T&T: hardtop for bimini

[Mark Richter]

Mike,
You don't give many details about the hardtop you want for your
36' trawler.  They aren't all the same by any means, which is why
all hardtops are usually custom-built.  One could make a
permanant mold for a hardtop, but it would not be likely to fit
any boat but the one it was designed for.  Find 4 buddies with
the same boat, and you'l get a much better price.  At this
volume, a permanant mold becomes economically feasible.

5 years ago, I built a 10 x 14' Nidacore cored fiberglass hardtop
for a Gulfstar 49 motor yacht.  The job included fiberglass
corner pylons to hold the top, opning marine windows all around,
and considerable conduit and wiring up inside the top.  The job
then cost $18k incuding installation and painting.  Today, I'd
probasbly charge $25k.  $5k for a fairly simple hardtop for your
boat sounds like it's in the right ballpark.

Mark Richter, m/v Winnie the Pooh
Mark's Mobile Marine, Ortona, FL on the Okeechobee Waterway
presently in Waterford, NY and southbound