Shippy solar arch for tartan 34

[koyote]

I'm repairing stitching on the bimini of our Tartan 34, which we are setting up for some coastal, and eventually broader cruising.

I have been contemplating a solar arch for a few months and I have pegged in in my head as a "someday" project, but I am also realizing that I can do it now.


Being a 1977 tartan 34, we have the short boom on the main, so I have a full 8 feet of space to cover before I get to the stern, and about 8 feet of beam towards the fore of that space. If I overhang at all, that's even more potential space, but at that point it's a bit too much of a sail.


In my head I was going to put in a hard top rigid dodger frame with snap in fabric panels first- because the existing dodger is about 5 inches too low to deal with coming up the companionway.

But the solar arch, even with a dinghy lift built in, is a much easier project, I think.

I'm feeling it out right now and I think it's probably going to end up close to 7x7 feet, possibly tapered in width to match the boat, possibly just 6 feet carlins with a 3/4 inch overhang.

I'm considering aluminum for the frame, bolted and not welded. painted, with plywood cut carlins with moderate curve (I'll match the house, maybe) and a glassed ply roof. I might do the carlins out of oak if I can find a decent price out here in virginia.

I can brace and do corners and make it all very strong without adding a bunch of weight, that's not the problem at all.

My problem is trying to make it look at least as shippy as the tartan herself. She's no wooden boat, but the 1960s S&S design is clear and I don't want to just chunk out a big cube of aluminum and anodize it purple and stick it on Seven Bells.

I am planning to square the frame up with a few degrees of taper upwards, and shape pads for mounting to match the angles, then through-bolt to backing plates. so, 6 aluminum rectangle uprights with a beam across each set of three (fore and aft) and just.. paint.

I feel like leaving the carlins as stained wood, even play, will help keep the look, along with some curve to the roof.


any thoughts? (beyond the "don't do it, no matter what")

[dougweibel]

Originally Posted by koyote

which we are setting up for some coastal, and eventually broader cruising.

Tartans can be quite attractive boats. As you move more towards broader cruising utility can start to outweigh visual aesthetics to a degree. I would much rather have a largish arch on the back of the boat that gave me plenty of solar power rather than have a pretty boat but have to run the generator every day to keep the batteries charged.

For your question the dingy lift may be key. If you plan to lift and carry your dingy on the stern, with either an arch or davits, then a well executed arch is the way to go. If you are not going to carry your dingy on the stern then perhaps something simpler and more aesthetic, like flexible panels on the bimini top, could be very unobtrusive. That is what we did when we had our Tartan, though it already had a bimini.

[Jammer]

I have a 38' Tartan and have been quite happy with the two solar panels on my bimini. They are held in place by Gemini fork mounts. I'm having the bimini canvas replaced this year and they'll add some leather reinforcement under the mounts. Minimal windage, blend in well (from aboard or from the dock you don't see them at all),

[koyote]

I don't think- and it may be the specifics of the bimini and dodger we have- but I don't think that I'm better served by trying to tie flexible panels to the dodger we have. it's not awful in design, but it's a bit small and the multiple uprights really crowd an already cramped stern.

I like Jammer's solution- on a bigger boat

I think Doug has the other part of it- having any sort of lift or function besides "tie 200 watts of solar on" makes the bimini top a lot less useful.

I do think I'm going to have to look at trying to just make it "look" right to my eye.

Still torn on the materials, I'll have to look at some data and cost sheets.

[NorthCoastJoe]

If you go all aluminum tube or pipe you can bend curves that match your boat.

I will be making a combo, dinghy davits/solar arch/bimini/rain catcher/outboard mount/ stern rail, for my aluminum boat. My ideal is one structure to do it all and less clutter. My plan incorporates two arches that will be the base and then telescoping members for and aft that will be retractable dinghy davits and shade support on the forward end. My end goal is no clutter and less windage.

I hope it will look good but I value function first.

[koyote]

I think my problem with aluminum pipe is attaching other things to it.

It seems like, outside of the Pacific Northwest and the workboat world, everyone wants everything to be fabric and temporary- and I do understand windage is a consideration, but my experience is that the bimini stays up 95% of the time (either sun, or rain. comes down when a storm is coming on a sailing day, sometimes.) - and as much fun as sunbrella is to work with---- why?

I find the idea of two lightweight arches with modular Lego stuff intuitively attractive-- removable davits and adjustable shade and side panels and grill rails and stuff

but how often am I going to change configurations? am I removing the stern pulpit? rerouting safety lines?

I have a sense, in the drawings, that I'm going to be pulling off a bunch of stuff and replacing it with a single construction. lifelines, the opening of the lifelines, grill rail, pulpit railing, and it just makes sense to my construction side to have it all one piece if I'm going to cantilever even a small dinghy, rather than have two arches unconnected.

I suspect whatever I make is not going to look like the current trend in fat al tubes.

[Hhew]

It might be worth considering Atlantic Tower in a Box, if for nothing more than design ideas and pricing. They claim to fit a T34, and have some pictures of their arch on a T37.

[koyote]

Atlantic is a bit spendy for our budget, though it's always nice to not DIY, but... in this case I think I want the DIY.

here's an older hard bimini/arch on another vessel int he marina that I find I like. I know the windage is a thing, but I really like how this was made, but I'm unsure about the stainless versus using alu square tubing

[deltaten]

To aid in design and make it look right....
I downloaded my boat's drawings from that datasail place , scaled it (several times!) And made lotsa copies.
Kept every sketch or difference on seperate papers for comparison.

Used bits'n'bobs from derelict rigs, fashioned/cut as needed to size/shape and sewed up the covers; dodger with zip out fore wdw and bimini w/zipper for backstay. Velcro for wraparound "tubes" to fasten to frames.
Try as I might, I could not figger a way to davit the 8' dink across the5'+ stern and have it work/look good...oh well

[koyote]

Originally Posted by deltaten

Used bits'n'bobs from derelict rigs, fashioned/cut as needed to size/shape and sewed up the covers;

.....


Try as I might, I could not figger a way to davit the 8' dink across the5'+ stern and have it work/look good...oh well

I'm really mentally stuck on making some nice plywood carlins and doing a hard top that way, and using the "2x4" aluminum square tubing, but it probably would be easier to frame with used/discarded stainless. reuse is better than recycling and all that.

I'm hoping to not have to deal with carrying the dink most of the time, i'd rather tow it, and it's gonna look ugly no matter what. Tartan 34 isn't a very beamy boat to start with and the stern is pretty narrow.
64 inches on center will get me good bases, three per side, just forward of the sternpit rail and avoiding the jib winches and cleats.


you mentioned the dodger, but for me that's got to be a separate thought process. the canvas one that is on now is just short enough to be worse than nothing when using the cabin, though it's fine for daysailing.