hi i was wondering is there anyone in the bay area that you guys know that can put a alaska top on a grady white 228g. custom fiberglass top. like the striper? please let me know thank you
custom alaska top on grady white
- Thread starter rxzoco
- Start date
I know of T-tops, bimini tops, hard tops... even Big Tops and tank tops 
But I have never heard of an Alaska top. What is that?
But I have never heard of an Alaska top. What is that?on the west coast i think technically it's a a "hardtop" with an "alaska bulkhead": a west coast hardtop is fully glassed/enclosed top with an open back. for when it rains.
the alaska bulkhead is a fully enclosed rear wall and door added to the hardtop. for when it is cold outside.
so basically it's turns your boat into an old fashioned east coast sportfisher with no flybridge.
the alaska bulkhead is a fully enclosed rear wall and door added to the hardtop. for when it is cold outside.
so basically it's turns your boat into an old fashioned east coast sportfisher with no flybridge.
Ah. Now I get it. Makes me think of what I would call a 'pilot house'.
RX - that sounds like a lot of weight for a small boat (at least one that wasn't originally designed for it)? Would it make it a little top heavy and tipsy in a beam sea?
RX - that sounds like a lot of weight for a small boat (at least one that wasn't originally designed for it)? Would it make it a little top heavy and tipsy in a beam sea?
You would love my Washington State built Aluminum boat, real sliding glass windows with a door, roof hatches and four walls! Instead of the $15k+ pipe welded sun room on the grady, buy an aluminum boat. Check out aluminum alloy boat forums.
They don't ride like a grady but they have their strong points!
Owning just one boat is like having a tool box with only one tool !
They don't ride like a grady but they have their strong points!
Owning just one boat is like having a tool box with only one tool !
Just to play a little devil's advocate here...
Have you considered resale value? You might be greatly limiting the number of people that would be potential buyers - or at the very minimum, I'm not sure how much of a premium you'd be able to get for it. Meaning, most of your initial investment in this (which I can't imagine would be cheap) would be out the window.
There are different grades of "plastic" windows available. Some are quite thick and stiff and offer visibility just as good as glass.
Have you considered resale value? You might be greatly limiting the number of people that would be potential buyers - or at the very minimum, I'm not sure how much of a premium you'd be able to get for it. Meaning, most of your initial investment in this (which I can't imagine would be cheap) would be out the window.
There are different grades of "plastic" windows available. Some are quite thick and stiff and offer visibility just as good as glass.
Or, have you considered the resale value? In the PNW a good wrap around top is invaluable. I've seen an Alaskan style top made by Norvelle in Nehalem, OR on a Striper that would increase value. Having moved from a 2601 Striper to my Marlin, I long for that solid fiberglass wrap around when green water is getting huge on the grave yard of the Pacific, the Columbia River bar.
Grady, I hope you are listening.
Grady, I hope you are listening.
suzukidave said:
Well, more like an open back for when it is only misting.
An Alaskan bulkhead has no pass through in the front to the back. Your front bilge pump keeps the front afloat, and the rear bilge pump does the same for the stern. No drainage from the front to the rear bilge.
You can have anything you want custom made. There is a sailfish in my area that has one and it does look good.
No Bail said:
True, that in some markets it would be desirable. You sound obviously more knowledgeable of this setup than me - I guess the question is how much of a premium would it add to the boat? In other words, if there were two identical boats, one with the typical hardtop and vinyl enclosures and the other with the Alaska top... how much more would the Alaska top add to a selling price? Given the boat in question, would you pay an extra $3k, $5k, $10K? Just throwing out some numbers for discussion - tipsyness aside, you bring up an interesting point.
Truth be told, I probably would consider something like this, too. No need for a aft door setup, but the solid front would be nice.
Situations like this are not about resale Dennis. Custom work is expensive and the money will not come back to you. You have to really want it to lay out the money for it. It could likely become a white elephant unable to sell because of it but again, it is not about resale but what someone wants to add to their boat. Personal preference
Hi Fish. Sure, I understand what you're saying, it makes sense and I don't disagree. As I mentioned above, I was only playing devil's advocate to try and bring up other sides of the conversation that the OP may or may not have thought about. In other words, trying to enlighten him on the "big picture". He may already be well aware of that, but based only on what is written, I wouldn't know that. But, yes, there are times when 'you gotta pay to play'. Whether resale enters into the picture, or not, really depends on how bad he wants it, I suppose. And maybe how long he envisions keeping this current boat.
No Bail said:
never heard that definition. pretty much every power boat over 20' i've ever seen has a bulkhead in the bilge you can seal with a plug.
maybe its regional. i'm a few hundred miles north of you.
there are a lot of west coast built boats built for local conditions i would buy before a parker for his needs.
skagit, monaro, hourston, arima or double eagle would come to mind around here, or any number of aluminum boats starting with a lifetimer. i don't know the us brands as well so i am sure there are more in washington and oregon or ca that would suit him.
come to think of it, it is a bit illogical to enclose a grady on the west coast. a grady's appeal here is as a large roomy open boat that is great for summer or fishermen. until a few years ago hard tops ruled the roost and you couldn't buy a boat here over 19' that was open. there are still no local dual consoles or centre consoles built that i can think of and no walk arounds over 20' i know about. many people here would call a tournament a bow rider and when i bought a tournament 8 years ago my father in law thought it was unsafe and had to be taken for a ride in it to persuade him otherwise.
so i would think the value would drop if you converted a grady so it was just like the local boats.
skagit, monaro, hourston, arima or double eagle would come to mind around here, or any number of aluminum boats starting with a lifetimer. i don't know the us brands as well so i am sure there are more in washington and oregon or ca that would suit him.
come to think of it, it is a bit illogical to enclose a grady on the west coast. a grady's appeal here is as a large roomy open boat that is great for summer or fishermen. until a few years ago hard tops ruled the roost and you couldn't buy a boat here over 19' that was open. there are still no local dual consoles or centre consoles built that i can think of and no walk arounds over 20' i know about. many people here would call a tournament a bow rider and when i bought a tournament 8 years ago my father in law thought it was unsafe and had to be taken for a ride in it to persuade him otherwise.
so i would think the value would drop if you converted a grady so it was just like the local boats.