Posted by Home Aside on 08/10/08 - 11:13 AM
#1
I recently had a camper back made for attachment to my existing Mills Canvas on my 1985 Revenge 22 WT. I just returned from an 8 day cruise with six other Whalers on the North Channel of Lake Huron, I can't say how pleased I am with the canvas and the expansion of usable enclosed space it provides when anchoring out. I had a local canvas guy in Michigan make the enclosure, complete with roll up eisenglass & screens after showing him photographs of Tom Clarks camperback on his Revenge 25.
I'm rather fair skinned and the dermatologist is always on my back about staying out of the direct sun. I put the flytop extension up and it never came down the entire trip. When we would stop and anchor for lunch, my boat became very popular for those wanting out of the sun.
Here's a photograph with the Mills canvas up along with the flytop extension minus the side / aft curtains
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/HomeAside/North%20Channel%2008/DSCN2011.jpg[/img]
In the evening I would put the side & aft curtains up, they did the trick for preventing being drained dry by the mosquitos until it cooled down enough & the bugs were gone.
Here's a shot with the complete canvas up.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/HomeAside/North%20Channel%2008/DSCN2163-1.jpg[/img]
Note to Tom Clark, when I left the Revenge with the Canvas guy he called me up having had fits trying to get the original Mills flytop, windshield, and side curtains to snap & set easily. He asked do you mind if I make a little adjustment so it fits right? I said go ahead, he did the same thing you did, trimmed down the stainless framework. Now it goes up & down like a dream, fits nice & tight but is easily set.
Pat
Edited by Jeff on 08/10/08 - 5:28 PM
Posted by Jeff on 08/10/08 - 7:48 PM
#2
Pat,
The Canvas looks great. It is almost like you have a living room as well as sleeping cuddy.
Edited by Jeff on 08/10/08 - 7:49 PM
Posted by Home Aside on 08/11/08 - 2:14 PM
#3
Jeff,
it is amazing how much useable space it afords to escape the elements and/or voracious bugs, you could put up a card table use the two pedestal seats and two folding deck chairs and have a card game, there would still be room for someone to sit on the two 94 qt coolers along the aft beam.
I've been contemplating ways to set up sleeping accomodations, I think while at dock I could put the two coolers on the dock & lay out two air mattresses for sleeping in the cockpit & two in the cuddy of course. While anchored out I could lay out a piece of nonslip material on the bow & store the coolers there bungied to the bow rail to make the room for sleeping in the cockpit, you could easily sleep four on board either way. Give me a call & I'll show it to you in person....I'm really pleased with it.....
Thanks for the photo editing, I did something wrong & couldn't figure it out
Regards,
Pat
Pat