30 FC hardtop

[kathylsails]

Hey, John, Tom, and any other 30 FC owners,

We are thinking about putting a hardtop on KP Duty after having seen pictures of yours. Do you have any advice for us? We know that you are in Canada and Florida and we are in NC, so who did your work might be a moot point. But, knowing how the hardtop was fabricated, how and where it was placed on the boat, what costs to expect, what to avoid, etc. would be helpful. Any pictures that show the hardtop placement and how it was engineered would be great.

Many thanks!
Kathy

[kathylsails]

OK, FC owners, I now realize that you have biminis and not hardtops, and that the hardtops we've seen are on 28 TEs. We're still looking for advice! Thank you!

[johnmurray]

When I purchased my boat (new) the selling dealer recommended canvas drop curtains with a zippered door at the back of the pilot house and a short bimini over the cockpit so it would be possible to walk from the aft cabin forward under cover. He had a canvas man on standby and he did the work for a modest $1500. He had done many A-28s, but mine was his first and only A-30FC.
The work he did for me was almost identical to what he had done on the 28s and very satisfactory. I did not even think about a hardtop.
I later decided I wanted the capacity for a fully enclosed cockpit and had one made by a local canvas man here in Ottawa. This was a much more complicated job and cost about $5500. It required a new and longer roof that extended to the aft end of the aft cabin and additional stainless steel support hoops. There are numerous windows and screens and it is reasonably easy to take them on and off. The roof stays up all season. The work was fairly good but he did not do a good job where the canvas roof curves just aft of the outer edges of the pilot house with the result that rain water does not roll off easily. You can see wrinkles in the attached picture. Also he did not get a good seal at the cockpit gunwales so there can be some leakage there. I have more detailed pictures of the enclosure if you want them.
There is a good picture showing the extended roof without the side curtains...February in the 2012 Albin calendar

[kathylsails]

Many thanks, John,
It was your pictures on the canal that got us thinking about extending our roof! Plus, we saw some hardtops on 28 TEs. We didn't realize that you had a full enclosure. We had something similar on our Island Packet sailboat, and it really extended our sailing season. You must be really comfy rain or shine, plus it is really nice looking. You've given us more to think about!

[DougSea]

I would think some variation of John's full enclosure would be the better way to go unless you're planning on using the "roof" for some kind of storage. It should be cheaper, weigh less, and, when you go to sell it, you won't have a one-off.

Plus on a nice day you can open her up and enjoy the sun!

[kathylsails]

You're right, Doug. Thanks for the input.
AOG really does need a "like" option!

[RobS]

AOG really does need a "like" option!

It was there yesterday

[DougSea]

AOG really does need a "like" option!

It was there yesterday

Hmmm, I haven't seen it.

[marko]

Hi Kathy:
Can't help you much with the 30 FC, but noticed you'all are in New Bern, NC. I'm new to that water, bought a 36 ET (At Last) and brought it into Galley Stores Marina from Annapolis last November. Any comments or watch outs (ie: stumps in the water in towards Bridgeton) would be appreciated? Thanks.
Mark

[johnmurray]

I have two photos of an A-30FC in Australia. He had a good looking top made that appears to be something of a compromise between a hard and soft version.

[kathylsails]

Many thanks, John,
Thanks to you and Doug, we have decided that a hard top is NOT the way to go. We found an Albin 28 not far from us (SeaJ) with a top similar to this, but without the side panels (or at least the side panels are not up right now) that we really like. Given the hurricanes and Nor'easters here, plus the year-round sun, we were constantly repairing and/or replacing the canvas (Sunbrella) on the enclosure similar to yours on our sailboat. This just might be the way to go for us because it is heavier-duty and we can use a heavier fabric than Sunbrella. We are going to take these pictures to some canvas places to see if they can duplicate it on KP Duty. Many, many thanks!

[kathylsails]

Mark, We think that we were docked near you when we celebrated St. Patrick's Day in New Bern. Is this your boat in the picture? It is a very nice looking boat and we remember wishing that you had been there! Our boat is the big white one in the background....Yeah, right ! Ours is the little Albin with the blue canvas between your boat and the yacht. We mainly cruise closer to Oriental but find that, as long as you stay within the markers, you will do fine in the New Bern waters. Feel free to PM us....we love to hear from other Albin owners and would love to meet you!

[jcollins]

AOG really does need a "like" option!

It was there yesterday

Hmmm, I haven't seen it.

Still there. Bottom or Top of post.

[Bidgood]

Kathy,

Our top was custom and was designed as a sun/rain shade only. We wanted to maintain the lines of the pilot house and to be able to get to the aft cabin if it rained. There are some pics on this site in the FL Rendevous sections.

BTW, we just arrived home after a full week on "Bidgood". Cruised from Naples, FL to St. Petersburg and back with stops along the way. Averaged about 7 gals hour, cruise 18 - 19 smph. Also averaged 750 ml of wine each evening between "she who must be obeyed" and myself.

We encountered 30 knot winds. 4-5 seas and never felt unsafe. We watched the boxy cabin cruisers almost get knocked down by the wind in Pine Island Sound while we stayed stable. The 30 FC just pushed through it all.

We used the aft cabin for an extra frig, folding bike storage, deck chairs, lines, bumpers, tools, cushions and just about any thing else you could think of.

These are really unique and versitile boats.

Tom

[DougSea]

...

Still there. Bottom or Top of post.

Ahhh, now I see it. Topic level. Think I'll go like this...