Time to replace the bridge enclosure

[Jackman]

My enclosure was damaged from one of the offshore hurricanes we had on the east coast this year. I'm replacing it and would like some advice. The guys who I had draw up an estimate gave me the following:

Labor 43hrs $2,365

Canvas 29yrds sunbrella $609

Glass

Option 1: 5 sheets crystal clear 20/20 40GG $560

Option 2: 5 sheets stratoglass 40GG $1150

travel $220 (boat is less than a mile from their shop)

(Total for the job $4756.40 with stratoglass)

This is for a 1985 32ft Flybridge. They are going to use the fram that is already there and are making a completely new enclosure including the back, so I now will be complaetely enclosed.

Any advice on what I should have them use? Price right? Whats the difference between stratoglass and crystal clear? I know how to work on boats, not sew, so (no pun intended) this isn't my forte!

Thanks!

[Passages]

I have strataglass and it is holding up well. Not sure what crystal clear is but I suspect it's similar to eisenglass which IS inferior to Strataglass. Strataglass is thicker, more scratch resistent and lasts longer. Sometimes you DO get what you pay for.

Kinda wish something would happen to my softtop. I'd replace it with a fiberglass hardtop with overhead electronics box and a full EZ2CY enclosure. Now THAT'S a flybridge!

[Jackman]

I'd love a hardtop as well but under my current setup its not a good idea. I have my boat hauled out of our marina every year by hydraulic trailer. The guy pulls her right out of the water at our deep boat launch and takes her to out place about 4mi down the road and sets her up in the driveway. That way I can do all of my work all winterlong while being near the comforts of home, not that my boats not home. The entire operation costs me $5 per foot and less than $100 for winterization. Its much easier to deal with a ragtop because I have to lower everything to make the powerlines...and its close. Probably within a foot. A hardtop would probably make this impossible.

[SeaEric]

Sunbrella and strata glass is a great combo. Price seems fair to me as long as you know their workmanship is good. Although the extra charge for travel would annoy me. I assume you have previous good experience or several good reports on this canvas shop? Nothing worse than a bad looking, poorly executed bimini and enclosure to ruin the appearance of a nice boat. Now is a good time to get this contracted and done. Spring will be here before you know it and these guys will all be booked up.

[ADaily3224]

Hi Jackman,

Just for reference:

My entire soft top and enclosure were replaced three seasons ago. I choose the Stratoglass product, It has an excellent reputation, and so far mine looks brand new. I'm not a Sunbrella fan. It's nice when new but in lighter colors it stains, and if you try to clean it, leaks develop.
A friend at our local marina suggested a product called Stamoid ( may be spelled incorrectly) I think it's a Dupont fabric. It's hard to explain exactly what it's properties are, other than it's fairly soft and elastic. It's very easy to clean, durable, and looks excellent. The best part is if you get a bird mess on your bimini the rain will wash it away. This is not the typical vinyl impregnated fabric, it's completely different. Mine matches the Hatteras off white perfectly, I guess it comes in several colors. The drawbacks are, it's expensive and not all the canvas guys handle it. You also need special thread to sew it with. I paid $5,000 for a complete enclosure on a 36 Hatteras, the existing frame was modified as I didn't like the style, my price included everything, even those rubber snubbers that keep the stainless steel from rubbing against the Stratoglass. My original quote was higher but the marina agreed not to accept a commission for allowing the work to be done inside their storage area.

Good Luck,
Tony D

[Nick]

Hi Jackman,

I had the sides of our 37 half top redone about two years ago. We went with Stamoid and Eisenglass. The Stamoid is nice stuff and relatively easy to clean; is holding up very well. I clean the glass after each outing and polish it with T210 about once a month. I think I had the contractor use a cream color that matches Hat pretty well. I may have the catalog on it and I'll email the info if you want. I had three horsehoe windows in the front, one on each side, one large window in the aft panel and a zip up door at the ladder at a cost of $3,500. (no new metal frame work)

I met with the canvas contractor the other day and will replace the soft top this winter. He recommended using a reinforced vinyl for the top instead of Stamoid, because the Stamoid stretches over time and will require periodic adjustment in the top stringing to take up the expansion. It does seem to stretch. I plan to go with the vinyl. He felt that as the vinyl shrinks it will be drum tight, just the way you want it on top. The seems will be welded (heat sealed) and leak tight. The cost of the top is about $800 and includes remaoval and installation of the new material. It does not include electronics removal; I pull the radar scanner and light out of the way.

Check out the contractors work through the grapevine before you sign a contract, and get a firm delivery date!! You don't want to chase the guy to finish after he has your deposit!

Nick

[Jackman]

Out of curiosity I called a well known place within driving distance from me who can build a custom hard top for my boat including a lot of extras and install for a total of about $4600. They said that the top can be removed easily by loosening 4 to 6 bolts. The top weighs about 150lbs so a guy on each side of the boat and one in the middle could easily lower it down at the end of the season. Now I have to think about this. Don't know which to get now! I was wondering if the panels of strataglass would be easier and cheaper to make for whoever I have do it because of the nature of how the hard tops interface with the glass.

[SeaEric]

The strataglass panel price itself will probably be near the same. Instead of zippers to attach to a bimini, the panels will require a rubber trim sewn in at the top that slides into a metal track. That will require labor and metal track (don't use the plastic track!) parts as it needs to be attached to the new hard top. Sounds like more materials and a bit more labor.

[REBrueckner]

Price is about typical, which is outrageous.
Stratglass does not roll up well...Suggest you go with "smile up" openings and arrange to button them to the underside of your top..perhaps with nylon strap extensions if necessary to reach a fastening position. Raising a flap and buttoning to the underside of the top is MUCH faster than rolling and MUCH less destructive to the clear material. Rolling scratches and may be impossible in cold weather. Don't bother with zippers and extra openings unless there is room to actually open them...often the support frame blocks any real vent opening.

[jim rosenthal]

Well for the same price about I think I would rather have a removeable hardtop....Strataglass is the best of the clear products. It does have to be stored flat, I think. There is a stuff called EZ2CY which is supposed to be good too. Regular isinglass has dropped to a distant third in preference because the new products are so good.
FWIW you may find that if you have a hard top you don't use the curtains that much. I think if I were going to get a complete bridge enclosure I would want a hard top if the price were the same. You will need the sliding metal track for the curtains, I have some of that on my boat in a different application and it does hold up very well- the metal not the plastic. The plastic is junk.
Another choice would be a folding bimini without curtains, which is what I have? would that meet your needs? It would cost less. Frankly most of the time mine is folded and I just wear a hat.