Show me your t-tops and other solutions

[Joseph Elliott]

I really hate bimini tops, they get in the way of fishing, so I am hoping that there are other like minded people out there that have engineered simple solutions for shade that dont take up all of the railing. I think I would like to build a t-top system similar to the ones you see over the center console ocean crusiers but sized for my pontoon and able to fold down for highway travel. Ideas or pictures would be helpful

[mpilot]

I really hate bimini tops, they get in the way of fishing, so I am hoping that there are other like minded people out there that have engineered simple solutions for shade that dont take up all of the railing. I think I would like to build a t-top system similar to the ones you see over the center console ocean crusiers but sized for my pontoon and able to fold down for highway travel. Ideas or pictures would be helpful

A friend got a used tuna tower and mounted it but it's more like a wake board tower which doesn't sound like the way you want to go. I was interested to find that used tuna towers can be bought super cheap as they are basically only worth the scrap since rarely can it be taken off one boat and put on another. There is a place that I've seen on TV called marine surplus out of Florida that sells brand new parts like t tops, consoles, etc super cheap as they buy the leftover inventory from builders at the end of the year.

[Joseph Elliott]

I was thinking more along the line of what this guy did, only larger.

[Onegun]

Wow! That whole `toon is cool! Diamond plate playpen and console box, blacked out toons, all black trim, black porthole looking thingys, etc, etc. Kind "steam punk" looking. If mine ever gets looking shitty ....

[mpilot]

I'll get a picture of the boat with the tuna tower on it. After seeing that it might be close to what you are looking for.

[mpilot]

Here is the one with the tuna tower. He actually had it stretched side to side so it would bolt to the rails. He's taking out the extra supports that he doesn't need. The top originally had a helm box with controls mounted but he pulled that off.

[builderguy]

I'm almost done with my boat. A T-top is really my only final goal for it. As mine is a bass buggy, I think it will be slightly in the way, for casting. I'm going to do it anyway.

I have really been trying to figure out the cheapest way to go. I don't want cheap, it never lasts, but at this point I'm at my budget. They have cheap ones on Ebay for about $300. They look cheap with plastic fittings. For about $500 you can get one that looks alot better, but still plastic fittings. Then the prices jump to about $1,000, then $2,000.

Here was my other idea. Since I do construction, I was thinking I could incorporate some ideas from there. Aluminum tubing is easy to get. Not super cheap, but I think it is fairly reasonable, if you shop around. To me, these T-tops look like Aluminium handrails. So why not use aluminum hand rail connectors?
http://www.grainger.com/product/4UJ04?g ... 24112835:s

The come in a huge assortment of configurations. Everything needed to make a T-top. It would be really sturdy. I could order a top and then make my frame fit the top. Total price would be a little more than a cheap one, but it would be much stronger.

Right now I'm concentrating on finishing up the last few things, then I'll be putting more thought into it.

[Joseph Elliott]

Thanks guys, these are great. Now hopefully someone has done one that shades the entire boat .....