Why not a hardtop?

[Doryman]

If you are not familiar with the Rosborough, take a look HERE. Notice that most of their boats have a hard top extending aft over the cabin. It seems to me that a hardtop would offer many advantages for storage, longevity, etc. A downside would be that one would not be able to access a rocket launcher.

Almost without exception, C-Dory owners have opted for canvas tops and enclosures. My question is, why? Has the hardtop alternative been researched and discredited? Are there technical problems in implementing a hardtop on a CD/TC?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Warren

[Sea Wolf]

Warren-

Take a look at the discussion HERE for starters. More ideas and discussion HERE. And even more HERE.

Larry H constructed an excellent plywood and fiberglass top with metal tube support that can be seen in several views HERE.



Additionally our friend from the north, Red Fox, built a rigid hardtop with a welded stainless frame and High Density Poly Ethylene plastic paneling that was strong enough to support the owner, a dinghy, and a small dance party.

Currently, I can't find any discussion or photos of it on his site (it was there in great detail before), and that may portend that he is thinking of producing the top commercially.

There was a discussion of this project HERE on this site, but the photos are gone and the links to his site don't work anymore.

It was an outstaning project, and the amount of labor and materials would come to a cost of about $4200 or more to built for a client, as I remember.

That figure seems large at first, but it's a lot more labor-intensive than canvas, which isn't cheap either. I don't remember him adding side curtains, but it could be done.

More to come if I can find it!

Joe.

[Sea Wolf]

Here some more ideas:

Put 'boat hardtop" in Google Images and look at all the various implementations of this idea. Like THIS.

Here's a great partial top that solves the problem of having struts in the way underneath which interfere with fishing and getting onto and off of the boat. (The ladder / side supports could be designed to overlap the cabin ahead of the cockpit.) It could be made with a solid covering easily. Would look a lot better without the bag and the instrument box removed! Just concentrate on the frame, and imagin a solid/rigid top above.



The manufacturer of the top is unknown. The photo is from an ad for the canvas storage bag undereneath. A good railmaker shop could build this for you, and you could add the solid top!

I'd have it extended back a bit farther, and forward over the cabin top somewhat. A rigid cover would support a dinghy or ?

The curves of the frame should match the C-Dory's lines. Would be fun to draw it out over a photo or, better yet, a 3-D representation of the boat.

Joe.