Forgive me Per Brohall

[homesteady]

Ok. I've owned my A25 for a whopping total of 4 months and I love this boat. The size, maneuverability, sea-handling, features, efficiency, yadda yadda yadda, it's all great. Except... I just want to stand up at the helm without unbuttoning the top and being in the weather! It's great to pilot the boat tank-style when the weather is good and you've got on plenty of spf 100 but what about when the chop is up or it starts raining?

My experience so far with being out in weather with a slight head wind chop is that every wave sends spume over the gunnel and lands right in my field of view from the sitting helm position. This problem is made worse by malfunctioning wipers but it still needs to work overtime just to keep the window clear. I usually opt to stand out in the wind and rain so that I can see above the splash zone. Not a great solution.

My other complaint is the propensity for the canvas roof to condensate, leak and generally cause damp around the controls and gauges. An area I want to limit funk and corrosion. This has me thinking about hardtops and Nor'westing this craft a little more. I've been impressed by the ingenuity of folks' hardtop builds and extended cockpit roofs. I could see myself getting into that camp of owners...But then what about when I want to stand up? Sometimes you just want to stretch your legs, or you need to see the dock, or the crab buoy, or the swimmer, etc.

So has anybody done a more weather-proof wheelhouse roof that includes more headroom? I think it could be done! I don't want to sacrifice the 70s styling of my boat and truly this might be way more than I want to bite off and chew, but I'm curious about the group's thoughts **guarding against flying rotten tomatoes**
This sketch puts 2 meters of standing room between the engine cover to the pilothouse ceiling. Attaches directly to the combing that the factory structure is screwed to. Could be fabricated from aluminum or fiberglass over foam or plywood. Adds a total of 12" to overall height. Three front windows with nice rounded radius corners to keep the classic style, large side sliding windows to allow for ventilation and yelling at shipmates on the bow or dock. I would raise the bench seat to closer match standing height for better visibility. I still like the option for an open cockpit with a good canvas enclosure plus the ease of getting in and out.

I'm not sure where this is going but it's eating me up a little bit every time I'm on the boat so I needed to get it out to the forum. Have at it!

[DesertAlbin736]

We held hands & did a seance the other day & Per Brohall's ghost does forgive you.

I've done posts on my hard top project in the past. May not be exactly what you're looking for but can stand up at the helm with one hatch open. Won't keep your head dry in wet weather when sticking your head up through the hatch though. But otherwise is water tight when buttoned up. Built it as a fiberglass layup with teak hatches in 2015 and so far have held up well after 6 years. Helps a lot with ventilation while providing shade from the sun (big deal here in AZ). Was a lot of work & expense in materials to make though.

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[dkirsop]

Alex, I think your idea is brilliant. Having boated many years in the Georgia Strait and environs I totally understand the need for better visibility, rain protection of the wind shield. Crab traps and floating logs are probably the number one nuisance hazard in this area. If you have the time, skills and finances to pursue this modification then I say go for it!

[dkirsop]

PS Don't throw away the original windshield. It will become very valuable the minute someone else breaks theirs.

[homesteady]

Thanks for the encouragement! I know it's a big project but one I'm thinking about before I invest a lot of time and money into fixing the other wheelhouse issues on my list: sliding windows, cracked aft lateral support, radar support/topmast, random leaks, etc. It might take me years to do this but the seed of an idea is there. Maybe I can convince @tribologist to work up a CAD design for this pilothouse that can become a new standard modification...

The Yar 26 has a similar Snekke design as the A25 with a taller profile and standing helm, so do the British-made Hardy Pilot 25 cruisers, and Fisher 25 motorsailor. We'll see where this goes...

[Plum76]

I like it, and it would be a good opportunity to go to a 'standard' and still available windshield. Standing headroom at the helm would be nice, and increased visibility without gophering through the roof, I would always pop up to see when docking or mooring..

Jason

[DesertAlbin736]

Actually the whole wheelhouse structure is a separate bolted on piece which in theory you could remove & create a whole new structure along the lines of your drawing using the existing structure as a pattern. Then put the old wheelhouse away in storage in case either someone needs it for parts or when the day comes to sell your boat have it available if a future buyer would rather restore it to original configuration. Like with our hard top, it's through bolted on 8" centers with #8 machine screws and sealed with 3M 4200 removeable adhesive/sealant so if a future owner would rather have the open T top, or for that matter pulling the engine out, it's possible to restore with minimal repairs, ie filling in the screw holes.

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The only other "cost" would be increase lateral windage and "air draft", neither one of which should be a problem.

[WillieC]

Consider lowering the floor above the batteries. Nothing complicated about the framing which is less than robust from the factory.

[Dieselram94]

I really like this proposed modification. Seems as if it would be relatively simple to accomplish. No idea on the cost though. A design like this just makes sense as it will drastically reduce the need for the wipers to be running.

[ssrig]

Interesting idea, at first I balked at it because I didn’t like the profile looks of the top jutting up on the diagram but then I thought why not extend it aft a little further to make it more proportional?

[Dieselram94]

Interesting idea, at first I balked at it because I didn’t like the profile looks of the top jutting up on the diagram but then I thought why not extend it aft a little further to make it more proportional?

Or all the way back to the aft cabin would be cool.

[tribologist]

Looks very good! There are lines at Sjöhistoriska for the super structure too but the interface is only the top curve and the flat sides. It would probably look great in Mahogny too. Think about the Whaler Montauk for example?

[hetek]

Consider lowering the floor above the batteries. Nothing complicated about the framing which is less than robust from the factory.

This is what I did on mine.

I made the helm floor area the same level as the rest of the cockpit. I put two group 24 batteries below it, mounted to a platform I 'glassed to the inner hull bottom.

Standing headroom at the helm! Granted, I have sliding side windows to help with the ventilation.

[DesertAlbin736]

I made the helm floor area the same level as the rest of the cockpit. I put two group 24 batteries below it, mounted to a platform I 'glassed to the inner hull bottom.

I used that space to install a 20 gallon sewage holding tank a few years back, moved the batteries to the storage locker at the front end of the starboard bench seat, three 90 amp hour dual purpose group 27 AGM batteries, one start battery and two house batteries in parallel.

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Current ongoing project is to upgrade bilge pump wiring (PO had used simple non-marine, non-tinned trailer light wiring) & install electronic bilge level sensor and a 3 way on-off-auto rocker switch. Just waiting for some components to arrive from Defender & West Marine. Currently has to be switched on and off manually at the DC distribution switch panel.

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Bilge pumps are a PAR (currently sold as Jabsco) type belt driven diaphragm type and manual Whale Gusher 10 Mk2. Replacement cost for these two pumps would total about $700.

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[homesteady]

This is what I did on mine.

I made the helm floor area the same level as the rest of the cockpit. I put two group 24 batteries below it, mounted to a platform I 'glassed to the inner hull bottom.

Standing headroom at the helm! Granted, I have sliding side windows to help with the ventilation.

Hetek, can you share some photos of how this turned out and where you crammed those batteries in?