New Express 305 Hard Top

PDX-Boats

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Bad news. Looks like moisture has made it's way into a few spots in the hard top.
Oh well. Nobody ever says boating was cheap. Got to pay to play
 
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GradyGuy3420

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Bummer! At least you’re finding/fixing now and not in the middle of summer!
 

PointedRose

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I have to imagine you could research and fix yourself for much less than really expensive… the materials aren’t cheap, but your own labor just costs your time. If you have the means and prefer the professional job, I’m sure it will come out good as new
 

moklodge

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Is the moisture causing any issues other than there just being moisture in there?
 

teaklejr

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Any idea where the moisture entered the top? What lead you to check into it?
 

drbatts

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Where is the moisture in the top? What made you take a moisture meter to it, is there a problem with the top, caused by the moisture?
 

Fishtales

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I believe this is a GW fabricated part. You might want to check with GW Cust Service and see what they can do for you. Maybe they can provide or point you to someone that can help?
 

SkunkBoat

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Not a lot of info there.
I assume its a Grady bubble top? How much of it is wet? Just near certain screw holes? Is the glass delaminated?

I currently have my 265 express top off while the hardtop frame gets welded.
I plan to do some touch up glass work and paint the top. I don't have wet wood but there are a couple chips and old holes.
Its in my garage waiting for warmer weather.
https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/hardtop-paint-opinions.33928/

I'm not going to say it was "easy" to remove but its not complicated. Just screws and nuts and muscle.... and wires...
I can imagine it would be very expensive to pay the labor on that though. and you have to remove the electronics and then put them back.

If you had to do glass work & coring on a boat yourself thats th part you want to do first. You don't need to do a great job. You can cut off the skin on one side dig out the core and patch it. You might only need a few patches. Paint the whole thing to cover & hide. Point is you can't see the top and the underside is mostly covered by the electronics box and the life jacket mesh.

. If you expect it to look like new with gelcoat matching you are going to pay alot. IMO more than its worth.
 
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Fishtales

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It would be a job to tackle yourself if you are up to it. It is big and bulky very difficult to transport unless very local. A new or rebuild is going to cost a lot. I think it is something that could be tackled. Remove the top, get a truck to tie it in the bed and get home when it is quiet on the road. Get a buddy that has some glass or woodworking experience to help. I'd cut the top off as it is extremely thin approx 1/2 from the edge (assuming you get all the coring, closer if needed). The edge likely has fairing compound, so if you ding it up, just repair with it. My guess is a wheel saw or dremel type of tool could do the job. Work the top off (hopefully it peels off) and if it gets trashed, just rebuild. If the top comes off clean, you have very minor glass work to do. Recore and then lass the top on. Pay attention to weight, you want a lightweight coring material. Maybe GW can tell you what they use? The top is seen very little so it doesn't have to be perfect in my opinion (glass job or gelcoat color for that matter). You could paint the underside if desired as well, you could even go with a totally different color if desired. I'd be more concerned with getting the coring done right and it totally sealed versus the cosmetics but that is just me.
I did a similar job when I reupholstered the combing bolsters, companion seat and aft seat. It seems daunting at first, but once you get into it, you'll find you can do it and it will be fine. If all else fails, seek some local help.
 
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ElyseM

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as mentioned by others, what is the actual problem? is the top breaking thru? that should be synthetic material so other than freeze issues you should be able to just do some localized repairs. hit all the screw holes and cable entries. good luck, ron
 

SeaVee

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If you are still interested in a full replacement, check out Well’s Fiberglass on THT- they are making some slick hardtops for all sorts of boats
 

Boxster964

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Bad news. Looks like moisture has made it's way into the hard top. Moisture meter doesn't lie.
I took the boat to Schooner's Creek for an estimate on repair. They are going to have to remove the top and replace the core.
This is somewhere between really expensive and extremely expensive.
Anyone have a spare top? LOL.
Oh well. Nobody ever says boating was cheap. Got to pay to play
I have a 2000 Marlin were the hardtop was hideous the core was warter damaged. It de-lamenated Grady said they could not even sell me a replacement top. I was able to purchase a used top. I was thinking of producing replacements by using my good used top as a plug for making a mold. But I could not gauge interest if anyone would purchase replacements. I think Grady wanted 7k for a replacement if they could have found a mold.
 

Fishtales

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Ouch. $7K is crazy. I'd try to rebuild it myself and then go see Well's if I screwed it up.