So, the canvas over the aft-cockpit got a bit torn up in the 50mph winds we got from Hurricane Irma. Here's a pic...that piece of canvas has seen it's better days:
I already know a replacement piece of canvas is going to be around $1K. I mean, it is a boat, and anything, no matter how small, for a boat is always $1K.
I'm thinking about perhaps doing some sort of hard-top for the cockpit instead, and doing it myself. I'd love to see some pics of your hard-top if you have one.
I'm thinking about materials...I want to keep it lightweight (I'm not a fan of adding weight up high), and in general most changes I make take weight off the boat rather than adding more. Lighter = quicker and/or less fuel and/or less work on the engines. Not really interested in putting anything heavy up there, just want the shade and rain protection. I could see putting a paddleboard up there, and *maybe* figuring some way to hoist the 8 foot Walker Bay dinghy (70 lbs) up there eventually...but I'm not gonna make that a criteria. Some thoughts I'm toying with:
1) Thin Coroplast polypropylene corrugated sheet (the type of material that signs are often made from...4mm thickness)...it's rigid, waterproof, really lightweight (prob lighter than canvas), wouldn't need paint or finish, and easy to work with. The thinner stuff is flexible enough that I can bend it around the existing frame, and I believe it's strong enough to hold the female side of snaps. This would be a little more like rigid/stiff fabric, versus hard top, but it's also dirt cheap compared to custom canvas, and would probably last almost as long. Anyone tried anything like this? Drawback will be that the edges aren't very pretty (although I could fold them), and it's probably too thin to put any sort of edging on. What I would probably do with this is put metal grommets along the edges and "string it" to the existing frame, similar to how T-top fabric on center consoles are often done.
2) Thick Coroplast corrugated sheet (.393 Inches thickness): This I just stumbled across, and that might be strong enough to support something like a paddleboard lying on top of it, while still being very lightweight (a 4' x 8' panel is 13 lbs...I believe the cover needs to be around 12' wide x 6' deep). I noticed this also has some edging available for a more finished look. Presumably, this is rigid enough to hold fasteners like screws or small bolts, etc. This would probably look quite good, if well done.
3) I replaced the flybridge helm seat recently, and the frame on the new seat is made from some sort of expanded foam plastic...it's rigid enough to hold bolts, and it's really lighweight. (Made by Wise.) I'm not sure what the material is, but I've started looking for some expanded foam plastic panels similar to this. Anyone have any recommendations? Not looking to walk on it, just cover the cockpit. Some sort of foam board that cuts and finishes well (in terms of edges) and is lightweight would be ideal, I think.
4) I've looked at starboard, but I think that's too heavy for something that size.
5) I don't want to add wood/fiberglass/etc...I want to keep this very low-maintenance, easy to work with, and light weight. I can add some stainless rails to reinforce the existing canvas frame (probably one or two horizontal rails going from the flybridge aft, and 2 vertical posts in the aft corners. I'm not much of a fisherman, so not too worried about having open overhead space to cast a line.
Anyway, post up your thoughts, and any good material links you might be aware of.
TIA!
Dave
I already know a replacement piece of canvas is going to be around $1K. I mean, it is a boat, and anything, no matter how small, for a boat is always $1K.
I'm thinking about perhaps doing some sort of hard-top for the cockpit instead, and doing it myself. I'd love to see some pics of your hard-top if you have one.
I'm thinking about materials...I want to keep it lightweight (I'm not a fan of adding weight up high), and in general most changes I make take weight off the boat rather than adding more. Lighter = quicker and/or less fuel and/or less work on the engines. Not really interested in putting anything heavy up there, just want the shade and rain protection. I could see putting a paddleboard up there, and *maybe* figuring some way to hoist the 8 foot Walker Bay dinghy (70 lbs) up there eventually...but I'm not gonna make that a criteria. Some thoughts I'm toying with:
1) Thin Coroplast polypropylene corrugated sheet (the type of material that signs are often made from...4mm thickness)...it's rigid, waterproof, really lightweight (prob lighter than canvas), wouldn't need paint or finish, and easy to work with. The thinner stuff is flexible enough that I can bend it around the existing frame, and I believe it's strong enough to hold the female side of snaps. This would be a little more like rigid/stiff fabric, versus hard top, but it's also dirt cheap compared to custom canvas, and would probably last almost as long. Anyone tried anything like this? Drawback will be that the edges aren't very pretty (although I could fold them), and it's probably too thin to put any sort of edging on. What I would probably do with this is put metal grommets along the edges and "string it" to the existing frame, similar to how T-top fabric on center consoles are often done.
2) Thick Coroplast corrugated sheet (.393 Inches thickness): This I just stumbled across, and that might be strong enough to support something like a paddleboard lying on top of it, while still being very lightweight (a 4' x 8' panel is 13 lbs...I believe the cover needs to be around 12' wide x 6' deep). I noticed this also has some edging available for a more finished look. Presumably, this is rigid enough to hold fasteners like screws or small bolts, etc. This would probably look quite good, if well done.
3) I replaced the flybridge helm seat recently, and the frame on the new seat is made from some sort of expanded foam plastic...it's rigid enough to hold bolts, and it's really lighweight. (Made by Wise.) I'm not sure what the material is, but I've started looking for some expanded foam plastic panels similar to this. Anyone have any recommendations? Not looking to walk on it, just cover the cockpit. Some sort of foam board that cuts and finishes well (in terms of edges) and is lightweight would be ideal, I think.
4) I've looked at starboard, but I think that's too heavy for something that size.
5) I don't want to add wood/fiberglass/etc...I want to keep this very low-maintenance, easy to work with, and light weight. I can add some stainless rails to reinforce the existing canvas frame (probably one or two horizontal rails going from the flybridge aft, and 2 vertical posts in the aft corners. I'm not much of a fisherman, so not too worried about having open overhead space to cast a line.
Anyway, post up your thoughts, and any good material links you might be aware of.
TIA!
Dave
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