310 underpowered?

Handymans342

Can you add a hard top to a 342?

raybo3

Everyone has an opinion on what they like. IMO you are always "enclosed" with a hard top. I like to open up my boat when going out for an all day cruise. I have a camper canvas on my boat so I do not have to crawl. Unzip the door and walk right in. Many of my friends at the YC have hard tops. Yeah they are nice but I like the option of being covered or being open........ Just say'n.....  

jme097

@Dream_Inn thanks for the insight sir. I think thats what I might be doing is holding off until next year. Do more research and pick more brains so I can figure out what exactly I am going to do. I know one thing is for sure, the boat must have a hardtop. Bottomline. The thought of it just makes me excited of no more canvas to tend to and all the other junk. 

06Rinker270

@jme097 I couldnt agree more and what @LaRea described is what I do every weekend when I leave the boat.  "snap, did I remember to turn down the fridge?  Did I check to make sure I flipped all my breakers correct?" Under the cover I go and crawl on my hands and knees.  I have the full camper canvas but just like you said, its a pain to take care of and keep nice.  Also in summer that sucker holds some heat.  Next boat hard top, strataglass, no doubt.  Also makes the boat look classy.  Good luck on your hunt and keep us posted.  Ill keep an eye out, I never stop looking.  

Dream_Inn

Ray, I do hear you and completely understand.  That's why they have boats with and without them.  I do like lying and looking up at night at the stars.  We end up doing that on the bow, but in the cockpit is really nice.  On our 310, I'd just unsnap the back two and let the canvas fall forward at night, giving a great sky view.  Also, on that boat I always left the full enclosure up.  No crawling around.  Current boat we have this other thin vinyl type material that zips where the isinglass would go, but covers complete windshield too.  Really nice and easy to just take right off and no worries about cleaning or how to store.  Also goes up real fast if a storm is coming.  With it, I don't have to deal much at all with isinglass (let alone no canvas).

LaRea

Some people really like doing the open-top thing as @raybo3 said, especially in cooler climates.  Here in Virginia, the benefit of keeping cool in super-hot weather outweighs losing the ability to go open-top.  

Marine canvas provides excellent UV protection, but most of sunlight's heat energy is in the infrared part of the spectrum where canvas isn't so good.  I think canvas lets in about half of the heat load (although I haven't found a solid reference to back up that guess).  

What I can say for certain is that in a raft-up, people always hang out on my boat because the cockpit is noticeably cooler than on boats with canvas.

Handymans342

Handymans342 said:

Can you add a hard top to a 342?

jme097

You guys are just reaffirming my decision to go with a hard top haha. Definitely going to hold off until I find a boat I can scoop with a hard top. 

06Rinker270

@jme097 and a generator.    

LaRea

I'm pretty sure Rinker never made a 342 with a hardtop.  It would have to be a custom job, and you'd probably need to add the stripper pole too.  And who knows what it would do to balance and stability.  You'd be better off just buying a newer Rinker with an OEM hardtop.  

jme097

@06Rinker270 without a doubt!