When I bought my 3888 Bayliner in Friday Harbor- San Juan Islands Wa. I new I wanted a fiberglass hard top.
My first trip out of Friday Harbor was to Boaters Discount Center -601 Dunlap Way, La Conner, WA 98257.
I had them install a fiberglass hardtop.
They did a great job mounting the top.
There was a canvas shop in the same building, I had them put Isinglass and Sunbrella on the new top. It came out great.
I wanted a fiberglass hard top for the fly bridge but the only way to get one was to have one custom made. The price at that time was going to be around $18,000.00. "Were talking about 10 years ago."
The bimini top on the boat was all most new. And I did not have a spare $18,000.00 sitting around so needless to say I deicide to forgo the new hard top.
I told my self that when the bimini wore out I would get a fiberglass top to the fly bridge.
The day finally came. First a small hole in the top, then another and so on.
I still did not have a spare $18,000.00 sitting around. " It is probably more now".
So I came up with a plan. I would just build one in my back yard.
Now I have patched a hole or two with fiberglass but never built a large project. needless to say I was nervous about starting this project. But I drew up some plans and went to work.
The plan I came up with was fiberglass over wood.
The top is on the boat now being held up with 2 X 2's waiting for the stainless welders to make the supports. It will be finished in a couple of days. Then all I have to do is the wiring.
I am going to post step by step photos for the project.
NOTE:
When I bought my boat it had a 1990 Furuno radar and chart plotter. (Long gone now)
"I only used this from the lower station". It was in good working condition but I wanted to up grade to a color radar and auto pilot fish finder all in one.
I did not want to take off the Furuno radar dome when I install the new Raymarine radar dome so I had a stainless mount made that went on the radar arch over the Furuno radar dome.
When I made the fiber glass hard top I integrated a small radar arch into the top to mount the stainless Raymarine mount on. You will see it on the back of the top in the drawings.
I hope you will enjoy poking fun at my mistakes.
Attached files
My first trip out of Friday Harbor was to Boaters Discount Center -601 Dunlap Way, La Conner, WA 98257.
I had them install a fiberglass hardtop.
They did a great job mounting the top.
There was a canvas shop in the same building, I had them put Isinglass and Sunbrella on the new top. It came out great.
I wanted a fiberglass hard top for the fly bridge but the only way to get one was to have one custom made. The price at that time was going to be around $18,000.00. "Were talking about 10 years ago."
The bimini top on the boat was all most new. And I did not have a spare $18,000.00 sitting around so needless to say I deicide to forgo the new hard top.
I told my self that when the bimini wore out I would get a fiberglass top to the fly bridge.
The day finally came. First a small hole in the top, then another and so on.
I still did not have a spare $18,000.00 sitting around. " It is probably more now".
So I came up with a plan. I would just build one in my back yard.
Now I have patched a hole or two with fiberglass but never built a large project. needless to say I was nervous about starting this project. But I drew up some plans and went to work.
The plan I came up with was fiberglass over wood.
The top is on the boat now being held up with 2 X 2's waiting for the stainless welders to make the supports. It will be finished in a couple of days. Then all I have to do is the wiring.
I am going to post step by step photos for the project.
NOTE:
When I bought my boat it had a 1990 Furuno radar and chart plotter. (Long gone now)
"I only used this from the lower station". It was in good working condition but I wanted to up grade to a color radar and auto pilot fish finder all in one.
I did not want to take off the Furuno radar dome when I install the new Raymarine radar dome so I had a stainless mount made that went on the radar arch over the Furuno radar dome.
When I made the fiber glass hard top I integrated a small radar arch into the top to mount the stainless Raymarine mount on. You will see it on the back of the top in the drawings.
I hope you will enjoy poking fun at my mistakes.
Attached files
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