Last winter I posted a request for comments on a hardtop for my flybridge.
Since my old soft top was about worn out, I am just completing a new hardtop and
will rent a truck Thursday to get it to the boat. Here is the story.

I spent about two days planning and measuring, a day or two purchasing
material, and nine days in fabrication in my basement garage. Another day is
required for trucking and installation at the boat. About two weeks total. More time
overall than I realized.

Briefly, I made the 9ft x 9ft top by epoxying together two thicknesses of 4ft
x 10 ft x 1/4" plywood. I would have preferred thicker plywood, like 5/16" or
3/8" but none was available in oversize sheets. And a single layer of half
inch or thicker would have a weakspot at the seam.  I also made two hatch
openings each 2ft square. I angled the forward roof edge for looks and rounded  many
corners  with a router for a softer profile.

A few weeks ago I installed plexiglass windows on the sides of my bridge deck
(aft lounge area) to replace some old soft covers. While at the plexiglass
place it occurred to me I could also buy 3/8" thick 2ft square plexiglass and
make my own opening hatches...they were $17 each, plus a few dollars for glue..
I used a one inch wide strip from leftover window scrap for the edges of the
hatches.

I had almost not installed hatches at all because they cost about $250 or
$300 each for marine hatches, almost as much as all the other material
combined....But with hardware, I made them for under $50 each....I looked at camper
hatches but they looked cheesey...

The four edges of the hardtop were reinforced with 1 x 3 against the
underside of the plywood, (where slotted aluminum will be screw fastened to accept
softcover sides)  with another piece vertically as a rain/drip edge. Everything
is epoxied and screwed. The roof extends a few inches beyond the softcover
fastening all around. The outer top was glassed with Dynel fabric and two coats of
polyester, the underside (interior) just coated with two layers of polyester
resin... I fixed up imperfections with autobody putty and then painted with
one part polyurethane.

My wife and I can just about maneuver it around ourselves, so I would guess
total weight at about 100 to 120 lbs.

I am mounting the hardtop  with stainless steel straps to the existing
softcover frame (1 inch stainless) and bolting the two aft corners of the hardtop to
an existing radar arch. I  am adding diagonal braces across the front of the
flybridge (awthwartships) to brace the frame from the forward corners to the
flybridge and prevent any side to side movement.  Existing braces prevent
bow/stern movement.

The existing enclosure made it through 90mph squalls two years ago, so with
the reinforcements described, I am comfortable it will hold up. Most support
structures seem heavy enough to practically lift the entire boat...And two inch
thick aluminum supports which seem standatd, just look awkward to me....

Total cost was about $800. A local guy would have made a softcover top for
about $600, a top flight shop quoted me $1100...Atlantic Towers quoted me
something like $5000 last winter for an aluminum frame top with stretched weblon
fabric....You can draw you own conclusions about the cost/benefits, but I have
exactly want I wanted...

Cheers,
Rob Brueckner
1972 Hatteras Yachtfish

Gee Rob, I would have thought a coffee tin would be adequate for a
"flybridge" top, or were you talking about a "flyingbridge" top?

Bob Peterson

-----Original Message-----
From: GYMKIDD319@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2003 1:43 PM
To: trawler-world-list@lists.samurai.com
Subject: TWL: Flybridge hardtop

Last winter I posted a request for comments on a hardtop for my flybridge.
Since my old soft top was about worn out, I am just completing a new hardtop
and
will rent a truck Thursday to get it to the boat.