Aluminum top to replace a canvas top

bloodbath

Member
Hi,

I have an older Campion 21 foot Fishing Machine boat with a canvas top and sides.

I am looking for someone in the Nanaimo to Courtney area that could give me a quote on replacing the canvas top with an aluminum top and possibly rocketlaunchers.

Would then replace the side and back curtains as well.

Would possibly look at replacing all the internal support poles.

Thanks
 
Depending on the waters you fish, additional weight at that height may cause the boat to heel over too much. It is highly likely that boats that come from the factory with heavy superstructure have some heavy items such as tanks/batteries strategically located to offset this & maintain a proper center of gravity.
 
Depending on the waters you fish, additional weight at that height may cause the boat to heel over too much. It is highly likely that boats that come from the factory with heavy superstructure have some heavy items such as tanks/batteries strategically located to offset this & maintain a proper center of gravity.

Honestly not something I noticed at all on my boat. I understand the concept but I don't think an aluminum top weighs all that much. I love mine and it seemed like a much more practical investment over a new soft top + radar arch.
 
Honestly not something I noticed at all on my boat. I understand the concept but I don't think an aluminum top weighs all that much. I love mine and it seemed like a much more practical investment over a new soft top + radar arch.
Hi, good points to consider. I had a fellow look at my boat when I was considering a fiberglass replacement top. He said it would make me too top heavy.
Curious on how much it cost you to do the job!
 
Hi bloodbath. Your boat's vertical center of gravity is about where the actual waterline is when sitting still in the water. Both the weight of, and distance of the weight from this COG matter. Similar issues to these is probably what caused the whale watching boat to capsize off of Tofino. IMO for someone to make a blanket statement that "it will be fine" or "I didn't notice anything" is very irresponsible; boat specific issues such as initial & dynamic stability matter. You may not notice anything either til you loose power and are taking large waves on the beam (side). Remember, there are bold boaters & there are old boaters, but there are no old bold boaters.
 
Hi bloodbath. Your boat's vertical center of gravity is about where the actual waterline is when sitting still in the water. Both the weight of, and distance of the weight from this COG matter. Similar issues to these is probably what caused the whale watching boat to capsize off of Tofino. IMO for someone to make a blanket statement that "it will be fine" or "I didn't notice anything" is very irresponsible; boat specific issues such as initial & dynamic stability matter. You may not notice anything either til you loose power and are taking large waves on the beam (side). Remember, there are bold boaters & there are old boaters, but there are no old bold boaters.

I don't know if I agree with your comment about my comment being a blanket statement or "very irresponsible". I agree that safety is #1 and I agree that there are some really high profile accidents caused by dynamic stability issues but I think there can be some context and common sense worth considering too. The whale watching boat that capsized had fairly significant modifications and 27 passengers (call it 4000 - 5000 lbs of humans) on board that were mostly standing on top of the roof and moving from side to side.... That's a pretty huge dynamic stability issue compared to a couple hundred pounds of roof.

I have made significant modifications to my boat and moved well over a thousand pounds of weight which has made the boat MORE stable and ride better than it was from the factory. Yes, there was some careful planning involved (offsetting moves) and I wouldn't recommend it for everyone or every boat but it was far from "very irresponsible". There is a tendency for some boaters to get their shorts in a bunch over details like a roof that is a couple hundred pounds and meanwhile they don't consider the difference between full fuel and half fuel, full cooler and empty cooler, fishing alone vs maximum capacity which the total impact of those factors MIGHT make more difference to stability and most guys wouldn't think twice. I'm not making a blanket statement saying saying that every roof on every boat is a good idea but I think if you asked around with guys that have actually done this the number of issues would be very very limited. Still worth careful planning but hardly a "bold" decision.
 
Had a couple boats now where I replaced the canvas top w aluminum. The nice thing about aluminum is it's lightness -even though it costs a bit. No noticeable change in righting lever as determined by roll characteristics. Been on a few boats a few times where that is very noticeable - and a little scary. So ones spends $3-5K on renewing a canvas top with limited utility every 10 years or so - or once for an aluminum one for ~double that amount. pretty easy choice...
 
There is a tendency for some boaters to get their shorts in a bunch over details like a roof that is a couple hundred pounds

Sounds like a pretty bold blanket statement to me; the OP has a 21ft Campion. My friend is a marine surveyor; owns a 35 Bertram. He went with am AL arch versus SS because of weight concerns - we are talking less than 50lb difference.
 
I would bet the alum roof on a 21' boat would add less than 150lbs to the boat.
highly unlikely this would affect the stability in most conditions.
using WildBill's link (thanks, Bill!) a 3/8" thick 5x10' roof would weigh 137lbs, 1/2" thickness 364lbs. Gotta be somewhere in-between the 2. Good guess, SC!
 
A 5 x 10 .375" 5052 aluminum comes out to 262 lbs. I would think as long as your not packing stuff on it and depending how you brace it .060 to .125 thick should do it. Your looking for the same function as fabric? Keep sun and rain off you and not to deflect gunfire?
 
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