Why would you buy a hardtop ?

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Well I'm happy in my fish bowl too. My Seawings is massively practical.

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Hey whats one have you got ... I have the 355 elegence excellent piece of kit and suits all weathers too .... very practical and is eveything you could ask for - fast sports cruiser with masses of room inside (as I say more roomy than most flybridge cruisers I have been on) .....

Clive
 
Covers are a real pain on my S37 (Sports layout) . In the Med I spend 5 mins taking them off in the morning and another 5 mins putting back on in the evening (unless it's guarenteed not to rain). However the other 14 hours of the day are just great!
Sometimes I've taken the boat out with the covers on and it's like being in a saloon car ...boring and not worth the 2mpg fuel cost.
I do like a appearence of the hardtop Windy and Elan (not the Sealine) until the drivers poke their heads up through the gap and look like real "plonkers" in my view (Sorry!)
 
This one..
Hardy.jpg

Old design now, older than the 355 I think, but suits our needs perfectly for now, and didn't need to rob a bank to buy it either.
 
Nice ... as soon as I find out how to post pictures Ill put one of mine up ... hehe ..... I do like the Seawings (not bias) think they were well ahead of their time in design and its a pity that on 200 were ever made in total .... think Hardy would now make a killing as all other hard tops are based on her ... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
Thanks Jez, we're in the south harbour - through the lock, past the visitor's berths and turn left. That's only for another few weeks as we're moving to Northney for the Summer.
 
I know someone who had a Seawings 355 and I agree it had loads of space and a good layout. Probably one of the first of the current hard top crop. A nice boat if you like hard tops.
 
and the Bavaria for reference:

38HT-bb-hinten.jpg_t400.jpg


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Jez,

Which Bavaria is this?

And is that a pair of sun pads on the roof?

Less specifically can you sunbathe on the roof of hardtops?
 
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and the Bavaria for reference:

38HT-bb-hinten.jpg_t400.jpg


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Jez,

Which Bavaria is this?

And is that a pair of sun pads on the roof?

Less specifically can you sunbathe on the roof of hardtops?

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It is a 38 Hard Top

Don't think they are sunpads, probably openings

If the mood takes you probably
 
I am a confirmed flybridge fan having had both flybridge and sports cruiser type boats in the past but for me it's quite simple. Flybridges don't go with sterndrives because there's too much windage and they're a pig to handle at slow speed and they don't go with sub 30-35ft boats because IMHO there's too much weight up top for good hull stability. So for me, over 35ft + shafts = flybridge, under 35ft or sterndrives = sportscruiser.
And because canvas covers are a PITA to take down and put up, sportscruiser + N Europe = hardtop, sportscruiser + Med = soft top because there's no point in going to the Med for the weather and then sitting inside
 
Seems I get may be getting more and more convinced into a flybridge boat reading all about the Phantom 38. I agree it's best of both worlds probably but also a little more expensive to buy and use (fuel) than comparable 38-40ft sterndrive sportscruiser. But then again, you likely are going to use it more often too when weather conditions are slightly less perfect ... so all in all, more use of the boat all year round.

Any decent Phantom 38s on the second hand market that anyone can recommend and are below 150k budget range ?

Thanks,
Alain
 
Hi Alain,

I would recommend the Neptunus 41. There are two here (with slightly different pics):

http://www.noblemarine.co.uk/manufacturer/Neptunus/

Gorgeous, economical, quick, huge cockpit with excellent seating, BBQ and fridge in cockpit, 2 double rooms with en-suites, nice finish and built just round the corner from you in Holland. Squeeze a bit and you could well get one for GBP150K.

Don't know why we don't see more of them around. Mind you, you can't even find their website on google, only their US/Canada joint venture making larger boats.
 
Neptunus is around in our area with some flybridge models, but the ones I know look at little dated (early nineties). The 41S I have never seen. They lok georgeous indeed and offer plenty of space below. I have looked at them on the boats for sale websites, but they still seem too expensive (+180K) ...
 
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