Lowering a hardtop

[junkman41]

hellp everyone,
I have a question for you guys that have hardtops. it seems like it will take a lot of time removing the nuts & bolts from the supports for the hardtop. does anyone use clevis pins in the supports to replace the nuts and bolts that have to be removed to lower the top? or should I just take the time and keep useing the bolts?
thanks Jack

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Lowering a hardtop

no idea junkman, I would think it would take some of the flex out of it if the bolts are tightened, However from what i have seen it dont make a lot of diffrance, I would think it may be more of a matter of convience. The only one I have ever messed with on a friends toon and it was a once a year thing when it was put on the slip for the years and when it was taken off in the fall. My friends had a set of cables in the back you tightened up to stop the side to side flex and my boat has the bimni style altho I would like to go to a hard top some time in the future.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Lowering a hardtop

I don't see a probelm with that, anything that holds the top on should be fine,w e use a quick release on our boats.

It is a plastic peice that slides unto a special bracket on the rail you could maybe talk a Bennington dealer inot selling you a set but the pins would be alot cheaper and easier to use, I have also seen pins like on an outboard with the flip down end that keeps them from sliding out.

 

[junkman41]

Re: Lowering a hardtop

thank you for the information 5150abf

 

[lmuss53]

Re: Lowering a hardtop

The bolts do tend to keep the top a little more stable. I had bolts and went to pins in my old Manitou. With the pins the top seemed to wave around a little more. I eventually added the crossed cables at the rear which got rid of the biggest part of the wobble, and I kept the pins for ease of lowering.

 

[ssanoobab]

Re: Lowering a hardtop

I use 4 stainless bolts and wing nuts works good and it only takes 2 min to lower mine.


When I bought the boat it only had 1 rust bolt and a #2 pencil holding it up. yep I said a pencil lol

 

[junkman41]

Re: Lowering a hardtop

thanks guys, I bought some drop pins today, and I will give that a try. if it wobles to much I will put the bolts back on, and I like the wingnut idea