Man....you all have a way of making these ideas contagious. Also makes me want to sell my project Hewes and get back to Arima just so I can do a hardtop......open  back of course...... Hugs to all! J W

The plywood, resin, and glass mat is the cheap part of building a hardtop.  The safety glass windows are the killer $$ wise.

You can go with lexan, at least for the side windows.  I would not want them for the front, as they would scratch easy and would probably collapse under a breaking wave.

You can find cheap RV windows on Ebay from time to time... that would be another option for the side windows.

Ditto what Steve said about Russ's top.  Very solid, lots of room, very functional, and it looks like it belongs on the boat.  Now, if I can figure something appropriate for a Sea Pacer 17...

Lexan is polycarbonate which is used for safety glasses and unbreakable windows. In Coos Bay, I went out on the Miss Linda, a 75 ft former fishing boat that was used when the New Carissa ran aground.  As I recall front windows are 1/2" lexan, the side windows are 3/8" lexan.  During the rescue, waves were breaking across the bow and into the windows without issue. 

There was a former credit union in Albany, Oregon with 1/8" lexan windows that was being converted to another use. These were not optical grade and were to be replaced.  The worker sent to remove the tapped one to break it which failed.  He hit it much harder and just barely stopped the rebounding hammer before he would have eaten it. 

I don't think strength is an issue in using lexan for a windscreen, but I don't know about scratch resistance or price.

:twocents:

Paul
BTW, I went out on the Miss Linda years after the New Carissa incident.

Fishorcrab,

Here's a photo of a Sea Pacer top someone had made down here. Might have been Brandon Hayward's boat ??

Odd location for a bow thruster.   

What a tuna tower! I'd need Danno to reach the upper set of rocket launchers.  :whistle:

Does that thing clear freeway overpasses?

I assume the second story is on top of another boat in a parking structure, eh?

Paul

he's in SoCal but he has no way to open the windows on that thing. Even up here in foggy NorCal we have some days where it is too hot to run a closed cabin without an open window. Of course we know all you SoCalers are tanned , fit, and wear thong bikinis and speedos so maybe its not a big thing.

xplorz, very nicely done. Maybe your efforts are indeed a step toward making an actual hartop a reality. While what russ has or those of us that have factory skiptowers are a great option. They are not a replacement for a pilothouse type hardtop. Your drawing looks much nicer that a factory hardtop imho. Keep us posted on what you are up to. Thaks for posting it.

Quote from: amazing grace on December 15, 2013, 09:42:05 AM
xplorz, very nicely done. Maybe your efforts are indeed a step toward making an actual hartop a reality. While what russ has or those of us that have factory skiptowers are a great option. They are not a replacement for a pilothouse type hardtop. Your drawing looks much nicer that a factory hardtop imho. Keep us posted on what you are up to. Thaks for posting it.

Right now its just a design experiment.  :smile1:  Each of the tops, whether oem canvas, skip tower or hard top, have their own advantages.

These would be the shiznit for the front windows. Open to 80 degrees of movement, thats far enough to see out of on seriously foggy days when I have had to run with the front canvas window rolled up despite the cold, wet......

Xplorz...

Great job on those sketches man! 
I especially like that last one from the 3/4 bow...Really make the boat look nice!

I like your opening windshield option too...I know I wouldn't have thought of that.

Quote from: fishorcrab on December 15, 2013, 07:46:23 AM

I assume the second story is on top of another boat in a parking structure, eh?

Paul

I think it's on top of the building to advertise what they do. 

Is there such a material as a fiberglass/foam/fiberglass panel?  Seems that could be made rigid, strong and light.

Yes... not sure about pre-made applications, but when I researched building a hard top I read about some guys making their own.  Basically build a mold, lay down gel coat, then glass, then a structural foam core, then glass and more gel. 

Quote from: markshoreline on December 15, 2013, 02:02:51 PM
Is there such a material as a fiberglass/foam/fiberglass panel?  Seems that could be made rigid, strong and light.

RV siding.

Seems like the layup method 3wt mentioned would provide for the strongest and most professional finish.  That would probably require the top to be a one piece design.  I wonder what kind of modular design is possible that would be more easily shipped and owner assembled and installed?

Also would be important to design in the ability to install wipers.

Xplorz - kinda awesome looking

I found some local (Vancouver, WA) folks who make custom windows for boats.  They have a worksheet for estimating cost on the website.  Lots of their pics look like the hardtop Xplorz has sketched.


This is a pretty interesting idea... it would be cool to bring it to fruition.

http://www.boatwindows.com/

Mark...Thats a good find on Boat Windows. Thanks for the link. J Doo Dad

Quote from: markshoreline on December 16, 2013, 09:16:42 AM
I found some local (Vancouver, WA) folks who make custom windows for boats.  They have a worksheet for estimating cost on the website.  Lots of their pics look like the hardtop Xplorz has sketched.


This is a pretty interesting idea... it would be cool to bring it to fruition.

http://www.boatwindows.com/

Thanks for the link! I see its Peninsula Glass. Know right where that is.

Xplorz did solidworks kick out the weight estimate?  What kind of construction?  I would have guessed like 150lbs + windows.

Quote from: Grizzle on December 16, 2013, 09:52:04 AM
Xplorz did solidworks kick out the weight estimate?  What kind of construction?  I would have guessed like 150lbs + windows.

It should, when I thicken sheet bodies into solids. I haven't solidified and parts of the design yet, and have changed it a little from what is posted.

If I was to build it, it would be stitch and glue with 10oz glass inside and out. 1/4" marine ply is the no brainer for most of it, and maybe cedar bead and cove strips for the roof.

A couple of subtle changes made. Show with the OEM skip tower top at 6'4" and the OEM windshield for comparisons sake.  :smile1:

Interior height of hard top is 6'0" here.

Xplorz,
That looks so nice, very interesting to see the original windshield/skip on the overlay. 

I wonder if the sides should be vertical as they appear, or whether they could be canted inward some to save some weight on the roof and for aesthetics?

Love the vertical sides. And there will be more 'apparent' room in the cabin.

Quote from: ak-angler on December 17, 2013, 08:05:30 PM
Love the vertical sides. And there will be more 'apparent' room in the cabin.

I'm with AK, the vertical sides look really good. I think this would be very nice in aluminum or glass covered wood.

Since one's head is narrower than the shoulders the additional width up top wouldn't be helpful.  Not only would a tilt in lose some pounds and look nice it would make climbing around to the bow a little easier.