Canvas vs Hardtop

[Switch]

It seems that hard top sport cruisers are all the rage at the moment. benefits usually stated with HT's are that they do away with fiddly canvas covers and offer better protection from the weather (particularly nothern European climates) but what are the disadvantages of HT's?
Has anyone moved from canvas to HT and regretted it?

 

[Kaste]

In a word - NO.

Went from a T43 to T44 and have really enjoyed being out on the water in more comfort more often than before.

 

[Nick_H]

Downsides; they feel more enclosed than an open boat, less wind in the hair feeling, vision is a bit restricted when berthing, there's often not standing headroom at the helm, and they're more expensive to buy. Also in very hot weather, the high sides restrict air flow across the boat, and the open roof allows the sun to burn your head. Smaller HT's can also look a bit high sided and less sleek than open boats.

The big plus as you say is their weather protection, not just being able to close the roof when it rains, but the high sides also keep the crew warmer when cruising.

I think they're ideal for Northern Europe, but not so good for the Med

 

[rubberduck]

We looked at both before buying our latest rag top. We did not like the idea that the open roof on hard tops allows you to burn, not just head but shoulders, neck etc in the very weather when you are most likely to use the boat, whereas with the rag top all the sides come off & you have a canopy to protect you from the suns rays. We are a fair skinned lot anyway, so suits us. If its a little chilly then we just take the back off, & if its -2 we keep all covers on & turn the heating up which is very effective. Only downside is fiddling with covers but Absolute have, like everything else I've found so far, given this some serious thought & come up with user friendly solutions.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Some reports also say that the hard top reflects engine noise so HT boats can be noisier at the helm than their canvas equivalents although I understand that HT's with solid sliding sections are worse than HT's with canvas sliding sections in this respect. I would agree that HT's must be sweltering in the Med unless the HT can be closed off and airconditioned but that sort of defeats the object of boating for me which is getting some fresh air

 

[gjgm]

It seems that hard top sport cruisers are all the rage at the moment. benefits usually stated with HT's are that they do away with fiddly canvas covers and offer better protection from the weather (particularly nothern European climates) but what are the disadvantages of HT's?
Has anyone moved from canvas to HT and regretted it?

We ve looked into this so many times, but for us, its the open boat. We boat all summer, and then pack away the rest of the season, so maybe we arent typical, but during those six summer months, we never ever put the covers up under way, just in the evening.
So for us, the problem is finding a hardtop that is open enough. We reckoned it needed to be at least 45ft, probably more... and we just dont need a boat that big.
At some point though,we know we will change what we want from a boat, and that a comfier,more sedate boating might demand a more enclosed boat. So far, if its cold, put more clothes on, and if its raining, wear some waterproofs!