In my hardtop you stay dry. When I have been in a soft-top and taken a greenie over the bow I have had the wave run up the windshield, over the window frame and under the canvas as they only snapped on to the frame. Nothing like a dump of ice cold seawater in the crotch on a cold winter day. If the boat is for ocean fishing and not primarily for water skiing and taking out the girls in bikinis, even on a 17 footer the hard top seems to be the better option. The big issue with adding a hard top on a smaller boat for me would be weight high up changing the design specs. in a negative way, especially if you put a lot of stuff up on the roof, radar arches, lights, rocket launchers and gear etc. especially on small boats. A heavy built glass roof that can take some weight and the structure to support it is heavy. Al. can be a lighter option but also adds some weight. Each boat is different and you would need to work out what you can do without making it top heavy or making it so big/high for the size of the boat that it turns into a sail. which can creates other issues in heavy wind.
