255

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Old Lion

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I am in the process of ordering a 255 for Spring delivery and would like some advice on hardtop versus bimini top.
 
Im a big fan of the Hardtop. You wont be disappointed. Easier to mount antennas, radar, great for rod holders, much more solid to hold on to while walking to the bow, Radio box saves space and a nicer place to mount VHF's and maybe chartplotters/depthfinders etc../and I believe it will add to the value of the boat..

'05 300 Marlin w/F250's
 
Go for the hardtop. I have a bimini on my 208 and would love to have a hardtop. Having the electronics boxes up top frees up space at the helm too! I won't be getting a hardtop because of the added weight...something to consider.
 
Purchased our Islander 270 new in March 2002, with the "Vista" top. Had a custom hard top fabricated and installed six months later. So, we vote for hardtop from the start.
 
Hi Old Lion
We have a 255 with hardtop. Love the hardtop, great decision vs bimini for all kinds of reasons. The hardtop on the 255 does not have a radio box, it has three storage compartments with zippers which is great for pfd's, towels, jackets etc.etc.
Send me a personal e-mail if you like and I will send you some pictures of our setup. We went with a Humminbird dash mount GPS you may be interested in seeing pictures of. I can tell you how we equiped ours and my thoughts.
Bukster
 
On second thought how do you use your present boat? If you have a bimini presently do you ever take it down? I boat in the same neighborhood as you and have a radar arch with a soft top and never take the soft top down. I open the rear curtain and had smiles put in the side curtains and just open those too. Crack the side vents and there is plenty of ventilation. If you like the out in the air feeling go with the bimini - if you seldom take it down or are looking for more protection go with the hardtop. You can button up for colder weather and just remove some or all the curtains if it is hot and you have a great place to mount radar and antennas etc. With the hardtop and curtains you will get more protection from wear and tear and sun damage while the boat is sitting too. Keep things looking better longer.
 
JeffN, can you post couple of pictures of your radar arch/soft top combo? Or you can email them to me if you like. I want to get ideas for my Formula :mrgreen:
 
I'll take some this weekend and email them. I doubt I will be able to figure out how to post them here, I have not figured out how to do that yet. I purchased tis boat in the late 80s used and it did not have a hardtop. I tried to get one from WMW but they, at the time, would not sell direct on a Grady product. I could only get one through a Grady dealer and the prices were silly. WMW made a "deluxe" hardtop version for other makes and the deluxe would have cost less from WMW than the standard version from a dealer but they could not sell it to me. IIRC the deluxe version was really nice looking and much stronger looking also. Anyway all water under the bridge. I found an arch at a Grady dealer somewhere around Boston and put that on. The top/arch combo works well but I would have preferred the hard top.

Nothing Else - Check your PMs
 
Just to provide one other point of view. I have a Tournament (now Freedom) 275 that I could have purchased with a hard top, but specifically didn't want one as I like the open air feel of the Vista Top (which I have yet to use). For me the difference between the hard top and the soft top is the difference between a regular car and a convertible. When I'm on the water - I want the feel of being in a convertible. If I need to protect myself from weather, I'll use the Vista Top. My last boat was also a Dual Console with a bimini which I never used. If it's rainy - I put on foul weather gear. If it's sunny - I put on sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat and enjoy the feeling.

I had a radar arch fabricated for my boat. See pictures below.

Just one other opinion.

DeliveryDay.jpg


P4150536.jpg
 
I hear whatcha say, I got two convertibles in my garage but I gotta tell ya, a long day on the water in this sun and heat in South Carolina makes me glad I gotta hard top!
 
Thanks - I'm very happy with the way that it came out. Definitely a worthwhile investment both in the way it works and the way it looks!
 
I have to say that the radar arch / soft top looks better on that boat than the factory hardtop. Great looking boat there! In my case the docs can't seem to cut or freeze pre cancerous things off me fast enough at this point so I think I have to leave my top up. I still wish my boat had a hardtop.
 
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