2nd station / fly ridge on cabin top

Mjeff

New member
Has anyone added a small 2nd station/ fly bridge
On the roof of a 22 or 23?
I’m thinking of just an aluminum pipe version nothing fancy.

I’ve sent an email to the factory but they have responded
 
I would advise putting human weight on the top of a C Dory cabin top. Some roofs are very lightly constructed (glass only vs part which has a core. Some have the core in the raised roof and some. have the core on the side parts of the roof.

You sitting on a seat up high raises the center of gravity. This can lead to handling difficult. I have seen small boats capsize with half towers.

The factory will tell. you "no", if from liability issues alone.
 
I would advise against this as well. These are light narrow beam boats having a mild keel. Many trailerable flybridge boats have an aggressive keel and a 10 + beam. They are also on triple axle trailers and weigh 3-4 times as much as the 22. The point? Because they need it to keep it from rocking all over the place and so the boat tracks correctly and safely in most seas.
 
MJeff,
I concur with the previous two comments. I am all-struck at the number of small boats that I see daily, that have had small towers added to their boats. Both center console and cruisers, with cabins, they are not designed or structurally sound enough to carry the weight of a human, that far above the center of gravity. Not to mention, that the decks, gunnels, of cabin tops that they are fastened to, are structurally sound enough, to take the stress of a bit of weight, way up in the air, in a seaway.
Take a moment and go to a marina that has some of these modified boats and you will note structural damage around the hard points.
The boat manufacturers would have to not only beef up the structure, to carry forces, imposed by the boat in a seaway, they would also have to conduct stability test, to ensure that the boat could perform as designed, with significant weight aloft. You will most likely not find any small boat manufacturer that with certify their boats to do this.
 
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