1989 Newport 17 Adding T-top

[Tonyabq]

Hi everyone. I have a beautiful 1989 Newport. I am tired of messing with its Bimini top. We keep boat in San Carlos, Mexico. I take friends and family snorkeling and fishing, and I need the extra room that the Bimini intrudes on.At one point I thought about getting rid of the NEWPORT and moving into something else, but just can't get rid of her. I am considering buying a dolphin top for $699. It looks really good.

Has anyone with added a T-top to a MONTAUK or NEWPORT?

Thanks--Tony

[DaveS]

That might be a tough sell unless you can find one of those foldable tops that connect to the console rails. There have been many discussions about adding a T-top to the Montauk hull and consensus is it's not a good fit. Too light and nothing to mount it to.

Good luck.

[Ridge Runner]

You should contact the manufacturer and ask about installation on a 16/17 foot Boston Whaler. As noted by DaveS proper mounting locations will be hard to come by. I am not familiar with Dolphin Tops - but I do know Fish Master Tops have been installed on BW 17 footers. They have a document on mounting their t-top on Montauks of different years:

17' Whaler Status.pdf

(226.09 KiB) Downloaded 247 times

Some examples of Fish Master top mounted on Montauks are pictured in the photo gallery (just pick Boston Whaler on the left side of the web page) : http://www.fishmaster.com/CustomerPhotos/index.htm

[Jefecinco]

The typical T-top provides so little shade on a small boat that wearing a wide brimmed hat would do about as well for virtually no cost.