Hard tops

[martin]

Hi,

Have been looking at hard top sports cruisers with envy recently like the new Sealine (and I am not big fan of Sealine - ex owner - so am pretty miffed with myself!?). Mine current boat has a canvas pack , which is ok for our national 2 week summer, but the rest of the year I think a hardtop over the helm with no drips or faff would make much nicer days..

any one know if you can get these things made and retro fitted?

 

[ari]

Seems like the worst of both worlds to me. You can't have the boat completely open in nice weather (appreciate they have a sliding roof, but a sunroof in a car doesn't make it a convertable) and you don't have a proper deck saloon.

If I had a hard top cruiser I'd want to put sides on it and a ladder up the back and seats and a steering wheel on top. Hey presto, a flybridge boat! Nice deck saloon and snug dry lower helm, and proper open air nice weather helming on top.

 

[DavidJ]

I had a look at the Sealine C39 at the factory last week. Super looking boat and I think ideal for the UK. I'm not sure about the Med though. When it's hot the last thing you want is the sun beating down on your head and you certainly don't want to be closed off by shutting the roof.
No question that it does eliminate a job I hate which is clipping covers on and off but I can't help thinking that there must be another way. Flybridge, I suppose but I'm not keen on them for small boats (ie under 40ft)
David

 

[oldsaltoz]

G’day Martin,
Retro fitting a hard top is not a major project. If you don’t want to build it yourself, I’m sure any of the local boat builders will be happy to give you a quote. Just make sure they spend a bit of time working out the details with you, like the location of the overhead lighting, speakers, or you might like to include some storage for fishing rods or PFD’s etc. Most important, go for a foam core, it will be lighter and not get hot with full sun on it. Also, work out the location of support frames. You might like to include provision for clear side covers, or insect screens that will stop the glare but still let the breeze through.
Best starting point is to get a photo of the boat side on and draw the hardtop on it to get some idea of what the end product will look like.
Hope this helps.

Andavagoodweekend Ols Salt Oz……/forums/images/icons/cool.gif