When the old transom is removed and the new 2" wood core is fabricated and glued in...There will be NO NEED for any reinforcing mechanisms. It will a TANK and if properly maintained and cared for...It'll last 2-3 decades.
iBoats sells Bimini tops in all sizes!!
I want it to tank a tank, tow skiiers, tubes, and even a disabled boat if needed, since my brother is restoring a boat and having engine issues, but won't repower it just yet. Last time it died, he had to drift into shore. IIRC, he had paddles...but left them on shore.
Bimini top may have been the wrong thing. I am looking for the retractable tops that attach to the windshield. Kind of like the car tops for convertibles. We want to be able to shield ourselves from unexpected rain, and from excess splash. We crashed through the wake of a big 30' cabin cruiser on Lake Minnetonka, and the bow almost went under. It came up to the bow and stopped just shy, but it splashed us all a bit.
Never going to that lake again, either. Everyone was rip roaring across it with no consideration for other boats. Had a cabin cruiser force us off course. She was 75' off our starboard, slowly overtaking, and steering to port, forcing us to match heading. So I cut the throttle, waited for her to pass, pushed the throttle back up and angled into the wake. Was kind of fun riding the wake at low speeds, but it scared the crap out of our 7 year old daughter. It was our first time out, too. Just glad I remembered some of the things my dad taught me as a kid, and he was there to remind of what I forgot! We went for a fishing trip, and caught one sunny as there were so many boats racing at full throttle, jet skis, and big cabin cruisers going fast enough to get up on plane.
Btw, when on plane, how hard of a hit can an aluminum hull take when hit small waves/wakes? Some of them seemed really small, but it was a jarring hit that sounded solid. There were multiple of them, too. It was one of the times we were able to get some clear open water. Took on a lot in the bilge, too.
