Delia,
Look at your 1st picture. I'm convinced your bimini extends much too far fwd. Acts like a scoop and it wouldn't take much wind from fwd to exert tremendous force on the canvas top. Think about keeping the bimini top but move it aft 2 feet at least and lower it as much as possible.
As far as the bimini being too far forward, I say it is not. If it doesn't exend well beyond the passengers, it won't protect them from sunlight or rain as they come in at an angle.As to scooping more air because it is further forward, I also say no. The angle of attack being the constant, it would make no difference whatsoever whether you move it forward or back.
*
-- Edited by Carey on Sunday 23rd of January 2011 07:08:56 PM
Looks like 12'x6' is their smallest top- may be too big for your boat?? He said the hardware was fabricated by a local shop and the vertical stock ordered from Taco Marine.
Hi s boat is a 54' pilothouse so those size tops fit his boat just right- you'd have to measure and see if they are too big for your 47.
Vessel Model: C & L Sea Ranger 47 Raised Pilothouse
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 375
RE: Hard Tops for trawler flybridges
Delia Rosa is shrink wrapped for the winter, but come springtime, I will double check her measurements..... this could be an interesting solution! *Thanks for all the research and ideas!
Delia Rosa,What if you had a new Bimini and frame built that let the Bimini attach to your radar arch? I found an old pic of our Present 42 prior to the current Bimini being installed. You can see it was a vast improvement. We never have water pooling problems but have had the zippers ripped loose a couple of times in high winds. We had our canvas guy sew heavy line/ loops at the beginning of the zippers to strengthen the area the last repair and we tie this string around the SS frame.
The current Bimini top is fairly flat. If you decide to stay with a bimini canvas top consider Forkliftt's suggestion but also have the top bows made/remade with much more bow or curvature.
There are a lot of longitudinal spacers between the bows also. Can you remove them or some or get them mounted with a hinge and socket setup for easy setup or removal.
It may take some talking to a fabricator to get what you want, lowered, no puddling, and quick knockdown. The original owner may not have worried about those issues.
Look at lots of other boats and of course hopefully some ideas will be of use from here.
-- Edited by C lectric on Monday 24th of January 2011 12:48:06 AM
Have no desire for a flybridge.* It's only for "fair weather, smooth water" cruisers unless one enjoys paying twice the cost of controlling one's boat by also*having an inboard helm station.* Saw a video of an experienced boater passing over a harbor bar for the several-hundredth time, and the breaking waves*shoved his boat over something like 45 degrees, and he was tossed out, breaking his neck, and permanently leaving this world.*
Carey wrote:
As far as the bimini being too far forward, I say it is not. If it doesn't extend well beyond the passengers, it won't protect them from sunlight or rain as they come in at an angle.
Carey is correct.* Whether this puts the front of the bimini forward of the flying bridge depends on the seating configuration.
The photos show our bimini deployed--- it is the stock frame for this boat.* While it looks tall it's actually not much higher than it needs to be to let a tall person stand up beneath it.* Unlike the bimini on Delia Rose, however, it's about a three minute job to deploy or stow it as there is only one moving frame section.* When deployed this piece is held in place with a pair or lines that clip to fasteners low on the forward corners of the flying bridge.
The uniflite I did a lot of fishing on in Hawaii had a factory-installed bimini and it, too, extended forward of he flying bridge face.* Not a lot, but enough to keep the sun off us for a good part of the day.
But Eric is also correct, a bimini can catch wind from the front because it's deflected up by the face of the flying bridge.* While we never drive from the flying bridge we often leave the bimini up on cruises since we like to sit up there once we get where we're going.* While we've never had a problem with side winds or winds coming from aft, there have been times when we've gone up and stowed it because a wind from the front looked like it was putting too much of a strain on it.
Even when stowed* a bimini is susceptible to strong winds.* In our marina during the winter gusts of 60 to 80 mph are not uncommon.* So we install an "X" brace of transverse diagonal lines to keep the bimini frame from whipping side to side in the gusts.
Our GB 36 was a rare experiment on the part of American Marine. Knowing full well that the established definition of a motorsailer is a boat that's a poor powerboat and an even poorer sailboat, they set out to debunk the definition. The hull they chose for their grand experiment was #403. It is, in essence, a full-up GB36 with the complete sailing rig from a Newport 30. So it carries a full-size main, a full-size genoa, a full-size spinnaker, and so on. Between the engines there is an enclosure for a large centerboard.
We would have used the sailing rig more often but the currents up here generally cancel out much of one's forward progress under sail, and the winds tend to blow from a different direction every few hundred yards. So unless one simply wants to be out sailing and getting somewhere is not the objective, traveling under sail in these waters is generally pretty unproductive. We have since removed the Newport 30 sailing rig.
Ironically this is a Sea Ranger 48 Sundeck with a brand new custom made hard top. *This is also the boat with the gyro stabilizer thingy in it. *Sorry, this is the only pic I took so all I got for now.
Vessel Model: C & L Sea Ranger 47 Raised Pilothouse
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 375
RE: Hard Tops for trawler flybridges
Thanks Baker for the picture of the Sea Ranger 48... if you ever have a chance to snap a few more, I would love to see them. *I wonder who this trawler is and where the top was done. *(By the way, I am also trying to find out more of the history of Sea Rangers - if the owner ever wants to get in touch!)
Marin, of course you are quite right that if the bimini is easily folded, it doesn't matter how tall it is.... *As you mention, up top is a really great place to stretch out and read or have lunch - but without our bimini, it is just too darn hot. *We only drive from up top when the weather is nice; we always use the lower helm station for docking and casting off from our slip. *There is an interior staircase so we can move up and down from the flybridge to our pilothouse really quickly.
C lectric, believe it or not, originally there were 3 sets of spacers.. ..the water pooling is probably worse now by the removal of one set, although this was done before the new cover was made.
Forklift, thanks for the comparison pix of your bimini.... what a difference it makes to have it stretch right to the radar arch. *I really like the change!
DeliaRosa: *I think Woodsong shows a pretty good eye there with the glass hardtop. *Of course, you'd be stuck with the height. *Here's a cleaned-up version of his idea. *Hope you didn't hold a copyright on this photo, Woodsong.
Eric, I personally think the flybridge on a raised pilothouse looks good. With us being down here in the lower 48 we actually see the sun a good bit and it is nice to sit up top on a nice summer day and enjoy the view.
City: Ex-Brisbane, (Australia), now Bribie Island, Qld
Vessel Name: Now boatless - sold 6/2018
Vessel Model: Had a Clipper (CHB) 34
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 10,100
RE: Hard Tops for trawler flybridges
Ha Ha, I thought Healhustler would come out of the woodwork over this one. Nice pic. As you can see, I'm still test-driving forward raked front screens. Delia Rosa, I agree your bimini is built tough, and not intended to be taken down, except in preparation for a hurricane, by the looks. I disagree about it being too far forward. It is in exactly the right place, and as it is still so strongly built, and with canvas in quite good condition, and looks pretty good in my opinion, so unless made of money why do anything. A bit of pooling water on it is nothing. You are not going to be sitting up there if it's dripping, and wind will soon blow-dry it out. Then, when one day it is really past it's best by date, you have the option of the hardtop, which as Windsong and Healhustler have ably demonstrated, would look good. Or...the other option of canvas again, but taken back to join onto the radar arch, which would then provide an excellent strong point for it to fold back to when & if necessary. Just don't turn it into a hothouse with plastic covers all round, is my suggestion. The Clipper 40 in the link below is another good example of how it looks with good bimini back to the targa/radar arch. http://www.clippermotoryachts.com.au...l/heritage-40/
Vessel Model: C & L Sea Ranger 47 Raised Pilothouse
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 375
RE: Hard Tops for trawler flybridges
My husband and I both liked the hard top version best. *With the top kept at 19 feet, we could easily fit under most bridges, and have the advantage of being able to add lighting to the top and even solar panels if we wanted. *Thanks for the mocked up pictures - they really helped us visualize a hard top for Delia Rosa.*(By the way Healhustler - what did you use to clean up Woodsong's version.. it looks very realistic!)
As a secondary option, we also liked the idea of extending the canvas back to the radar arch. *I think that would really improve the look of our canvas bimini. Unfortunately, we haven't found anyone interested in modifying our current frame to flatten and lower it and with the new geometry, we would probably also need to do all new canvas so we are still looking at a fairly expensive option.
We could just leave the bimini as is as Peter B. suggests. *Last summer we went without the bimini and roasted up top... * Maybe this summer we will stay cool with the bimini up, ignore the wind and rain, and just not travel under any fixed bridges! Unless we win a lottery of course.
In the meantime, come on springtime.... I want to get Delia Rosa off the hard and into the water!!!
Had an hour to waste in Starbucks this morning, and I got to playing with DeliaRose again. *Here's some examples of what everyone's been talking about. *All this, of course, done in photoshop...not time to make perfect, but you get the idea.
-- Edited by healhustler on Tuesday 25th of January 2011 01:26:15 PM
You know, this forum is just great! Healhustler, you are to be commended for your efforts and helpfulness! This place rocks!
Personally, I still think the hardtop would look best if it had solid fiberglass supports at the aft corners...kind of like a radar arch and top all built as one. Forgive the lack of correct terminology, but I think it would add an architectural element to it that makes it feel part of the boat vs. just a big flat sheet bolted onto the top.
I still think it looks better with the flybridge! To pull of no flybridge you almost need more downeast style lines, IMHO.