"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 23:20:02 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

[snipped]

"HK" wrote in message
m...


I had an 18' SeaPro CC when I lived in the Jax area, and had a shop
out on Atlantic almost next door to the ICW bridge do a nice tee-top
for me.
The tee-top worked out just fine, but I missed the bimini top I had
on
a previous small center console boat, because it simply did not
provide enough shade on those hot Jax days when you want more shade.

Who is the SeaPro dealer in that area these days? It used to be
Mayport Marine after the Orange Park Ranger & SeaPro dealership
changed hands.

You must eat at Singleton's...one of the few restaurants down there
I
miss.

I used to live fishing right off the north jetty there. You could
never even guess what you might catch.

I'm thinking I might use the same shop for the T-top work. It's about
2
miles from my house. Singleton's WAS a great place to eat. Last time
we
were there, the flies and the heightened prices caused me to change my
opinion of the place.

Fishing off the north and south jetties is always "like a box of
chocolates, you never know...."

I havea T-top on my 20 foot Ranger and wouldn't trade it. Bimini's
are fine, but if you are serious about fishing, a T-top is the way to
go. Plus you can eek out some extra storage under the T-top for
PFD's, ditch kit and the like.

Here's a picture.

http://www.swsports.org/images/Ranger.JPG

The only consideration I would suggest is that you stay away from the
cheapie T-tops you see around, on Bass Pro and on the Web - they are
basically made out of Schedule 40 tubing, only a little better grade
metal - they aren't very sturdy at all.

With respect to vertical movement and changing the COG, forget about
it- ain't gonna change it enough for you to notice.

Great looking setup. What would the weight be of a t-top similar to
that?

On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:31:12 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

With respect to vertical movement and changing the COG, forget about
it- ain't gonna change it enough for you to notice.

Great looking setup. What would the weight be of a t-top similar to
that?

As it came from the fabricator on the skid, it weighed 290 lbs. It's
seven foot tall - I can stand under it without any problems.

The nice thing is that it's built with 1 1/2" marine grade aluminum
tubing - welded construction - I think it's 1/8" wall if I remember
correctly. I'm 6'3" and weight 250 and can hang off of it - it's very
sturdy.

I also have a wind screen for it which helps a lot in marginal
weather and rain.

http://www.swsports.org/images/Ranger/Ranger01.JPG

http://www.swsports.org/images/Ranger/Ranger02.JPG

http://www.swsports.org/images/Ranger/Ranger03.JPG

This will give you a good idea of the wall thickness.

http://www.swsports.org/images/Ranger/Ranger06.JPG

You will be paying a healthy price for a custom T-top like this - I
bought this one in 2001 for $3,200 direct from the fabricator. It was
a deal because he had made one for a Ranger that was never paid for
fully - all I had to do was pay the rest of the bill for it.

Custom, that T-top is somewhere around $6,500 give/take a few hundred
bucks.

On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 21:58:56 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:31:12 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

With respect to vertical movement and changing the COG, forget about
it- ain't gonna change it enough for you to notice.

Great looking setup. What would the weight be of a t-top similar to
that?

As it came from the fabricator on the skid, it weighed 290 lbs. It's
seven foot tall - I can stand under it without any problems.

The nice thing is that it's built with 1 1/2" marine grade aluminum
tubing - welded construction - I think it's 1/8" wall if I remember
correctly. I'm 6'3" and weight 250 and can hang off of it - it's very
sturdy.

I also have a wind screen for it which helps a lot in marginal
weather and rain.

http://www.swsports.org/images/Ranger/Ranger01.JPG

http://www.swsports.org/images/Ranger/Ranger02.JPG

http://www.swsports.org/images/Ranger/Ranger03.JPG

This will give you a good idea of the wall thickness.

http://www.swsports.org/images/Ranger/Ranger06.JPG

You will be paying a healthy price for a custom T-top like this - I
bought this one in 2001 for $3,200 direct from the fabricator. It was
a deal because he had made one for a Ranger that was never paid for
fully - all I had to do was pay the rest of the bill for it.

Custom, that T-top is somewhere around $6,500 give/take a few hundred
bucks.

I knew there was another reason I went with the $450 bimini!

That *is* a fine looking top, Tom.