A27 Pilot House modification?

[JT48348]

I guess technically :
The fillet is the tiny piece in the upper corner of the pilothouse where it meets the coach roof.

The gunnel is the high sides that curve upwards from the cockpit horizontal.

We would ignore the gunnel but keep the fillet and it would match a mirror fillet on the aft hardtop supports like the #4 option diagram

[sail149]

I missed it first read but smack mans early. '83 boat has the 'fillet' but also a flip up at the back edge that strengthens the roof. As some point they change to the simpler square ended design, then later on to a double skin version like mine #173 (73rd made).(unless mine was modified)

[JT48348]

Winter blues....so still experimenting with the design of the hard top & pilothouse modification.

I've always been partial to Defever boats and older Grand Banks that have a distinctive side support or strut that works well with a fillet and pilothouse design. I always wondered what they were called and it turns out the supports are referred to as "fashion boards", "fancies, "style boards" or fashion plates. Some merely cosmetic and some are structural.

I started thinking about making fashion plates as my hard top supports. Studying the lines it seems like the plates need to be moved forward. In this way the leading edges of the hardtop supports compliment each other.

Which looks better?

[Beta Don]

Both of those look great!!

I guess if I had to choose, I would prefer the upright to be farther aft than the second choice. but farther forward than the first choice - Halfway in between would look a little better than either of them IMO

Don

[JT48348]

Yes I think I might agree. But that distance is really nominal. I think it's like 3' max which might mean the difference of just 18" fore or aft. Here's another view:

At first glance the most aft position has the visual effect of making the boat appear longer (increasing the lines)? And looks better to me.

[Jay Knoll]

Joe

I like the aft position, it will also open up the access to the cockpit. However, we found that we had to add a SS post on the forward edge of the aft cabin to give us a handhold when exiting the cockpit and going aft. This was especially handy when the side curtains were down and we had nothing to hang on to as we were bent over leaving the cockpit and unable to reach the cabin top grab rails. I guess a lot depends on how often you're going to leave the side curtains up/down. When ours are down the post "disappears" behind the curtain's forward edge
You might try your photoshop mockup with side curtains to see how it would look.

[Vic K]

Since I'm stuck with it I like this modification.
Vic

[JT48348]

Capt Vic: If I had no aft cabin, that would be my first option. I think it's sharp

[Vic K]

We can arrange that...got chainsaw?
Just joking.
What ever one you do you will enjoy the total enclosure.

Vic

[Beta Don]

Yes I think I might agree. But that distance is really nominal. I think it's like 3' max which might mean the difference of just 18" fore or aft.

Yes, but I think it looks better with some roof overhang aft - Not as much as with them placed all the way forward, but more overhang than when they are full aft. That 18" in the middle would look best I think

[JT48348]

Hard to say. An overhang aft could be inches if need be. I plan to have a lip on the hardtop that matches the forward roof.

[Beta Don]

I plan to have a lip on the hardtop that matches the forward roof.

I did that with mine. The curved lip on my 8' extension matches that of the existing hardtop exactly - It looks like it came from the factory that way, which was my main design goal. The back end of the hardtop is also curved to match the curve of the transom and the aft cabin top - Curving the back while maintaining the rolled lip to match that of the sides wasn't easy to do, but it came out looking great. My main supports at the aft cabin are a vertical 1 3/4" stainless tube on either side which go all the way through the top of the aft cabin. The portside tube is the base of my crane for lifting the dink up on the roof and it has a rope which runs down the center of it to a winch mounted under the coaming

Don

[Vic K]

Don,

Do you have any photos ( in a group) of your boat? I'd like to see what you've done so far.

Vic

[Beta Don]

Vic,

We're currently cleaning her up and getting ready to launch . . . . only about 3 months late. I'll have all sorts of photos to post before too long

Don

[Jeremyvmd]

I think the 18" pic with it coming up between the rear berth windows looks the best. The other one is too far forward to have the roof go all the way back and the all the way back one looks unbalanced