[Fr. Frank]

A hardtop will definitely affect your performance, but perhaps not as negatively as you might think.

I have a parishioner who owns a '74 Tsunami/Sceptre, kept in the Keys, which he bought in '89 with a hardtop that had a "sunning station", ie; 6" high guardrails all the way around the topside. The boat was rigged with twin '85 140hp Johnson Loopers at the time. Top end was about 40-42 mph as indicated on an Airguide water-presssure speedo.

He repowered in 1990 with a single new '88 225 Johnson, and removed the hardtop eight years later in 1999.

His top speed with a single 225 Johnson with the top was about 35-36 mph, and without the top about 38-39 mph. But the biggest difference, according to him, was the way the boat performed in choppy seas. He said the ride was much smoother with the top. He said the main reason he removed the top was to lessen the amount of side-to-side roll while trolling or drifting, but that actually didn't change very much.

He sold the top right after removal, and today wishes he had kept it, especially as he will be repowering with either twin '07 150 hp eTecs or twin '07 Merc 135 hp Verados late this spring when the '09 engines arrive at the boat manufacturer plants. (He works for Pro-Line and can get a very good price of left-overs that are 2 model years old)

He also plans to get a new leftover/surplus hardtop/half-tower from Monroe Surplus Sales, a local surplus dealer who sells surplus marine supplies. About $1400 plus modifications to the top to fit his boat.

Whether you get a hardtop or not depends on what you want from your boat.