DIY boating
Adding a hardtop
Deciding on which option becomes problematic if you’ve sunk time and money into improving and upgrading your current boat and you know that selling it means you start again, possibly inheriting someone else’s problems. A common structural upgrade to a boat is adding or modifying a flybridge. If your boat already has a second storey, enclosing this area may create a new, far more useful space. If your launch doesn’t have a flybridge, it may be possible to add one, depending on the design and construction of the vessel.
Options include fitting a soft canvas top, installing a rigid hardtop with soft sides, or building a completely enclosed hardtop with fixed windows. Some of these options are easily handled as a DIY project, others are a more serious undertaking.
Disadvantages of extending the boat upwards include additional windage and weight, both of which will affect the boat’s performance. More serious is the impact of the extra weight high above the waterline, which can dramatically affect stability and comfort in rough seas. If your boat does not currently have a second level, consult a naval architect or the boat’s original designer to make sure the proposed change is viable.
Another common upgrade is building or extending the cover over the stern cockpit, to create additional shade. This can provide shelter from the elements, and make the boat more usable through the wet season.
Lastly, extending the boarding platform or duckboard (easier to do if you don’t have an outboard engine) is a great way to create more interior space by moving activities out of the cockpit.
Auckland boat owner Greg Venter faced precisely this quandary with his 11.5m (38ft) Pelin Conquest launch Nitro. Solidly constructed in triple-diagonal kauri with a fibreglass skin, she is beautifully built and typical of many such launches
built in the 70s and 80s.
Her 900-litre fuel tanks give her 320hp Cummins V8 diesel a considerable range, and a similar water capacity means Venter and his wife can take her on extended expeditions while remaining completely self-sufficient. He has also invested in the electronics and interior of the vessel to suit his preferences, and she is comfortable and stable.
But there were a couple of things he wanted to change. The existing soft canvas roof and clears on the flybridge regularly required attention and in bad weather were not completely waterproof.
Two married daughters raises the future possibility of grandchildren and, with multiple families potentially coming on board he wanted to create different areas so each would have a choice of whether to socialise or occupy their own space.
He decided to plan ahead and create a workable ‘getaway’ space on what is a relatively modest launch. “If it was a house, I would build on a rumpus room,” he says, and opted to fully enclose the flybridge.
At the same time, an extension to the cockpit roof would create additional shelter over the stern which, combined with a redesigned boarding platform, meant the boat would now have three separate communal areas to complement the saloon and cabins.
Since the boat is constructed of wood with a fibreglass skin, these changes were entirely within the
range of the serious DIYER, and Venter is well capable of undertaking major projects on the boat himself.
But the scale of the envisaged alteration, the need for a suitable shed to work through the wet Spring period, and the lack of a formal design for the alterations dampened any enthusiasm for taking on the task himself.
Instead, he engaged Dave Stuart of D&D Boatbuilding in Waipapa near Kerikeri. Stuart had a couple of decades of boatbuilding experience with several of Auckland’s major yards before setting up on his own. A lifestyle choice plus favourable land values up north meant that he could set up a sizeable shed and boatyard with lower overheads than he could find in most of the major centres.
Since this was going to be a multiple-month job, hardstand fees could be a major portion of the overall cost – a boat builder with his own yard made a big difference. Stuart’s boatshed can accommodate vessels up to 14m in length, and boats lower than 5.1m in total height can be transported by road from the Kerikeri inlet with no overhead powerline issues. Nitro fitted comfortably inside the shed, ensuring a good finish when the time came to paint her, and he could work right through any squalls.
Another reason for engaging an experienced boatbuilder to both design and build the solution is
the inevitable challenges that often emerge once the build starts. Because someone like Stuart understands the ‘bones’ of the boat and what would or would not work, Venter knew that sensible decisions or design changes could happen without needing lots of input from him.
So the final design of the support pillars, and re-configuring the flybridge seating, were all handled by Stuart. For a DIYER doing this sort of work, a lack of prior experience could result in decisions based on what seems easiest rather than what will give the best outcome.
During the three-month build a number of the boat’s other minor defects were also addressed. Some areas of dry rot (the bane of every wooden boat owner’s life) were identified and rectified, and the entire boat was repainted.
A self-draining gutter around the hatches in the boarding platform, the lack of which caused one area of rot, was designed and built by Stuart. At the same time the duckboard was extended to 950mm and re-configured, to make this a very usable and safe place to stand while fishing. Two humungous watertight storage lockers were located under the deck to provide a secure place for dive gear and other wet items.
The final result, says Venter, is glorious. The upstairs hardtop is now the ‘viewing and sundowner’ location of choice, and the extended cockpit hardtop provides outdoor patio entertainment down below, out of the weather. The bigger duckboard, with staples for bait boards and davits for the dinghy, now keeps the fishing and water sports outside the cockpit and facilitates cleanups. The ingenious kayak rack, designed by Venter’s son-in-law and added to the extended cockpit roof by Stuart, keeps the foredeck clean and uncluttered.
The impact of the additional weight and windage is yet to be determined, but Stuart says it’s unlikely to be significant. The hardtop is only slightly higher than the original canvas roof, and the extra weight is negligible compared to her fully-laden nine tonnes overall weight. Prior to the extension she cruised at 12 to 14 knots, consuming around 23 litres per hour, with a maximum speed of 24 knots. She is expected to deliver a similar performance.
Venter says the cost of the work was roughly comparable to what he would have spent if he sold Nitro and bought a slightly larger vessel. In that case, however, he would then possibly have a whole new raft of unknown issues and future problems, which could result in cost and reliability issues.
He would also have additional costs in upgrading his marina berth to fit a larger vessel. Instead he has a boat with considerably more space, fully repainted and with no known problems. He knows she is reliable, economical to run and will be good for many years to come.
A great result! BNZ
The upstairs hardtop is now the ‘viewing and sundowner’ location of choice...