Homemade hard top?

[bartles17]

I know its been done a time or twelve by the people on this forum, but everyone seems to use fiberglass and wood or foam. my question is can it be done with aluminium? i have a 22' fiberform cuddy it has a soft top but up here in the pacific nw it rains entirely too much and can get quite chilly so i want to build a hard top for the boat so i can run a small heater and stay dry while im out fishing in the puget sound. my ideas for it are very basic, using aluminium tubing to create a frame and use plexi to do most of the sides, and aluminium sheeting to do the top (slightly rounded for water drainage). if anyone on here has done something similar i would love to see pics. any input is appricieated thanks

Bart G

 

[Bondo]

Re: Homemade hard top?

Ayuh,.... I did a semi-rigid top with aluminum scraps,...
A few handrails, hospital bed parts, 'n some railroad crossin' barrier tubes...
With a stretched vinyl covering, 'n snap-in windows 'n doors, I'm pretty toasty til the water gets to hard to boat in...
You can sorta see it here...

 

[mcgyver]

Re: Homemade hard top?

bondo, do you get much movement side to side when you hit swells ect? I'm along the simular thought process but thought that i would need support to keep the lateral movement at a minimum....tubing 45 degrees to the side.. make sense? To the OP I'm making one out of fiberglass...making a female mold and then a layup schedual to get near 1/4 inch should be strong as h_ll. have all the supplies..just need the time ;-)
doug

 

[bartles17]

Re: Homemade hard top?

@ bond-o i had seen your pic before and honestly forgot about... sorry, i like how it looks. Im with mcgyver on how well does it stand up as far as flexing cause that was one of the reasons that i was looken at plexi cause it should help stiffen it up a bit. @ mcgyver the fiberglass idea had crossed my mind but i dont really have anywhere to do it at because of where i live the base would have a cow if i was buildin something like that in my yard lol, i can get away w maken all the peices in my yard and storen them in my house till its time to install it.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Homemade hard top?

Ayuh,... No flexin' what so ever,... It's well gusseted..

I have a few more pictures, here,.. 'n here...

 

[mcgyver]

Re: Homemade hard top?

perfect...thanks!

 

[bartles17]

Re: Homemade hard top?

ya i like it almost exactly how it was looken in my head the only difference is the sides and front will have plexi to help keep the rain out. thanks again bond-o

 

[zopperman]

Re: Homemade hard top?

that was one of the reasons that i was looken at plexi cause it should help stiffen it up a bit.

I used plexiglass on a table I made and it should NOT be used for anything structural. It flexes when a ping pong ball hits it. Lexan might work better. I dont think it will flex much regardless...

 

[Bondo]

Re: Homemade hard top?

ya i like it almost exactly how it was looken in my head the only difference is the sides and front will have plexi to help keep the rain out. thanks again bond-o

Ayuh,... I figure canvas, 'n ensinglass is lighter, though not cheaper...

I like the convertibility of it...

 

[bartles17]

Re: Homemade hard top?

ill have too look into that i guess i never really thought bout how nice it would be to be able to take the sides off in the little bit of the summer that we have here

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: Homemade hard top?

ill have too look into that i guess i never really thought bout how nice it would be to be able to take the sides off in the little bit of the summer that we have here

I would go with eisenglass also. more versatility. Part of the reason Bond-o hasn't had flexing issues is because of the small gusset braces he put on the rear structure supports. You will need something on an angle to keep the structure from flexing side to side.

Take a look at other boats that have hardtops and design after them. There really isn't much to them and it is a great addition to the boat. Here is a couple pics of the factory one that came on mine. Maybe it will help your design. Basically the more connection points you have to the boats structure, the more stable and solid the top will be. Mine has 10 connection points. The angles keep the tops from racking.

 

[bartles17]

Re: Homemade hard top?

@ chriscraft254 i was planning on over building this, i am not one to half arse things, if its worth doin its worth doing right. Anywho i have also decided to do fabrick sides cause of the removability and the fact thst i have a MIL that sews a lot and told me she would do it for me. Thanks for all your help guys


Semper gumbie

Bart g