[Sasha]

JMK, I am going the same way finally on my 36foot 1995 Open with twin 375HP Cats. Beautiful boat with those engines. Tiara knows how to build them. I am getting the top with the two Bomar hatches. Brian Kane is my support person an has been great. I am advised they do not do the kit anymore and was looking for the forward support information. We have good welders in Fort Pierce yards but no sketch. Did you ever receive a sketch of the two supports? If I could have them fabbed and ready it would speed my process.

Appreciate any information on the struts.

Your example above is very easy to follow good job!

Sasha

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Sasha curious if you talked to Tiara if they still make the hard tops?

Yes I did. I realized they have the best top to serve these beautiful boats. My search now is for a drawing of the struts so I can get them pre made down here in Fort Pierce.

[trit21]

Sasha, If you are in Ft Pierce, I would recommend calling American Custom Yachts in Stuart. They can fab a hard top custom made for you, lights, hatches, rod storage, whatever you need, installed and I think it should run less than the Tiara hardtop. Plus, it would be finished completely. I could be wrong but I was gong to pull the trigger a couple years ago but things didn't work out financially and I had a custom top quoted for under your price already installed etc. Just a thought.

EDIT: The company that actually makes the hardtops are Bausch American Towers. They are in the same place as ACY.

[CAPT. MARK TOBIAS]

     Hello Sasha,
Glad your going with the Tiara hardtop! Your going to LOVE it!
I had a local welder make the forward mounts to my design and had them Powdercoated satin black. They turned out perfect. 
Send me your email address and I’ll send you a bunch of photos. 
Installation tips:
I pre drilled all the holes for the radar, antennas, GPS, etc. prior to installing the HT. Much easier. 
Fabricate an adjustable forward mount. I used 2x6s and adjustable jacks. You’ll see in the pics. 
Center the rear on the arch as per instructions. 
Center the forward using a string line. 
Adjust the forward height to your liking ensuring you have enough slope for water to run aft. 
I used extra pipe end plates for backing plates vice the supplied washers. 
I used the supplied sealant on the outside and a rubber gasket (hypalon boat patch material) on all inside attachment points. 
Enjoy!

JMK, I am going the same way finally on my 36foot 1995 Open with twin 375HP Cats. Beautiful boat with those engines. Tiara knows how to build them. I am getting the top with the two Bomar hatches. Brian Kane is my support person an has been great.  I am advised they do not do the kit anymore and was looking for the forward support information. We have good welders in Fort Pierce yards but no sketch. Did you ever receive a sketch of the two supports?  If I could have them fabbed and ready it would speed my process.

Appreciate any information on the struts.

Your example above is very easy to follow good job!

Sasha

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Sasha curious if you talked to Tiara if they still make the hard tops?

Yes I did. I realized they have the best top to serve these beautiful boats. My search now is for a drawing of the struts so I can get them pre made down here in Fort Pierce.

[Sasha]

Scurvy Dog, Capt. Mark Tobias

My email is phervish@gmail.com

Appreciate the help,

Thank You, Peter aka SASHA the Yellow Lab who is my first mate.

[jmk]

Hi Sasha, I guess I should check this forum more often.  Sorry I missed your question.  Answer: I don't have sketches.  However, I want to stress that it is crucial that when you have your supports fabricated, they also attach mid-way up to the windshield.  This bolt that goes through the (very strong) windshield frame is crucial to the shear stability of the support system.  If it is not there, the front of the top can twist to port/stbd and the top will end up making its way off your boat!  To avoid any confusion, I've circled the location of the through-bolted connection in RED in the attached photo.
 

JMK, I am going the same way finally on my 36foot 1995 Open with twin 375HP Cats. Beautiful boat with those engines. Tiara knows how to build them. I am getting the top with the two Bomar hatches. Brian Kane is my support person an has been great.  I am advised they do not do the kit anymore and was looking for the forward support information. We have good welders in Fort Pierce yards but no sketch. Did you ever receive a sketch of the two supports?  If I could have them fabbed and ready it would speed my process.

Appreciate any information on the struts.

Your example above is very easy to follow good job!

Sasha

---

Sasha curious if you talked to Tiara if they still make the hard tops?

Yes I did. I realized they have the best top to serve these beautiful boats. My search now is for a drawing of the struts so I can get them pre made down here in Fort Pierce.

[Sasha]

Hi, I composed a thread and lost it  so this may be a repeat. 

I have  36 open 1995. It had a bimini. It has a TIARA hard top now. 

My advice for those looking for a hard top for a TIARA is order through Brian Kane at Tiara and have them send it to ACY yachts in Stuart. Tim Bausch an ASSOCIATE   at ACY (American Custom Yachts) OWNS American Bausch towers and designed, built and installed mine. See photos. She is beautiful!! He is  perfectionist. The Bausch family was in Port Saleno before moving to ACY and built my first half tower for a 31 Tiara in 1995. They were across from Rupp.

See photos and my yellow lab and boat crew Sasha. Her favorite seat is at the helm in AP in safe water. 

She is supervising at ACY on the dock in front view. 

I spent a lot of time doing research and my build is the best I could ask for. The support legs by Bausch are impressive. Any questions please reply.

[jmk]

When you first get inside the cockpit, it's hard to describe what an upgrade it is from canvas isn't it?!?  And with the rear canvas dropping down from the top rather than the arch, you get so much more room inside.  Congratulations on getting your new hardtop!  You've got a solid boat that you can fish hard for a long time.  With those stout exterior supports, your hardtop isn't going anywhere!  Looks like you've got the shafts out. Straightening them? My struts have never looked that good.

[trit21]

Looks really good, congrats on the new top.

[Sasha]

When you first get inside the cockpit, it's hard to describe what an upgrade it is from canvas isn't it?!?  And with the rear canvas dropping down from the top rather than the arch, you get so much more room inside.  Congratulations on getting your new hardtop!  You've got a solid boat that you can fish hard for a long time.  With those stout exterior supports, your hardtop isn't going anywhere!  Looks like you've got the shafts out. Straightening them? My struts have never looked that good.

It definitely feels like a much bigger boat with that hard top.  I can't imagine why canvas is even an option from Tiara on the larger boats? Tim Bausch the hard top fabricator has served sports fishing boats out of Stuart his entire life and wanted those stout exterior supports so I could run to West End in 6 to 8. 

Waiting on a new Garmin Fantom 124 radar and when she is fully dressed out again will send a pic.

ACY is a top yard and I get compliments constantly on the Tiara quality and build from folks.  

Great great boats and worth upgrading.

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When you first get inside the cockpit, it's hard to describe what an upgrade it is from canvas isn't it?!?  And with the rear canvas dropping down from the top rather than the arch, you get so much more room inside.  Congratulations on getting your new hardtop!  You've got a solid boat that you can fish hard for a long time.  With those stout exterior supports, your hardtop isn't going anywhere!  Looks like you've got the shafts out. Straightening them? My struts have never looked that good.

It definitely feels like a much bigger boat with that hard top.  I can't imagine why canvas is even an option from Tiara on the larger boats? Tim Bausch the hard top fabricator has served sports fishing boats out of Stuart his entire life and wanted those stout exterior supports so I could run to West End in 6 to 8. 

Waiting on a new Garmin Fantom 124 radar and when she is fully dressed out again will send a pic.

ACY is a top yard and I get compliments constantly on the Tiara quality and build from folks.  

Great great boats and worth upgrading.

I forgot to add that my shafts were out more than 2 thou one spot 10 thou so the yard has them in the machine shop with props. 

Barnacle buster will go on running gear.

[Massimo]

Good morning,
I’m writing from Italy sand i would to build an hardtop for my 3500 open 2000.
Do you know Right sizes for your hardtop?
My email is massimo@derado.it
Let me know
Regards.
Massimo

OK, I just screwed up and deleted my installation post so I'm retyping it.  

I thought the installation of the top was remarkably easy. 

Hardtop arriving on the truck:
(click to enlarge)

Hardtop on block thanks to the yard guys:
 (click to enlarge)

I drilled a hole to align with a matching hole I drilled on the radar arch.  Aft of that hole you can see the anchor light threaded holes and wiring:
 (click to enlarge)

I drilled out holes for the radar on the hardtop and the arch using a drill jig I made for my Furuno radar.  If this is of use to anyone else I can send it to them.  

Jig: 
 (click to enlarge)

I then polished the gasketing surfaces:
 (click to enlarge)

I temporarily attached the Tiara support strut to the windshield using the hardware they provided.  I then ran a horiztontal 2x4 from the top of the arch to the top of the Tiara strut.  I then bolted a vertical 2x4 to the OUTSIDE of the windshield frame (photo shows inside but that is WRONG--It needs to go on the outside to grip the non-skid).   I marked the vertical 2x4 at the bottom of the horizontal 2x4 and cut it about 2" higher than that in order to support the hardtop.

Marking the 2x4:
 (click to enlarge)

Now the boat is ready for the top with the 2x4 supports in place on the OUTSIDE (and the Tiara support struts temporarily removed):


Hardtop on the Travelift.  I dropped a 6" long 1" diameter bolt and washer through the alignment hole I drilled in the hardtop before it got hoisted into the air:


From there, the yard lifted the top onto the boat and lowered it on the arch and wooden 2x4 supports.  I would not have done this on a windy day!!


During the process, I had a couple guys help to nudge the top so the bolt would drop through the matching hole in the arch, and after threading on the nut I stood on the bow and they adjusted the twist before the final drop onto the wooden 2x4 supports.

Next I permanently installed the Tiara struts.   I used another drill jig to drill the pilot holes for the screws.  Here, the windshield is in the way so you need a flex shaft for your drill bit and the drill jig helps.  One small annoyance:  Tiara made the base of the struts with irregular hole spacing.  As a result, I had to make drill jigs for the port and stbd, and they would not work for anyone else.  But you could probably drill the holes another way.  Clean up with acetone, and bed it with 3M 5200.

I cannot add more photos to this post so I'll show the drill jig in another picture.
 

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Here is the drill jig for the Tiara support struts.  I wanted the screws to go in perfectly straight, hence the jig so I could drill the pilot holes straight so close to the windshield. 

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Oh, I forgot to mention that disconnecting the radar wiring and then reconnecting it was probably the most annoying part of the install.   There were something like 40 colored wires inside the radar that I had to keep track of.   I removed my radar after making sure I could reconnect the wires, and tucked the wires inside the arch until the top was on.  Then, when the top was on I reinstalled the radar using longer 316 bolts than had been there.   Used silicone paste between the rubber gasket and the hardtop.   

Other wiring was pretty easy.  There is already wiring there (hanging out in the sternshot photo below) for the anchor light, so you just cut that and connect it to the light they give you.  The pull string was still in my arch, and I was able to use this to pull up wiring for the LEDs and to install two additional, rear-facing LEDs in the arch for a total of 5 total LEDs in the top.  I'm very glad about the rear facing LEDs and highly recommend them.