Bimini top forget the Sunbrella?

[lipets]

I saw a post about this and just received a quote, here's an example


For a 8'X6' top under $600


check this out Home | Hard To Top


One poster here said it help up in 80mph winds


A canvas shop wanted about the same money, but as we all know they don't last

 

[FF]

While our aft deck is larger than most , we found a $60. 10x10 folding yard shade fits well, and lasts a surprisingly long time.

Less than the price of sales tax on other systems.

There are higher quality , different sized sun covers , that might be adopted to boat use.

When not in need of a large shaded area ,a crank out yard umbrella is at least 6 ft in diameter and sets up rapidly.

 

[kokopelliTim]

lipets: so you used the same frame you always used for your bimini?
What are your plans during a hurricane or heavy storm?
Does it remove "easily"?

Do you plan to attach side panels? How would that go?

I like your idea....

FF:
Can you send a pic of that folding yard shade....I would like to see it and know how it might attach to the boat so it does not blow off.

Thanks.

I love out of the box ideas!

Tim

 

[ben2go]

Those panels are Coroplast corrugated plastic sign panels. They can be gotten in colors and also clear which it is but is wavy when looking through it. The channel is aluminum h channel or divider.


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Coropla...Plastic-Cardboard-10-Pack-WC4896-10/202489118


The H or h channel/divider comes in various sizes and styles. They can be had in aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, even in zinc coated and plain steel.


https://eagle-aluminum.com/shop/cov...ers/aluminum-h-divider-1-38-for-316-material/

 

[FF]

"Can you send a pic of that folding yard shade....I would like to see it and know how it might attach to the boat so it does not blow off."

Lash it to cleats. Here is a few dozen for ideas.

"https://www.amazon.com/Canopies-Portable-Gazebos-Pergolas/s?rh=n%3A3742571%2Cp_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A2830876011'

 

[ben2go]

"Can you send a pic of that folding yard shade....I would like to see it and know how it might attach to the boat so it does not blow off."

Lash it to cleats. Here is a few dozen for ideas.

"https://www.amazon.com/Canopies-Portable-Gazebos-Pergolas/s?rh=n%3A3742571%2Cp_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A2830876011'

Thanks FF. I got the link to work finally and reposted it.


They are kind of heavy but that won't matter to most cruisers. The framing is usually painted or powder coated steel. Cheap canvas or nylon with water proofing. Yeah, they should last a good many years. You could buy several and still not hit the cost of a full custom bimini. I would add pool noodles or pipe insulation to the legs to keep from scratching the boat up.


https://www.amazon.com/Canopies-Por...5a91c271f9ecfe7672143669f8d860&language=en_US

 

[dhays]

Those panels are Coroplast corrugated plastic sign panels. They can be gotten in colors and also clear which it is but is wavy when looking through it. The channel is aluminum h channel or divider.


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Coropla...Plastic-Cardboard-10-Pack-WC4896-10/202489118


The H or h channel/divider comes in various sizes and styles. They can be had in aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, even in zinc coated and plain steel.


https://eagle-aluminum.com/shop/cov...ers/aluminum-h-divider-1-38-for-316-material/

Great information. It does give me some ideas...

 

[lipets]

lipets: so you used the same frame you always used for your bimini?
What are your plans during a hurricane or heavy storm?
Does it remove "easily"?

Do you plan to attach side panels? How would that go?

Tim not my boat just looking into it.
I want a stable base to mount Solar panels without having canvas blowing around under the panels


So I was going to fab a fiberglass panel but that adds a little more weight that I want in addition to two 36lb solar panels.


So some here tried this and I like the idea


You can add side curtains with the Keder alum or plastic pieces.


https://www.sailrite.com/How-to-Bend-Install-Flex-A-Rail-Awning-Track-Video

 

[lipets]

Those panels are Coroplast corrugated plastic sign panels. They can be gotten in colors and also clear which it is but is wavy when looking through it. The channel is aluminum h channel or divider.


https://www.homedepot.com/p/Coropla...Plastic-Cardboard-10-Pack-WC4896-10/202489118


The H or h channel/divider comes in various sizes and styles. They can be had in aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, even in zinc coated and plain steel.


https://eagle-aluminum.com/shop/cov...ers/aluminum-h-divider-1-38-for-316-material/

Great find IF Coroplast is the same as Polycarbonate


Big IF, trying to look it up.


the aluminum will work just fine

 

[Comodave]

I have a hardtotop on my current boat and also on a previous boat. They are really easy to install. The company is sometimes difficult to contact but I have found them responsive when I call them. I have had 50+ MPH winds and had no problems with them. They have a 10 warranty. I really like the keder strips on the bottom of the hardtop as it make it easy to fabricate the side curtains. On my current boat I had a company in Cape May, NJ fabricate EZ2CY panels for the front and the first panel on each side from patterns I made and sent to them. The visibility is great through the EZ2CY panels. I made the rest of the enclosure myself. This photo is before I made the new enclosure for the sundeck.

 

[lipets]

Looks great!!

 

[Comodave]

Plus the flybridge is our only helm station and I like the fact that I don’t get any more leaking like I did with the soft top.

 

[ben2go]

Great information. It does give me some ideas...

Great find IF Coroplast is the same as Polycarbonate


Big IF, trying to look it up.


the aluminum will work just fine

I didn't read the polycabrbonate statement on their site. I'll reread and see if I can find a source.

 

[ben2go]

Found it. Don't know how I missed it on the HardTop website but here's a source. Polycarbonate is a bit stiffer than Coroplast panels.


The Polycarbonate Store | Polycarbonate Panels | Building Materials

 

[Dwsmith69]

Great tops easy to install. Price for top was less than two qoutes I recieved for canvas. I have been in a few blows with it down in the keys no problem.

Was going to add a few photos but the window you place the link in just flashes on the screen and disappears.

https://scorpion.smugmug.com/Jeanneau-43DS/i-ZPpvLB4

https://scorpion.smugmug.com/Jeanneau-43DS/i-5hrSHfc

 

[dennismenace111]

Great information. It does give me some ideas...

Awesome Idea.... I wonder though if it stops the harmful rays of the sun from getting through to damage your skin and your upholstery?

Im in South Florida and we are always concerned about that.

 

[Comodave]

Awesome Idea.... I wonder though if it stops the harmful rays of the sun from getting through to damage your skin and your upholstery?

Im in South Florida and we are always concerned about that.

I believe they are UV resistant and I think they block the UV from getting to you. I lived in Tucson AZ for 30 years and have had about 20 surgeries and countless areas burned off so I am also concerned about skin cancer. So far I have never gotten sunburnt under the hardtop.

 

[Exctyengr]

bit of an airfoil I would think

 

[Comodave]

We have not noticed any airfoil effect on either of the 2 boats we have put one on. Not saying it cannot happen, just that we have not seen it happen.

 

[DCDC]

Has anyone experience with mounting PV panels on Hard To Top’s?

 

[Comodave]

I have not done it yet but am thinking about it and have a plan how I would do it. My hardtotop rear end is mounted to the radar arch. I would mount the rear end of the PV panels to the radar arch and drill through the aluminum strips and put a spacer on top of the aluminum strips above one of the bimini bows and attach a cross member to the spacers. Then attach the PV panels to the cross member.

 

[FlyWright]

Very timely post.

I just finished installing a cockpit cover using Coolaroo shade fabric on a SS frame I fabricated. I have been contemplating and experimenting with various shade designs and fabrics for 6-7 years trying to find the right combo of quality, function, price and appearance to suit me needs for cruising and sturgeon fishing. I need to be able to fight a fish all the way around my boat without vertical structures interfering with the fishing rod so I was looking for a cantilever or support-from-above design. I lived with a temporary prototype of similar size and form for 5 years and it held up great.

I bought the Coolaroo 7' x 13' shade sail from Costco in matching burgundy for under $30. It comes with a 10 year warranty.

I picked up 60 ft of 1 inch 316 SS pipe from the local steel supplier for under $200. I bought a pipe bender from Harbor Freight but it was insufficient for the big bends so I returned it and used McMaster-Carr 316 SS fittings instead.

I had a local upholstery shop sew the fabric with Tenara thread and install grommets for $400.

Initially, I had planned to place the fabric above the frame for lashing but changed to below the frame to test the appearance and function. Since I was departing on my @DeltaBridges Tour in two days, I secured the fabric with zip ties to test the location and allow for material stretching, if needed, before the final lashing.

After 3 weeks, the fabric has shown zero stretch and functions great. The structure is solid and stable and doubles as a hand hold in the cockpit. At this point, I'm willing to call this project a success and will move forward with the permanent lashing after the summer boating season.

 

[Comodave]

Looks good. The only problem with attaching it to the bottom is that you may get debris trapped on the top. But if you don’t have much debris in the air then it will be fine.

 

[ben2go]

Very timely post.

I just finished installing a cockpit cover using Coolaroo shade fabric on a SS frame I fabricated. I have been contemplating and experimenting with various shade designs and fabrics for 6-7 years trying to find the right combo of quality, function, price and appearance to suit me needs for cruising and sturgeon fishing. I need to be able to fight a fish all the way around my boat without vertical structures interfering with the fishing rod so I was looking for a cantilever or support-from-above design. I lived with a temporary prototype of similar size and form for 5 years and it held up great.

I bought the Coolaroo 7' x 13' shade sail from Costco in matching burgundy for under $30. It comes with a 10 year warranty.

I picked up 60 ft of 1 inch 316 SS pipe from the local steel supplier for under $200. I bought a pipe bender from Harbor Freight but it was insufficient for the big bends so I returned it and used McMaster-Carr 316 SS fittings instead.

I had a local upholstery shop sew the fabric with Tenara thread and install grommets for $400.

Initially, I had planned to place the fabric above the frame for lashing but changed to below the frame to test the appearance and function. Since I was departing on my @DeltaBridges Tour in two days, I secured the fabric with zip ties to test the location and allow for material stretching, if needed, before the final lashing.

After 3 weeks, the fabric has shown zero stretch and functions great. The structure is solid and stable and doubles as a hand hold in the cockpit. At this point, I'm willing to call this project a success and will move forward with the permanent lashing after the summer boating season.

Very nice. I was looking for something to shade my rear deck with that wasn't a full bimini but was stout and removable. I believe I could make something similar that could be taken down and rolled up in just a few minutes.

 

[BDofMSP]

Hard to tell from the pictures but it looks like it doesn't cover the whole cockpit. Was that just a design choice? Or would there be weight or structural issues with making it extend further?

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

I think if he extended it back any more it would interfere with his fishing - and Al is a man with his priorities in order - fish fear him

 

[BDofMSP]

Well Sturgeon - the man isn't messing around. I can certainly respect that.

I ask because while I'm mostly focused on sedan cruisers in my search, CPMYs are a dime a dozen out there and check most of my boxes. Except a covered cockpit. I've not seen many attempts at doing that, and his approach seems like it would work if it would tolerate being somewhat more extended.

OTOH fish do NOT fear me so I could suck it up and use support poles too. But I really like the clean look that he has going there.
BD

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

Looks great Al,nice job!

 

[FlyWright]

CommieDave, Good thought. Fortunately, I'm in a covered slip with no birds or leaves. Spiders are the biggest issue, but I have a short-handled Webster that makes short order of them.

Ben, If you design it right, it'll come off in one piece except for the bases and supports.

BD0fMSP, One could easily extend the depth of the cover....depending on their intentions and needs. I need the room for a hook set and a 90 minute fight of my life. It doesn't always end that way, but I'm ready for the times when it does.

That doesn't happen too often in my style of sturgeon fishing so, in the meantime, I'm enjoying the shade with a cool IPA (or Ice Tea).

Cheers!

 

[FlyWright]

Looks great Al,nice job!

For those who favor sturgeon Catch, Photo and Release (CPR), here's my new fish tape measure. The red lines denote keep and out-of-water length limits. The boat record is out of line of sight well to forward. (100+ inches)

I call the other picture "FlyWright Battlescars". (there are many....every mark tells a story...)

This one shows the scarred brightwork on the caprail under the aft port handrail gate. That's what happens when you have to drag a heavy fish with sharp scutes across your caprail. It also illustrates some other stories about 'encounters' with fellow TFers, but I won't be the one to bring them up again...