Flybridge Enclosure - Mainship 40 Trawler (sanity check)

[ssurabus]

The big storm last October (Massachusetts) destroyed my enclosure. It caught most people by surprise and really wreaked havoc up here with canvas. After getting some initial estimates, I decided that instead of living in constant fear of the rag top, I would replace with a hardtop. The hardtop is installed and I'm getting quotes for the enclosure. I'm kind of blown away by the numbers:

Quote 1: $15,600
Quote 2: $13,600
Quote 3: $12, 500
Quote 4: $7,000

This is for 40 gauge strataglass other than the center windshield which would by Markalon (AR or Marine 5). The 4th quote is from someone that only has a couple years experience. I'm told that the Northeast is the most expensive in the country for this type of work.

I'm just looking for a sanity check on these numbers. The cost seems absurd to me - even with the understanding that it is a very labor intensive job. This is with a hardtop so no bimini needed. This industry needs to move to some kind of CAD based design. I mean 12-16K for somewhat high-risk, semi-disposable items.

Let me know if these are the types of numbers others are seeing.

Thanks!

 

[Comodave]

We had all of our canvas replaced this last winter. We used the thicker Stamoid fabric. It is truly waterproof. Tenara thread, don’t let them use any type of poly thread. Tenara is guaranteed for the life of the fabric. Amazing thread. They did the bimini top and the top behind our radar arch. All the side panels are 30 gauge Strataglass. I didn’t want 40 gauge as it is more difficult to roll up. The price difference was about $80. You do have to be careful of Strataglass in cold climates as a couple of fabricators told me it can crack more easily in the cold than some other types of clear. The fabricator that did ours is the premiere fabricator in our area so he isn’t the cheapest but he is the best. The total was about $13K. He also reupholstered all the seating in the helm and cockpit areas, and there is a lot of seats. Formula wanted $9.5K for new skins and I would have had to install them. He did them complete for $8K. We wanted Sunbrella Horizon vinyl since it is the best vinyl on the market. Don’t know about your market but since they don’t have to do the bimini the prices seem a bit high.

You might consider buying a commercial sewing machine and DIY it. We have done 5 complete boats with our Sailrite machine. I would have done this boat but arthritis in my fingers won’t allow it much anymore. Now I just do small jobs. I spent about $2K on the machine with the upgraded motor and I have probably saved over $30K over the years if not more.