Hard top for a 36 trawler?

[Boatmon]

Has anyone out there used the polypropylene type products for their hard top bimini?

Our bimini canvas and frame, as well as the starboard antenna and aft hatch cover were all damaged in a storm last Thursday. We are considering the possibility of a hard top in lieu of another Sunbrella one. I was looking at a few UV stabilized, polypropylene products with stainless frame works instead of the fiberglass tops. My thought is to keep the weight down and to be easily manageable for bridges and storage.

Ultimately we will have a full enclosure on the bridge and I think the hard top would add structure it rather than being something else to hold up? It may also provide a good location for the future addition of radar. Not sure exactly what we'll end up doing, but it's another opportunity to make some upgrades and improvements.

Any thoughts, opinions and ideas would be helpful.

[loubennett]

While light weight is always desirable there are other considerations. If you plan to mount radaror satellite TV on the hardtop the structure should be rigid. This implies additional strength that will add weight. Also I would not want a hartop that couldn't support a person. Someone will have to get up there to mount and maintain any equipment placed there. The bottom line is it's not just for rain and sun protection and all of the requirements, current and future, should be considered in the design.

[jleonard]

To keep weight down consider aluminum for the frame. I have seen many hard tops using al suqare tubing as "ribs" to support a thin top of fiberglass or fiberglass over plywood (luan).
I know that the "typical" polypropelyne that many use for cutting boards and steps to replace wood bridgeladder steps does warp rather easily. For that reason I would shy away from polypro.

I have also contemplated a hardtop and I would probably use luan and cover it with fiberglass. I would build it stout enough so it never had to be removed for winter storage. It would NOT present any bridge clearance problems that know of and I DO plan on doing the loop cruise.

[sburgis]

We have a 1982 36 Albin with a canvas top. On the western half of the New York Barge (Erie) Canal the bridge clearance is just over 15 feet. With our canvas up, my wife would duck every time we went under a bridge. I sure would not have had room for a radar on top. Other routes have different limits. Obviously the mast was lowered.

[Veebyes2]

This was neither cheap noe easy to build but there will never be a need to build another. It is foam cored. I lost my original top to a storm as well. It was getting old & rotted anyway so was going to be due for replacement.


Logical storage for PFDs, outside & high. Cut one line & they all come down.


Laying the foam core after top layer of mat.


Looks good completed.

Weighs about 100# & aditional weight not noticed on the boat.

[jleonard]

Very, very nice!

[Boatmon]

VERY nice work! thanks for posting. Still looking and gathering information, a friend of ours build a dodger for his sail boat using 1"stainless steel tubing for frame and supports and covered the top with a 1/4 or 3/8" Starboard type product. Looks really nice and has lasted many years so far. That's why I asked the initial question about it. but the glass really produces a professional looking finish.

[Mariner]

I am really a fan of a custom, well built, Sunbrella bimini with a stainless steel frame. Fiberglass tops rarely turn out looking right and, in my experience, tend to detract from the boat's resale value. Doug's is obviously very nice, but for my money, I would go with Sunbrella.

[Boatmon]

Mariner,

I agree with your feeling on Sunbrella, we decided to have a new bimini made in Capt. Navy, I will replace the fabric straps for stainless struts and we'll have new stainless bows made up either this spring or next fall. The new top will be made extra re-enforced with the thought of adding a full enclosure in the next year or so.

As always there will be pics along the way.