OEM Canvas - will it fit?

[dgrumm]

I am considering new tops from Boatswain Locker. With their winter special it will be $5100 for bimini and side enclosures in Seamark and 40mil strataglass. The snaps are not installed, as you use them for final fitting during install.
Does anyone have any experience with OEM tops on larger boats?
I think the price is good, but I am concerned with it fitting correctly. Any help would be great! I have found a few posts with happy customers of Great Lakes, just wondering about BoatSwain.

Dave

 

[Four Suns]

I got all new canvas for my 480 DB last year and it was a perfect fit. I had to send them the paper templates for the boat (they were in a tube under a bed when I bought the boat).

I did have to buy a tool from SailRite to install the lift-the-dot fasteners but that was pretty easy. I think your boat has the windshield that is like mine and the male end of the fastener is on a track on the frame. The tough one was the rear end where the male piece was screwed into the fiberglass. I filled all the holes and patched the gel coat with spectrum patch kit then put the lift the dot fasteners on the canvas, marked the spot on the fiberglass and put new pieces in the fiberglass (they ship this stuff with the canvas).

It looks great now... I have a hard top so new canvas from them with strataglass was about 3200 if I recall correctly.

 

[dgrumm]

Thanks Gary.
My boat has the lift-the-dot style on the front windshield like yours, but the sides and rear are standard dome style snaps.
My thinking was that the snaps screwed into the fiberglass would stay where they are, and I would install the mating domes in the appropriate locationin the canvas.
Why did you need to move your snaps that were screwed in? Or did you have the dome style and want to switch to the lift-the-dot style all around?
Also, why did you need to send them the patterns? Was the previous canvas custom? My understanding is that they made the canvas for SR originally and they will be using the original pattern that they already have.


Thaks again.

 

[Four Suns]

Every boat is different... if the hard top is off a half inch, it's a big deal. You don't have a hard top so it may not matter as much. They pattern the boats at the Sea Ray factory and create a custom canvas for them so each one is a little different. My old canvas was from the factory as well as the patterns.

I've always had lift-the-dot fasteners all the way around on the canvas. Aligning a lift-the-dot male end is impossible. It's like trying to put on your shoes, then your pants. You can align them on the front because the male end is adjustable along the track. Not the case when it screws into the fiberglass. What is easier is to install the lift-the-dot fastener in the canvas then mark it with a grease pencil on the fiberglass and drill/chamfer a new hole for a new lift-the-dot male piece.

If you have snaps on the back, you can align them with the current snaps screwed on the fiberglass. You should get one of these:

http://www.sailrite.com/Quick-Fit-Kit-in-Waterproof-Box-Snap-Positioning-System?sc=2&category=95

There is a video link on there you should watch. That tool set allows you to tightly align canvas on existing male snap ends screwed into fiberglass. I used that tool set when installing my canvas carpet covers. Worked as advertised.