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Hi folks! This is my first post. I boat from the lower Potomac in Va. where I have waterfront property. Right now I have a SMALL runabout (17' Sunbird bow rider) but I hope to upgrade to a 22' Glacier Bay 2240sx. My problem is that I like to keep my boat in a garage and have to worry about door clearance. Adding a hard top and radar would mean a new garage with about a 14' garage door. My wife doesn't like that! Has anyone ever heard of some kind of COLLAPSING hard top, radar arch, or maybe just a telescoping radar mast? Or do I have to give up on radar to get the boat through a lower door?
This one either tilts foreword or is removable. We actually will be removing it for trailering. We figure about 10 minutes to secure below. Be sure to leave enough cable. These are made by Seaview; part Number PM-H7 or PM-H8 depending on you radar. Available from www.consumersmarine.com or other fine THT sponsors.
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Boston Whaler, "MUMBLER", 24 Outrage, twin 175 HP Evinrude Ocean Pros
This might work, but Glacier Bay says that the 2240sx on a trailer is 98 from ground to top of windshield. That would mean a 10 garage door would work. But then I couldn't have radar. Ever. They didn't have data on a hardtop, but said the ground to top of bimini is 12 2. I have to build a new garage, and my wife wants it to be as small as possible - ideally with a 10 high door. I was hoping that there would be some kind of arch that could be collapsed to lay down to go under the door, and be raised when the bimini is up. OR, if I went up to a 12 high door, I could go with a little lower hardtop but would there be enough room even for the bracket you show, not to mention GPS antenna, running lights, etc. Once I have the garage built I'm stuck It just seems like a radar arch designed to collapse or lay down would be something that a lot of people could use.
I presume that you want the whole radar arch to fold rather than just the radar mount that Mumblerone showed. There are several boats in my
neighbourhood that have folding arches - any decent T-top fabricator should be able to build one for you. You will have a hinged fitting on the
front legs and a breakaway joint on the rear legs. Cables can be run up through the hinged fitting to the radar etc on the top. Find a good
local fabricator and ask them what it would take to build one.
Great Pictures!. If you decide to take it off before trailering, do you have to undo the wiring connections? Also it looks like if you fold it down, it folds down towards the back of the boat. What is your height when your trailering. I just ordered a custom hinge bracket for my boat from Seaview to do the same thing.
Thanks so much for the info! You have given me hope! I have never seen a setup for a folding radar arch, but now that I know they exist I will start looking for one. Does anybody have pictures of exactly how they work? Thanks again this forum is GREAT
Take a look at this http://www.consumersmarine.com//sear...&submit=Search We have the PM-H8 on a 32' Boston Whaler. The boat, on the trailer, is 13' 2" before the radar...we have to take it off for trailering. Leave an extra 10' - 12' of cable so the radar can be secured for trailering. While we could fold it down, it would still be too high...the bracket allows us to completely remove it from the topside. We otherwise would have to remove the electronics box to get at nuts, etc. We intentionally put it on backwards to prevent it from erronously whacking the light (good observation).Whalehead...take a look in the Alblums above and the PHOTO Forum...should be instructions there. You picture must be less the 120k.
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Boston Whaler, "MUMBLER", 24 Outrage, twin 175 HP Evinrude Ocean Pros
Take a look at this http://www.consumersmarine.com//sear...&submit=Search We have the PM-H8 on a 32' Boston Whaler. The boat, on the trailer, is 13' 2" before the radar...we have to take it off for trailering. Leave an extra 10' - 12' of cable so the radar can be secured for trailering. While we could fold it down, it would still be too high...the bracket allows us to completely remove it from the topside. We otherwise would have to remove the electronics box to get at nuts, etc. We intentionally put it on backwards to prevent it from erronously whacking the light (good observation).Whalehead...take a look in the Alblums above and the PHOTO Forum...should be instructions there. You picture must be less the 120k.
Mumblerone - again - that is not what the poster is looking for. He wants the radar arch to fold down, not just the mount.
I don't have any pictures of a folding arch - I posted pictures of my folding T-top on this thread. It's a lot easier to make a folding arch than it is a T-top.
edk...I understand; this was just an option that might work. The collapsing HARDTOP is the hard part! Great PIC Whalehead; ah...I think the guy needs a bigger boat!
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Boston Whaler, "MUMBLER", 24 Outrage, twin 175 HP Evinrude Ocean Pros
Sorry it's been a couple of days since my last post - I really do appreciate the responses!
edk - You are correct, I need for the whole arch to collapse or fold down so that the boat on the trailer can fit under a lower garage door. Here is my rather crude attempt in drawing a sketch (hope this works, my first attempt at a picture post):
If anybody has any ideas, or best some photos of how something like this might work, it would sure be helpful.
Whalehead - When I first looked at the picture you posted for me I was thinking "gee.... looks like he'd get a really good radar image of the back of his head...." Then I realized what I was looking at!
That setup would not work for me because it wouldn't lower the arch supports below the windshield.
Again, thanks for all the help! What a great web site!
What you have drawn is easy for any good tower shop to build. There are standard bracket's and union's that they weld to the pipe to make it break in half.
What I want to know is why your wife is so dead aginst letting you have a decent shop?
There is nothing better.
Sorry it's been a couple of days since my last post - I really do appreciate the responses!
edk - You are correct, I need for the whole arch to collapse or fold down so that the boat on the trailer can fit under a lower garage door. Here is my rather crude attempt in drawing a sketch (hope this works, my first attempt at a picture post):
If anybody has any ideas, or best some photos of how something like this might work, it would sure be helpful.
It's not an arch, but here's the picture of my top. The front legs are hinged, the rear legs have breakaway joints use two allen head bolts to secure them when the top is up. It's much easier to do with an arch. E-tec marine http://www.etecmarine.com/index.html are one company that manufactures the hinges and breakaway joints. You will want to get a hinge that will allow you to run wires through it if you have antennas etc on the arch.
Again, thanks to everybody who has helped with this!
edk - for some reason I can't view the photos you are attaching. I just get a little box with a red x in it. This was also true when I tried to use the link you included labeled "Folding top". It took me to the thread okay, and I was able to view other pictures posted there, but your pictures of your folding top were the little red x in a blank box. I still appreciated the written comments, though!
offshore3144 - The info on Atlantic Towers was exactly what I needed! I e-mailed them last night and had a reply this morning. They sent photos of a folding radar arch AND a folding hard top - mounted on a Glacier Bay no less! Perfect! Thanks! I am posting these two photos below in case anyone else looking at this thread is looking for the same thing. I am also including the contact info for Atlantic Towers below:
Shelley Golden
Director of Marine Sales
Atlantic Towers
Box 829
Barnegat, N.J. 08005 sgolden@atlantictowers.com
1-800-831-8889
Here is what Shelly Golden sent me:
This first photo is of a folding radar arch on a Glacier Bay
This one is of a folding radar arch AND a folding hard top on a Glacier Bay - way cool!
Warthog5 - I really like your shop/garage setup. Is this one of the steel buildings you can order from the Internet? Did you put it up yourself? Did you build it in stages or all at once? How high is the large garage door? And finally, what in the world do you keep in the "newest addition" - the Queen Mary????!!!
HeHe No I built the new addition for a 23ft Custom Mako.
I added lights and electric plugs too.
The door on the big shop [30X30] is 12tallX 14wide. The wall's are 14ft high.
I had them installed, but I did all the electrical. I have gas heat and AC in the big shop. The existing block structure is 24X36. The center section without a door showing is a tool room. There are 2 boat's in there too.
The Mako will not fit in the big part after the bracket goes on. I wanted something to protect all of my hard work and to get my workshop back again. It's full of woodworking and metal working tool's.
"Never mind the house, how big is the shop"? quote from Ed "Big Daddy" Roth.
Again, thanks to everybody who has helped with this!
edk - for some reason I can't view the photos you are attaching. I just get a little box with a red x in it. This was also true when I tried to use the link you included labeled "Folding top". It took me to the thread okay, and I was able to view other pictures posted there, but your pictures of your folding top were the little red x in a blank box. I still appreciated the written comments, though!
Not sure why they don't show up for you - they are on space hosted for me at home.comcast.net. Do they show up for other people? If you want them emailed to you send me an IM or an email with your email address and I will send them. The top was built by Birdsall Marine - they are one of the best fabricators in the business, but a bit far away from you.
Potomomic River Rat,
I have the same arch and it has been great. It is a two person job but the arch was well worth the work. Mine will fold down right into the boat an my boat cover still works. Mark
That is definitely a REALLY nice looking rig! I like the height above the soft top. But, I am concerned about it being a "two person job". I am usually alone and would need to be able to raise and lower it myself. What do you think? I could mount the VHF antenna elsewhere, so I would only have radar dome, GPS antenna, and running light on the arch. I normally take the boat out of the water at the end of each day and put it in the garage, so I would be raising and lowering the arch a lot. One of my favorite creeks also has a low bridge that might require lowering the arch. Is it really heavy to lift up and down?
Also, the dealer where I may buy the boat has moved away from stainless arch/hard top support members. He is sold on a local manufacturer that does a white powder coat on aluminum. He claims that it is as strong or stronger than the average stainless construction (they use a slightly larger diameter tubing) and is MUCH easer to maintain in salt water. He says that with the power coat there is NO polishing - you just squirt some fresh water on it and give it a quick wipe down. I looked at several examples on boats and the coating LOOKED beautiful. They seemed to be very sturdy when grabbed on to. Anybody else hear of this and have input? The power coat is white and blends really nicely with the boat. I would also think that the aluminum would save weight. Here is an example off of their web site (Dare Marina in Yorktown Va.). Of course, this is not a folding rig and I have not talked to them yet about making something that folds yet. I want to know what I am talking about before I ask for something special. Anyway, any comments on the powder coat vs stainless?
Collapsing Radar Arch??? 
They didn't have data on a hardtop, but said the ground to top of bimini is 12 2. I have to build a new garage, and my wife wants it to be as small as possible - ideally with a 10 high door. I was hoping that there would be some kind of arch that could be collapsed to lay down to go under the door, and be raised when the bimini is up. OR, if I went up to a 12 high door, I could go with a little lower hardtop but would there be enough room even for the bracket you show, not to mention GPS antenna, running lights, etc. Once I have the garage built I'm stuck
It just seems like a radar arch designed to collapse or lay down would be something that a lot of people could use.
Great PIC Whalehead; ah...I think the guy needs a bigger boat! 
