On Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:16:53 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

Thanks. After considering all the inputs from this forum, I went
shopping. Yikes!!! I realize workmanship has its price....however, $1600
to $2000 to start for a small barebones T-top is a bit over the top. Add
some rod holders and curtains, and the tab is approaching three
thousand.

Marine grade aluminum is expensive. The time to fabricate, bend and
weld added to already expensive aluminum and you are going to spend
some money.

$2000 is a cheapie.

On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:32:22 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing penned the
following well considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats:

On Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:16:53 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

Thanks. After considering all the inputs from this forum, I went
shopping. Yikes!!! I realize workmanship has its price....however, $1600
to $2000 to start for a small barebones T-top is a bit over the top. Add
some rod holders and curtains, and the tab is approaching three
thousand.

Marine grade aluminum is expensive. The time to fabricate, bend and
weld added to already expensive aluminum and you are going to spend
some money.

$2000 is a cheapie.

Having run a machine shop for decades..... this is NOT the time to
buy anything made of aluminum or copper (brass and bronze included) as
they are the materials of war and now go for fair market value times
some ridiculous factor.

5052 aluminum has *never* been cheap and the expertise to weld same is
also not bargain basement. Additionally, have you ever considered the
cost of equipment to bend aluminum tubing?

I'm standing squarely in the middle on this item. The prices are
obscene, but so are the costs. I don't have an answer..... but I do
have a political/temporal parallel..... we called it Viet Nam and it
affected consumer and manufacturer prices in *exactly* the same way.

Patience may or may not afford relief. My crystal ball is out for
repair......

--

Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Oak Island, NC.

Homepage
http://pamandgene.idleplay.net/

Rec.boats at Lee Yeaton's Bayguide
http://www.thebayguide.com/rec.boats
-----------------
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Access your favorite newsgroups from home or on the road
-----------------

"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:32:22 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing penned the
following well considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats:

On Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:16:53 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

Thanks. After considering all the inputs from this forum, I went
shopping. Yikes!!! I realize workmanship has its price....however,
$1600
to $2000 to start for a small barebones T-top is a bit over the top.
Add
some rod holders and curtains, and the tab is approaching three
thousand.

Marine grade aluminum is expensive. The time to fabricate, bend and
weld added to already expensive aluminum and you are going to spend
some money.

$2000 is a cheapie.

Having run a machine shop for decades..... this is NOT the time to
buy anything made of aluminum or copper (brass and bronze included) as
they are the materials of war and now go for fair market value times
some ridiculous factor.

5052 aluminum has *never* been cheap and the expertise to weld same is
also not bargain basement. Additionally, have you ever considered the
cost of equipment to bend aluminum tubing?

I'm standing squarely in the middle on this item. The prices are
obscene, but so are the costs. I don't have an answer..... but I do
have a political/temporal parallel..... we called it Viet Nam and it
affected consumer and manufacturer prices in *exactly* the same way.

Patience may or may not afford relief. My crystal ball is out for
repair......

--

Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Oak Island, NC.

Homepage
http://pamandgene.idleplay.net/

Rec.boats at Lee Yeaton's Bayguide
http://www.thebayguide.com/rec.boats
-----------------
www.Newsgroup-Binaries.com - *Completion*Retention*Speed*
Access your favorite newsgroups from home or on the road
-----------------

Thanks for all the insights. Since the T-top is not a "must have", time
to find a better use for the money. Now, about that Garmin
GPS/Fishfinder/Mapping unit.........

On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:20:50 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

Thanks for all the insights. Since the T-top is not a "must have", time
to find a better use for the money. Now, about that Garmin
GPS/Fishfinder/Mapping unit........

I just returned from Bass Pro over in Foxboro, MA. Spent some time
looking at the multi-function units.

Dollar-for-dollar, I think the Lowrance multi-functions are better
than the Garmin units.

If only for the fact that the Garmins have this really non-intuitive
user interface compared to the Lowrance.