How to install Dorade Guards

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) = is 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.

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.