PDA

View Full Version : help please for offshore hardtop/tuna tower



TunaKing2008
13-07-2009, 05:09 PM
hi guys,
need help planning on adding a hard top (aluminium) to my southwind sf655 and possibly a small tuna tower. after any ideas in general we plan on doing it ourselves at the moment a mate is very handy with a welder and tools. just want something pretty basic and simple but strong also any estimates of what it would cost to get done professionally if we decide to give up. also any pics would help.
thanks heaps

wakakiwi
13-07-2009, 07:21 PM
:) here are some photos of the hard top i built for my old bertram. The sides are 4mm plate with 32mm box section for the roof. The top is 19mm foam with two coats of glass and its well and truly strong enough to stand on. If you want more photos i am a lot furthur along with it now i can put more on if u want.

TunaKing2008
13-07-2009, 07:23 PM
yes please that would be great

wakakiwi
13-07-2009, 07:38 PM
I have got the roof on now but no photos as yet will try and get some tomorrow for you should be home before dark to take some

TunaKing2008
14-07-2009, 05:17 PM
thanks again any help is great. how have you found the extra weight? im worried with mine the extra weight might cause drama in heavy swells whist trolling

wakakiwi
14-07-2009, 05:48 PM
Dont know how it goes in the water yet, it was a very stable boat before the work and i have seen this type of boat with a flybridge before. You could loose a lot of weight in the roof by not going as thick i probably went a bit overboard with it. It used up about 50 odd litres of resin. Make sure you glass in some timber (ply or otherwise) where you plan to fix it to the alloy so it has a solid mounting point or your glass will crack.The handels i have used bolt through the glass and alloy with a long bolt on each end.I measured all the angles that were allready on the boat, bottom windscreen cabin ect and made them the same on the top so i think it flows with the lines of the boat quite well.Just take a drive arround as many boat yards as possible you will pick up a lot of good idears by just looking arround at what other brands of boats.The last thing you want is to turn a good looking machine into an ugly duck. Hope this helps if you want to contact me for a chat about any of this or come and have a look for yourself PM me and i will pass on my details.

TunaKing2008
15-07-2009, 04:20 PM
awesome looking hardtop still tossding up as to whether or not to make it aluminium or fibreglass

Pelagic 660
15-07-2009, 08:59 PM
Hey Tuna, check out the sailfish website, they have a pretty interesting set up for a tower. Going through the same process with mine, got some quotes and decided to buy the alloy and tack it together myself and then pay for the final stitchup. Don't know much about fibreglass so stuck with alloy for ease of attachment. Also you can buy a hardtop direct from Kevlacat for around $2500.00 with no pipework....apparently they weigh about 40kg.......could be an option. Cheers

TunaKing2008
17-07-2009, 04:16 PM
thanks pelagic like the look of that simple tuna tower will check out kevlacat too