

[donradclife]

Leather shrinks with time, and will eventually something will tear, but it is by far the best for abrasion resistance.

[whigmaleerie]

Try a bit of PVC