Fly Bridge Hard Top 53MY

[chuckbullett@gmail.com]

Hats Off and I are preparing to build a hardtop for our FB and we've noted that we haven't seen
many (or ANY, I should say) 53MY's with one... I've seen photos of many SF's and Convertibles though with hard tops. Miss Fit is one that looks great.

Had anyone built one for the 53MY (or had it done)? How did it come out? Are there photo examples anywhere that we could review? Our canvas-top just tore to shreds in 35 knot winds on a 6 hour run home down the Delta (San Joaquin River).

We're looking to flare it into and integrate the glass right to the radar arch. Did you go over the arch, butt up to it, or go under it?

Discuss??? Thoughts guys??? We're going to maintain canvas and plasti-glass (whatever-ever the kids are calling it today) around the FB using boltrope mounting.

Looking forward to seeing a few photos if someone has done this before.

Thanks

Chuck B.
"Chartmaker" 1978 53MY
San Francisco

 

[bobk]

Chuck, The nicest HT I ever saw was on a 48MY. I took pictures of it and I'll be happy to send them to you if you will PM me with your email address.

Bobk

 

[MikeP]

We have a good friend with a HT on his 53MY in Stamford, CT. He used to post on the site here occasionally but he hasn't in at least a year or more. I'll send him an email and see if he will respond to this thread with some pics.

 

[savarese1]

Here is our 72 53 MY. It is still a work in process but we do love the hard top in lieu of a bimini.

 

[Milacron]

53ED Hatteras "Always Late"......home berth, Grand Marina in the town she was born, New Bern, NC has a short hard top added a few years ago.

(will try and post photos later)

 

[drburke]

Chuck, who are you looking at for the work?

I am (eventually) putting one on my convertible, and know a few guys (one of who is a 'glass guy for Wyliecat).

Happy to pass along the names, and want to follow the progress.

DAN

 

[Milacron]

Below are pix of Always Late, Hatteras 53ED hardtop. (I had to get to a proper computer to post these as earlier reply was on antique iPad One)

This is the prettiest Hatteras I've ever seen (exterior, anyway) The hardtop was installed by previous owner who actually advertised the boat for sale here a few years ago. But it was sold and then the entire boat painted to achieve the stunning beauty it is now.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Nice top. Too bad they painted the window frames.

 

[Milacron]

Nice top. Too bad they painted the window frames.

Personal taste of course but I think it looks a little nicer from a distance with painted window frames. But close up the original "bronze" anodized frames look nice as well. Frankly I'm for which ever lasts the longest without the surface bubbling or corroding (often due to that pesky galvanic reaction to the SS screws that hold it in place) Ideal would have been SS window frames.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Personal taste of course but I think it looks a little nicer from a distance with painted window frames. But close up the original "bronze" anodized frames look nice as well. Frankly I'm for which ever lasts the longest without the surface bubbling or corroding (often due to that pesky galvanic reaction to the SS screws that hold it in place) Ideal would have been SS window frames.

Hatteras screws are monel, not stainless. And the dark frames look better. Paint is usually just a bandaid to cover corroding frames.

 

[Milacron]

Hatteras screws are monel, not stainless. And the dark frames look better. Paint is usually just a bandaid to cover corroding frames.

Are you sure ? A strange choice if so since stainless is closer to aluminum on the galvanic scale than Monel. Perhaps that would explain the window frames on a 1985 Hatteras 53 ED we looked at where every screw had corrosion surrounding the heads.

As to dark frames looking better, that seems a rather arrogant statement that you are the decider of what looks better. OTOH, I can sleep well at night knowing you must think the satin black window frames on my Viking must be beautiful . (which are painted and have zero corrosion so far...in fact I am amazed at their lack of corrosion considering how bad the window frames on every other Viking we looked at were)

 

[Freeebird]

Nice to see things getting back to "normal"! LOL

 

[Milacron]

Nice to see things getting back to "normal"! LOL

Romper, stomper , bomper, boo.....who do I see in my magic mirror today ?

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Monel is less noble than stainless and thus closer to aluminum. Check the scale.

 

[Milacron]

Monel is less noble than stainless and thus closer to aluminum. Check the scale.

http://viewmold.com/Products/Techni... and Application/GALVANIC CORROSION sheet.jpg

It can get complicated as there is not one aluminum or one stainless. it depends on the alloy of aluminum and the stainless alloy. Monel is just Monel. The most common aluminum alloy is 6061, which is not compatible with Monel.

Note steel 316 and 410 are popular stainless alloys for wood and self tapping screws typically used on marine window frames.

Months ago I spoke with Tom Slane (i.e. son of Hatteras Almighty) about this very subject and he said they tried everything* over the years, different frame alloys, different screws, anodized, painted....and there was no perfect solution to corrosion other than frameless. And even that has the issue of non opening and the glass sometimes coming free of the adhesive.

============================

*I didn't mention stainless frames but suspect that was not included in "everything". Probably just too expensive an option. Although ironically I have seen stainless window frames on some otherwise suspect quality Asian yachts and it seems to hold up great. Somehow stainless raw material is way cheaper in Taiwan apparently. New Found Metals sells the only halfway affordable cast stainless portlights and they are made in China I believe.

 

[chuckbullett@gmail.com]

Chuck, The nicest HT I ever saw was on a 48MY. I took pictures of it and I'll be happy to send them to you if you will PM me with your email address.

Bobk

Thanks Bob- Uhhhh... my user name (stupidly) is my email addy. I goofed up when I registered w/Sams... but that didn't them from sending us the cool T-Shirt though!

Best-

ChuckBullett@gmail.com

 

[jfp]

Chuck, i am thinking of doing the same thing, maybe we can double up on someone and get better pricing? I took on this type project several years ago, however a lot of work and effort, no time to do it again..

 

[MV Mystery]

Getting back to the hardtop - theres one in a post here. BTW Lovely Hull colour for a Hatteras.


http://www.samsmarine.com/forums/showthread.php?19066-We-have-new-Hatteras-owners

 

[chuckbullett@gmail.com]

Getting back to the hardtop - theres one in a post here. BTW Lovely Hull colour for a Hatteras.


http://www.samsmarine.com/forums/showthread.php?19066-We-have-new-Hatteras-owners

Wow, nice work sleuthing that photo from the owner's gallery. And you are correct, what a striking paint job. Many thanks for taking the time. Any thing with a red tint, while beautiful, doesn't hold up well in the California sun.... The same for blue hulls. I love them... But they go all milky in 10 years without annual maintenance or a boat house.

CRB

 

[chuckbullett@gmail.com]

Chuck, i am thinking of doing the same thing, maybe we can double up on someone and get better pricing? I took on this type project several years ago, however a lot of work and effort, no time to do it again..

We're working with Berkeley Marine Center... They're about a 1000 yards from where I sitting. There is one young lady working for the yard with an advanced degree in polymers from UC Berkeley that the boat yard owner and my wife have complete trust in (oh... And me too)... That woman understands how epoxy cooks like no other person I've met. My buddy Jim Antrim, a naval architect, has his commissioned designs mostly built at Berkeley too... They're great with forming glass.

BMC also helped me to build new Y-Collectors for the 8V71's... Which we did with hi temperature resins. No more stainless to rot out!