I think the biggest plus of HT and glass would be being water proof.
Basicly zips are holes in your clears/canvas.
A lot of the cool sounders and gear nowadays has very little water resistance. If I had some big dollars sitting on my dash, I think I would prefer glass in front of it.
Cheers Rob
I think it depends on your eye height VS screen heights when sitting & standing but after re-reading your question I think you should define exactly what you mean by "HT model boats vs open with clears".Originally Posted by Fisherfriend
Maybe a picture example of each?
I think he means glass enclosed cab hardtop and hardtop with regular windscreen and removable clears above...?
and the obvious advantage is that glass enclosed is much more waterproof but for my new boat the cost was very similar but where we live in FNQ I chose windscreen and clears because I hate having no breeze coming through the boat its just so much more versatile …I also get a bit claustrophic in small enclosed cabins and bunk areas.... ..I can understand full glass in colder climates or on commercial boats....
A glass enclosed cabin will also suck fumes and also be a bit more noisy.
With clears its possible to blow fumes back as there is no vacuum created and the clears do let some air in from the front.
(Edit Of course openings and scoops such as described below also remedy this and would, I imagine, be essential. There still remains some extra noise from motors that does seem to resonate but no doubt on balance it is a matter of choice as to which is the lesser annoyance?
Ranmar has also ably addressed the noise issue by way of side clears the removal of which removes the "cave" like habitat that increases noise and the area beneath the hard top also can be made far cooler when necessary by virtue of side breezes )
Point was made about greenys running up to the windscreen and leaking into the boat is valid but knowing how your hull performs and its weaknesses that you learn soon after you buy the boat enables you to grow smarter and in my case it happened in the early days but you learn fast how to trim the boat and the speeds that prevent the bow from dipping.
It is a Seafarer characteristic that you learn to avoid as your driving improves, thats what I found anyhow with the Vagabond.
On the other hand my Express will never get a wave up the windcreen, no matter how badly you drive it in big seas. Different boats with different characteristics.
What could go wrong.......................
Hardtop, Top hatches for ventilation, clears on the side. Works well.
My old Swiftcraft Dominator had the old style soft top press-stuuded to the windscreen frame. Found out the hard way that they ain't particularly water proof when you dip the bow under a green one.I fixed that by having plastic annexe track fitted to the top of the screen instead of studs. So you then had a solid attachment point with no gaps in it, that stopped the water coming in over the top.
Not just Seafarers. I haven't managed to find one yet that can't be dipped given the right (or perhaps that should read wrong) set of circumstances. Even the Senator got a run on a Pin bar crossing and it has a bow like a cork. Sounds like a challenge with the Express......hold my beer 😂😂😂
Pros and cons to both. I prefer as little weight up top as poss keeping weight down low stabilises. Also less effected by wind. Warmer places less need to stay dry I enjoy a bit of spay and wind in the face. If its miserable I head home these days so dont even bother with clears anymore.
Bimini soft top for some sun/rain or freak storm shelter is all I like.
Scottar
It must be a while since you had a run in an Express?
My old 5.6 came close once heading out of Portland Harbour with a large fishing boat throwing a deep wake coming in. Water reached the fordeck and made it to the bottom of the screen but that was it. My 5.2 Cavalier although not as tall up front is still super bouyant though and even playing in waves it stays dry.
Pity they stopped making them in this country, still big in SE Asia and the US.
What could go wrong.......................
Never had the opportunity to spend any real time in one. By design their bow would shed water extremely well - much like the Senator which is actually not dissimilar in looks apart from being a pontoon hull. Smaller vessels don't seem to suffer from pushing their bow into pressure waves as badly due to basically fitting in between the wave peaks. A longer vessel still has it's most buoyant part on the way down as the bow is trying to push up thus pushing the bow into the wave in front. Most times I've done it has been in the sort of conditions that make the majority of sane punters turn around and find something else to do - either ridiculous wind strengths or crossing bars in less than ideal conditions. The other times has been trolling live baits or travelling dead slow sounding around offshore. I've never had it happen at speed.
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