M
Member 41673
Voyager's Hard Top
Attached are several pics of Voyager's hard top from the inside... I hope.
One pic is of the port side combing & a bit of the hard top including the glass window. Note the large center window hinges open – important for good air flow. We leave it open all the time except during rain storms. Note that there is no mizzen mast standing in the way. Once upon a time, Voyager was a ketch but we removed the mizzen mast in order to install the hard top. For those who don’t want to make such a radical change to their boat, you could make a hard dodger similar to mine, then run canvas aft over the cockpit. We like our solution because it gives us the whole shebang – full hard top, a place to put 5 large solar panels, speakers, lights, side curtains, antennas etc., etc. I admit I was concerned about unbalancing the boat by removing the mizzen, but actually the boat sailed (& still sails) just fine without it. Try it sometime. We actually like the simplicity, reduced maintenance, less noise (of the wires in the mast) and water tightness that removing the mast provides.
The next pics show the support structure integrated into the aft rail. I wish I had installed some hand holds inside the rain curtains. When the curtains are down, there’s nothing to hang onto. Also note the ladder integrated right into the stern rail. It couldn’t be handier & more out of the way at the same time.
The next pic shows the diagonal bracing. I was afraid that during heavy rolls or when the wind gets under the top it would be heavily stressed & I didn’t want it to move, so I put in these diagonals. The hard top is pretty darned strong - I can stand on the fwd end of it (over the dodger structure) & I weigh 200 lbs. Note that I ran a 2” x 2’ “stiffener” around the bottom of the hard top. This has the added benefit of providing a place to hang the clear plastic curtains. We leave our installed all the time as they are out of the way & out of the sun.
The last pic shows the view fwd from the helmsmans seat.
You can see the funny shape of the hard top in some of my previous postings. I put the strange "flair" toward the back of the hardtop in order to pick-up the support structure provided by the aft rail. At first I thought it looked strange but it has the added benifet of providing additional sun/rain coverage while still providing easy entry.
Hope these pics give you some ideas.
Rick
Attached are several pics of Voyager's hard top from the inside... I hope.
One pic is of the port side combing & a bit of the hard top including the glass window. Note the large center window hinges open – important for good air flow. We leave it open all the time except during rain storms. Note that there is no mizzen mast standing in the way. Once upon a time, Voyager was a ketch but we removed the mizzen mast in order to install the hard top. For those who don’t want to make such a radical change to their boat, you could make a hard dodger similar to mine, then run canvas aft over the cockpit. We like our solution because it gives us the whole shebang – full hard top, a place to put 5 large solar panels, speakers, lights, side curtains, antennas etc., etc. I admit I was concerned about unbalancing the boat by removing the mizzen, but actually the boat sailed (& still sails) just fine without it. Try it sometime. We actually like the simplicity, reduced maintenance, less noise (of the wires in the mast) and water tightness that removing the mast provides.
The next pics show the support structure integrated into the aft rail. I wish I had installed some hand holds inside the rain curtains. When the curtains are down, there’s nothing to hang onto. Also note the ladder integrated right into the stern rail. It couldn’t be handier & more out of the way at the same time.
The next pic shows the diagonal bracing. I was afraid that during heavy rolls or when the wind gets under the top it would be heavily stressed & I didn’t want it to move, so I put in these diagonals. The hard top is pretty darned strong - I can stand on the fwd end of it (over the dodger structure) & I weigh 200 lbs. Note that I ran a 2” x 2’ “stiffener” around the bottom of the hard top. This has the added benefit of providing a place to hang the clear plastic curtains. We leave our installed all the time as they are out of the way & out of the sun.
The last pic shows the view fwd from the helmsmans seat.
You can see the funny shape of the hard top in some of my previous postings. I put the strange "flair" toward the back of the hardtop in order to pick-up the support structure provided by the aft rail. At first I thought it looked strange but it has the added benifet of providing additional sun/rain coverage while still providing easy entry.
Hope these pics give you some ideas.
Rick
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