Anybody ever build a hardtop?

alk

alk

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The cockpit deck repair, and head replacement projects on my Viking are somewhat nearing completion - so now is perfect time to kick a couple more off. Today I have canvas Bimini type tops over the cockpit, and aft deck.

Starting a few years after my boat was built, Viking started selling them with hardtops over both. The pic below shows what I’m hoping for. I know I could build the tops, with some glass over foam - but not sure about the supports. I can weld, but don’t have a TIG machine, and not much experience using one. I was hoping to find some ‘off the shelf’ support legs, but hours of web searching, and no luck. I imagine a quote to have a tower fabricator build the entire thing would be quite expensive. Anybody ever build their own hardtop?

wish I could find a boat junkyard, with a rotting away early 80’s Viking 44 with a hardtop for sale ! But don’t even know if boat junkyards exist?

 
Two options… either divinycell foam core with glass on both side or coosa with just epoxy (no glass). Both will be strong, the coosa will probably be a little heavier but much faster to build.

Supports can be just 1” SS tubes with stanchion bases
 
It would seem, at least to me, that in these days of internet sales of "used" everything there mustbe lots of people trying to unload old boats parts. If you're not pressed to start I would do searches of everything including FB maket place, craigslist, ebay, etc. Got to be something out there. Also post "wanted" on those sites.


Just for grins, I just searched my FB page market place for "boat hardtops" and a fair number showed up on just first pages. Granted none asbig as what you are looking for, but some of the listings where from boat yards. Also, you might find supports/tops that can be modified as a starting point.

Example I found:

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I always forget about facebook.I did look at the end of the summer when I penciled this into my to-do list, and found one guy selling a hardtop from his 35 Viking. But the fiberglass top was too narrow. I probably could have used the supports, and built my own top - but he wanted 2,000 for it. Which seemed like a lot. But I have no idea what it would take to have one built, so maybe that was a good price?
 
alk said:
I always forget about facebook.I did look at the end of the summer when I penciled this into my to-do list, and found one guy selling a hardtop from his 35 Viking. But the fiberglass top was too narrow. I probably could have used the supports, and built my own top - but he wanted 2,000 for it. Which seemed like a lot. But I have no idea what it would take to have one built, so maybe that was a good price?
Click to expand...
Hard for me to say. I once had a brush guard, I designed, and got built. I was quoted over $2K for it. I bought a after-market and just had some custom mods done and it was only $500. That's about all the experience I have on fabrication price.
 
Just heard back from a tower fabricator - ballpark of 10 large to cover the helm, and another 12 for the aft deck. Ouch, that's about what I paid for the boat. Canvas perhaps?
 
That is about where I thought the cost would be. Still contacting boat yards, maybe a few 'wanted' ads in boating mags, and forums, might find you something to work with....
 
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