Serious Project : Off with my Canopy !!!!!

[Ratickle]

When Dave and I stuffed the bat boat, the glass scattered and the force of the water blew the top off from the inside and pushed the firewall back. It was very violent and only 60-70 mph.

If you build a canopy like the Scaren boat, I would bet with a proper layup and window mounting it would be safer than your 10 yr old F16 canopy

The glass as in the fiberglass failed first, or the glass as in the plexiglass (lexan?) failed first?

[T2x]

Yes, I have spoke with some guys at Skater and they build a nice lid but I have a cost issue.. I'm not spending more on my Canopy than my boat. If it came down to that I would just open it up to a 5 man pleasure boat configuration than sell it and get a newer DW.

1. How much is your life worth? If the canopy fails your family will not be comforted by the fact that you built it within budget. I know that sounds harsh...but this is a life and death issue...and I have lost too many friends already. If you can't afford a top quality canopy...... don't race.

2.What makes you think that a new DW has a proper canopy?

[T2x]

But now that I'm thinking of the physics behind a roll over bars wont help much if a chunk of glass is ripped off from the side.

Bingo................. CF/Tri-AX is more than adequate to build the canopy at a reasonable weight.... Heck, that's what the boat bottom is made out of.
Sticking a chrome moly frame inside a less than durable canopy and windows is a recipe for disaster.

T2x

[phragle]

This is from Tiger Performance: The lid looks "Bolted" to the boat..

those windows are huge!!!!! so is the hatch... big holes are not strong.

[2TR]

1. How much is your life worth? If the canopy fails your family will not be comforted by the fact that you built it within budget. I know that sounds harsh...but this is a life and death issue...and I have lost too many friends already. If you can't afford a top quality canopy...... don't race.

2.What makes you think that a new DW has a proper canopy?

Not harsh at all, but in the big picture if I built the canopy as strong as possible I would be a 1000lbs over weight ; were is the line drawn?

When I say budget; I mean I'm not spending 15k plus on a lid, the boats not worth it to me (AS IN I WONT RACE THIS BOAT).

The DW i have seen close up look and feel very strong compared to the AMT i have seen. I felt like the weight of my body would cause a lid failure while looking at an AMT lid a little while back.

[Steve 1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibJ3aXrvaCs



Now imagine if someone cut it open!

[2TR]

[Offshore Ginger]

The glass as in the fiberglass failed first, or the glass as in the plexiglass (lexan?) failed first?

Dave and i talked about this before and i think the conclusion of that in his opinion the Plexiglass failed first .

[Offshore Ginger]

those windows are huge!!!!! so is the hatch... big holes are not strong.

I agree ,big holes are not strong and i would not have that canopy stuck up my A$$ , reminds me of a Talon canopy .

[Offshore Ginger]

When Dave and I stuffed the bat boat, the glass scattered and the force of the water blew the top off from the inside and pushed the firewall back. It was very violent and only 60-70 mph.

If you build a canopy like the Scaren boat, I would bet with a proper layup and window mounting it would be safer than your 10 yr old F16 canopy

I remember the old CARLOS N CHARLIES X-TREAM had an F16 canopy that Jack C , got killed in and the reason being is jack made modfications to the canopy because he was such a big man and had claustrophobia .

[Ratickle]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibJ3aXrvaCs



Now imagine if someone cut it open!

Does anyone have more specifics of that test?

[Steve 1]

Does anyone have more specifics of that test?

http://www.f-111.net/articles/Birdstrikes.htm

[Ratickle]

So it was a frozen, then thawed, chicken at 900mph?????

[Steve 1]

So it was a frozen, then thawed, chicken at 900mph?????

Yes there all kind of crazy stories but I also heard that from Ron Jones when we were buying the texstar stuff from him.

[phragle]

while impressive..it is not representative of what a boat needs in a canopy, unless Gieco or aquamania happen to hit the errant seagull. On a boat your not talking about a small object with little mass hitting a small area. You have a 10k boat traveling 150+ mph impacting water (basically in a solid state at that speed) Dropping the boat off a 15 story building upside down would be a much more relavent test... If you only doing 100..you only need a 10 story building... but thats just my perspective.

[MikeyFIN]

Stop doing this.......

Why ???

That´s normal with a Cat when you go fast enough to find the limit.




* this is normal racing for us

[MikeyFIN]

Here´s some ideas...
http://www.ioc-tr.net/en/info_boat_manifacturers.asp

[Ratickle]

Why ???

That was the picture Sharkey got when Rick destroyed the lower unit of one of his Mercs by landing hard sideways at the Harrison race this year. So I thought it would be a good idea to stop destroying lowers......

I'm not sure the boat had much, if any, forward momentum that pic.....

[Wahoo 214]

The glass as in the fiberglass failed first, or the glass as in the plexiglass (lexan?) failed first?

The Polycarbonate shattered and then the water blew the top off.

[Ratickle]

The Polycarbonate shattered and then the water blew the top off.

Thanks. You wouldn't think that would happen in a stuff with the design of that canopy on the Batboats.