Boating/T-Top question
 

I have a five year old Sea Pro 17 ft. center console and want to install
a t-top. My main concern is the added weight and higher center of
gravity. The boat is mainly used in St. Johns River at Mayport, FL, and
occasionally a few miles offshore when the ocean is flat.

Any of you experts have comparable experiences and advice?

Boating/T-Top question
 

On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 09:53:17 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

I have a five year old Sea Pro 17 ft. center console and want to install
a t-top. My main concern is the added weight and higher center of
gravity. The boat is mainly used in St. Johns River at Mayport, FL, and
occasionally a few miles offshore when the ocean is flat.

Any of you experts have comparable experiences and advice?



I just bought an 18'er and had the same question. I went with a bimini. I
plan to trailer a lot, and thought the t-top may suffer somewhat. I also
plan to do a lot of family boating, where the bimini will be very useful.

Yes, it gets in the way of fishing, unless one sticks to the stern. But, I
figure I'll wear the Tilley hat someone here talked me into buying for a
ridiculous amount of money. (Which was still a lot cheaper than the t-top.)
--
John H

Boating/T-Top question
 

Thanks. I have a bimini and hate it.

"John H." wrote in message
...
On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 09:53:17 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

I have a five year old Sea Pro 17 ft. center console and want to
install
a t-top. My main concern is the added weight and higher center of
gravity. The boat is mainly used in St. Johns River at Mayport, FL,
and
occasionally a few miles offshore when the ocean is flat.

Any of you experts have comparable experiences and advice?



I just bought an 18'er and had the same question. I went with a
bimini. I
plan to trailer a lot, and thought the t-top may suffer somewhat. I
also
plan to do a lot of family boating, where the bimini will be very
useful.

Yes, it gets in the way of fishing, unless one sticks to the stern.
But, I
figure I'll wear the Tilley hat someone here talked me into buying for
a
ridiculous amount of money. (Which was still a lot cheaper than the
t-top.)
--
John H

Boating/T-Top question
 

On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 09:53:17 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

I have a five year old Sea Pro 17 ft. center console and want to install
a t-top. My main concern is the added weight and higher center of
gravity. The boat is mainly used in St. Johns River at Mayport, FL, and
occasionally a few miles offshore when the ocean is flat.

Any of you experts have comparable experiences and advice?


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.

Boating/T-Top question
 

On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:46:15 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

Thanks. I have a bimini and hate it.

"John H." wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 09:53:17 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

I have a five year old Sea Pro 17 ft. center console and want to
install
a t-top. My main concern is the added weight and higher center of
gravity. The boat is mainly used in St. Johns River at Mayport, FL,
and
occasionally a few miles offshore when the ocean is flat.

Any of you experts have comparable experiences and advice?



I just bought an 18'er and had the same question. I went with a
bimini. I
plan to trailer a lot, and thought the t-top may suffer somewhat. I
also
plan to do a lot of family boating, where the bimini will be very
useful.

Yes, it gets in the way of fishing, unless one sticks to the stern.
But, I
figure I'll wear the Tilley hat someone here talked me into buying for
a
ridiculous amount of money. (Which was still a lot cheaper than the
t-top.)
--
John H


I may end up feeling the same way.
--
John H

Boating/T-Top question
 

[snipped]

"HK" wrote in message
. ..


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...."

Boating/T-Top question
 

On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 23:20:02 -0500, "Lu Powell"
wrote:

[snipped]

"HK" wrote in message
...


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.

Boating/T-Top question
 

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

[snipped]

"HK" wrote in message
. ..


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.

What is the width of the T-Top in comparison to the width of the boat?
I had a T-Top almost as wide as the boat, and for anyone at the helm or
passenger side, they had as much shade as would be provided by a bimini.
My first runabout has a Bimini that was longer front to back, but
would take much more abuse, shaking about while underway. It was a pain
to put up and down, so we didn't use it as much. It was a pain to
store, or was in the way while folded up, when it was up, the straps
always got in the way. Since the kids all wore sunscreen, and really
wanted to sit or lay out in the sun, I never missed the additional
length a bimini could have provided. JohnH is getting the bimini,
because the boat will be also be used a family runabout, but I can't
imagine any serious fisherman using a bimini.

Boating/T-Top question
 

On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 08:00:43 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III"
[email protected] wrote:

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

[snipped]

"HK" wrote in message
. ..


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.

What is the width of the T-Top in comparison to the width of the boat?
I had a T-Top almost as wide as the boat, and for anyone at the helm or
passenger side, they had as much shade as would be provided by a bimini.
My first runabout has a Bimini that was longer front to back, but
would take much more abuse, shaking about while underway. It was a pain
to put up and down, so we didn't use it as much. It was a pain to
store, or was in the way while folded up, when it was up, the straps
always got in the way. Since the kids all wore sunscreen, and really
wanted to sit or lay out in the sun, I never missed the additional
length a bimini could have provided. JohnH is getting the bimini,
because the boat will be also be used a family runabout, but I can't
imagine any serious fisherman using a bimini.

And JohnH may change his mind and get a t-top later. I hadn't thought about
a wider t-top.
--
John H

Boating/T-Top question
 

"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?

Boating/T-Top question
 

On Dec 15, 1:24 am, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:
On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 23:20:02 -0500, "Lu Powell"





wrote:
[snipped]

"HK" wrote in message
...

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 thebiminitop 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-topsyou 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.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Boating/T-Top question
 

On Dec 15, 1:24 am, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:
On Fri, 14 Dec 2007 23:20:02 -0500, "Lu Powell"





wrote:
[snipped]

"HK" wrote in message
...

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 thebiminitop 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-topsyou 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.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hello, Just browsing and seen this post. If you are looking for a high
quality Bimini top. Please visit our site. http://www.BiminiTops.biz
or give us a call 1-888-458-BOAT We have high quality marine products.
our Bimini tops have a double walled, heavy aluminum main support bow,
and come with a 5 year warranty

Boating/T-Top question
 

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.

Boating/T-Top question
 

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.

Boating/T-Top question
 

On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 17:14:02 -0500, " JimH" ask wrote:


"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
.. .
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.

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

7 feet tall? How the heck do you get rods into the rod holders and raise
the antenna?

I have long arms. :)

Boating/T-Top question
 

" JimH" ask wrote in message
...

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
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.

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

7 feet tall? How the heck do you get rods into the rod holders and raise
the antenna?


You must be one of those Short People.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NvgLkuEtkA

Boating/T-Top question
 

Looks great, but it won't fit in my garage... :^(

Boating/T-Top question
 

On Dec 14, 9:53 am, "Lu Powell" wrote:
I have a five year old Sea Pro 17 ft. center console and want to install
a t-top. My main concern is the added weight and higher center of
gravity. The boat is mainly used in St. Johns River at Mayport, FL, and
occasionally a few miles offshore when the ocean is flat.

Any of you experts have comparable experiences and advice?

I assume a T-top for a small 17-ft boat is not going to be very tall
in order to keep the center of gravity low; for example, the T-top in
my 18-ft boat is lower than the T-top in larger boats. This means you
may not be able to put a large enclosure right under the T-top because
that would have blocked your view when you are standing. This means
you will not be able to put your VHF radio and other accessories
inside the enclosure. This removes one of the benefit of having a T-
top.

For the same reason, you may or may not be able to mount fishing rods
under the T-top in a 17-ft boat.

On the other hand, you will still be able to mount antennas for VHF
radio and GPS on the T-top and keep them out of the way.

Despite the fact that I don't think a large enclosure can be mounted
under the T-top, I am still playing around with the idea of mounting a
small enclosure under the T-top that is just enough for a small VHF
radio and a pair of gloves or something small like that.

Jay Chan

Boating/T-Top question
 

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.

Just how valuable can 50 or so pounds of aluminum tubing and canvas
cost? Although I have a "Santa Claus" ready and able to pay the whole
freight, I can't in good conscience let that kind of money be spent for
such a little benefit.

Thanks for all the opinions.... No T-top for me....

wrote in message
...
On Dec 14, 9:53 am, "Lu Powell" wrote:
I have a five year old Sea Pro 17 ft. center console and want to
install
a t-top. My main concern is the added weight and higher center of
gravity. The boat is mainly used in St. Johns River at Mayport, FL,
and
occasionally a few miles offshore when the ocean is flat.

Any of you experts have comparable experiences and advice?

I assume a T-top for a small 17-ft boat is not going to be very tall
in order to keep the center of gravity low; for example, the T-top in
my 18-ft boat is lower than the T-top in larger boats. This means you
may not be able to put a large enclosure right under the T-top because
that would have blocked your view when you are standing. This means
you will not be able to put your VHF radio and other accessories
inside the enclosure. This removes one of the benefit of having a T-
top.

For the same reason, you may or may not be able to mount fishing rods
under the T-top in a 17-ft boat.

On the other hand, you will still be able to mount antennas for VHF
radio and GPS on the T-top and keep them out of the way.

Despite the fact that I don't think a large enclosure can be mounted
under the T-top, I am still playing around with the idea of mounting a
small enclosure under the T-top that is just enough for a small VHF
radio and a pair of gloves or something small like that.

Jay Chan

Boating/T-Top question
 

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.

Boating/T-Top question
 

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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Boating/T-Top question
 

"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.........

Boating/T-Top question
 

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.

Boating/T-Top question
 

On Dec 18, 8:16 pm, "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.

Just how valuable can 50 or so pounds of aluminum tubing and canvas
cost? Although I have a "Santa Claus" ready and able to pay the whole
freight, I can't in good conscience let that kind of money be spent for
such a little benefit.

Thanks for all the opinions.... No T-top for me....

wrote in message

...



On Dec 14, 9:53 am, "Lu Powell" wrote:
I have a five year old Sea Pro 17 ft. center console and want to
install
a t-top. My main concern is the added weight and higher center of
gravity. The boat is mainly used in St. Johns River at Mayport, FL,
and
occasionally a few miles offshore when the ocean is flat.

Any of you experts have comparable experiences and advice?

I assume a T-top for a small 17-ft boat is not going to be very tall
in order to keep the center of gravity low; for example, the T-top in
my 18-ft boat is lower than the T-top in larger boats. This means you
may not be able to put a large enclosure right under the T-top because
that would have blocked your view when you are standing. This means
you will not be able to put your VHF radio and other accessories
inside the enclosure. This removes one of the benefit of having a T-
top.

For the same reason, you may or may not be able to mount fishing rods
under the T-top in a 17-ft boat.

On the other hand, you will still be able to mount antennas for VHF
radio and GPS on the T-top and keep them out of the way.

Despite the fact that I don't think a large enclosure can be mounted
under the T-top, I am still playing around with the idea of mounting a
small enclosure under the T-top that is just enough for a small VHF
radio and a pair of gloves or something small like that.

Jay Chan- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

$2000 sounds about what I have expected. This was the reason why I
decided to purchase my boat that came with a T-top. I figured that
the T-top itself could justify a large part of the total purchase
price of the second hand boat -- little that I knew that the T-top
were not anchored on the boat correctly and ended up rotting the whole
deck.

Jay Chan