Hardtop Idea

[shauncooper]

Hi - I recently became the proud owner of an Offshore Pro 240 which I am in the process of completely re-doing inside and out. The boat did not come with a hardtop, but a simple bimini top. Along the line I picked up at a nominal price a hardtop off of a larger vessel (exact make and model unknown). The dimensions of the HT are such that it would be able to mount perfectly with only minor modifications instead of major modifications onto the gunnel/gunwale as apposed to the tradition mounting location on the sides of the walkaround cabin.

Can anybody give me some thoughts on whether this is a good or bad idea for mounting hardtop to gunnel/gunwale? From what I can see, on the negative side it makes having side curtains made up a lot trickier, and from the positive side there will be limited fabrication involved. Some after-market mounts from the likes of Atlantic Towers should do the mounting job without much problem.

 

[seasick]

I am not very familiar with that hull but a few things come to mind.
I am not sure if you would be able to 'walk around' the cabin with the top mounted to the gunnels.
I don't know if you will be able ( probably won't) to get to the underside of the gunnels to install mounting plates. I am not sure if mounting without plates will be strong enough.
The mountings may interfere with the existing rails.
Installing canvas will be fairly complicated. You need to see if the front curtains could mount to the windscreen.
The loss of 'access' to the bow is a big concern to me.

My first thought was to look at the possibility of making the top narrower. Remove the hardtop, cut the frame top bars, remove some of the middle sections and then re-weld the structure. You would also have to cut a section out of the hard top itself, re-glass and reinstall. That may work but could be a bit tricky especially if the top has an electronics box.

 

[ocnslr]

Understand your desire to do this easily and less expensively.

In addition to the comments made by 'seasick', I would venture to add that if the top is that much larger I would be concerned about the effects of both windage and, more significantly, the effect on righting arm and stability from that much added weight above the metacenter.

Brian

 

[shauncooper]

Thank you for the prompt and informative replies. Definitely some valid items to consider.

Let's assume that I scrap the plans with the hardtop I have and go for a new one. Any suggestions on where to get a decent top for the Grady? The most reasonable pricing I have seen is from Atlantic Towers. Any comments or suggestions on the quality of their products?

 

[ocnslr]

Recommendations like that are regional, and I don't believe you have told anyone where you are located.

The top in our photo was made by S&S Marine in Norfolk, VA. They are one of the best fabricators in the entire Tidewater area.

Brian

 

[shauncooper]

I am located in the Central Pennsylvania area, Harrisburg to be exact. Not many marine agencies or manufacturers nearby I am afraid, but I have only been based in the US since the start of the year, so I am not afraid to travel to any coastal locations (within reason) as it gives me good excuse to view new parts of the country anyway.