CONTINUOUSWAVE

[I have condensed about ten articles into this direct and simple request--jimh]

Please give me carefully measured dimensions for the following hardtops:

--the OEM hardtop on a 255 CONQUEST that is a 2002 model; [And while you have the measuring tape, give us the BEAM measurement, too--jimh]

--the OEM hardtop of a 235 CONQUEST

BACKSTORY: I have a 255 CONQUEST without a hardtop. I have an opportunity to buy a used hardtop from a 235 CONQUEST. I am willing to make modifications [to the boat, the hardtop and the mounting frame to get proper fit]. If I can get just the fiberglass top, and it is close in size, I can have someone weld and build new tubing to fit my 255 CONQUEST. Knowing exact sizes would make [the] decision [to buy the 235 CONQUEST hardtop] easier. Boston Whaler says the two tops are different sizes, but they could not tell me the dimensions.

The beam on both boats is NOT the same.

The 235 has a beam of 8'6".

The 255 has a beam of 8'9"

You would really need to measure closely.

if the hardtop itself is a little bigger or a little smaller, I don't see that as a problem if the deal is right. Again the tubing is easy to modify.

PhilT--I am pretty sure the beam on my 2002 255 Conquest is 8-feet 6-inches. I know the later model year 255 CONQUESTS at some point have a 8-foot 9-inch beam. This info is just from me looking around online. I could be wrong--just what I read online.

I am hoping the 23-foot model with the same beam could have a hardtop that could work.

Although the beam of a 255 CONQUEST is listed in a 2002 catalogue as 8-feet 6-inches, that is the only catalogue that has that dimension; the other catalogue years list 8-feet 9-inches as the beam.

It seems more likely that the 2002 catalogue has a misprint than to decide that Boston Whaler produced a completely new hull mold for the boat after one one year of production. Considering the cost of tooling, to discard all tooling for a boat after one year of production in order to increase the beam by three inches seems very extravagant. An error in the catalogue in the first year of production seems more likely.

In any case, if the helm area width is compared, one easily can see the 255 CONQUEST has a wide walk-around path around the helm area. The 235 CONQUEST has a very narrow walk-around path. The possible difference in boat beam may not have much effect on the width of the hard top due to the difference in the width of the walk-around paths.

After several days of discussion, we still have ZERO actual measurements. How long can we keep speculating without getting ANY actual data?