seansherrod
07-04-2010, 02:48 PM
I've been pretty pleased with the innovation coming out of the inboard boat industry the past few years and I'd love to see the momentum continue. In an effort to add a little fuel to the fire, I'm going to post some ideas that I've had cooking for years in the coming days/weeks. I'd love it if others wanted to pile on with their ideas too.
The first idea is a glass bimini for boats ranging from the X-14 to the Xstar. I realize that this draws heavily from the Mastercraft 300 but this is just my first post and I've got to save some of my best stuff for the end. Plus, this is a pretty cool idea (literally). I think that it would be awesome to have a simple piece of glass mounted to the tower to block some of the sun. Here in the midwest, we don't get that many months of sun so I hate to totally block it out when I'm on the water. At the same time, it is nice to have some protection from the damaging rays. A glass bimini with low emissivity coating would let some light in but block the bad stuff. Plus, it would be even better than a cloth bimini during a rain shower and it would hold up way longer than a cloth bimini.
As far as material goes, glass or tempered glass might do the trick. I'm thinking that tempered glass treated with a layer of low-E film would be almost indestructible. Plastic might be another option (think motorcycle windshields and fighter-jet canopies). The good folks at MC can noodle on the best material to solve the needs. Other features that would be nice could include auto-dimming like Transitions sun glasses lenses, color match tinting to the boat, feathering in the tint so that there is more tinting in the front than the back, a sunroof in the cover, and the ability to store the cover when the tower is folded down.
Again, throw out some additional ideas if you've got them. More to come. Take a closer look at the 300 canopy for a general idea of how this might work on smaller boats.
The first idea is a glass bimini for boats ranging from the X-14 to the Xstar. I realize that this draws heavily from the Mastercraft 300 but this is just my first post and I've got to save some of my best stuff for the end. Plus, this is a pretty cool idea (literally). I think that it would be awesome to have a simple piece of glass mounted to the tower to block some of the sun. Here in the midwest, we don't get that many months of sun so I hate to totally block it out when I'm on the water. At the same time, it is nice to have some protection from the damaging rays. A glass bimini with low emissivity coating would let some light in but block the bad stuff. Plus, it would be even better than a cloth bimini during a rain shower and it would hold up way longer than a cloth bimini.
As far as material goes, glass or tempered glass might do the trick. I'm thinking that tempered glass treated with a layer of low-E film would be almost indestructible. Plastic might be another option (think motorcycle windshields and fighter-jet canopies). The good folks at MC can noodle on the best material to solve the needs. Other features that would be nice could include auto-dimming like Transitions sun glasses lenses, color match tinting to the boat, feathering in the tint so that there is more tinting in the front than the back, a sunroof in the cover, and the ability to store the cover when the tower is folded down.
Again, throw out some additional ideas if you've got them. More to come. Take a closer look at the 300 canopy for a general idea of how this might work on smaller boats.