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I'm considering adding a T-Top to my 2007 Dauntless 180. However I'm wondering if this will add or subtract from the resale value of the boat. The T-Top I believe is one of the best after markets you can have. Looking for opinions good and bad. See link
The reason for the folding top is two fold. First, it will be able to fit in a garage. Second, I currently keep the boat in indoor rack storage. Right now I have 12 inches of clearance above the console grab bar. If I were to add a non folding T-Top I would be forced to move to another rack and pay another $550.00 per year.

Thanks

http://www.strykerttops.com/

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Come on guys........22 views and no opinions?

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I checked out the link. It think it looks pretty cool. I'm not sure about how it will affect resale value. I can't remember the thread name, but I remember their was some discussion on this earlier in the year. Opinions varied.

My thought is that in the grand scheme of things, talking about money, it's really not that big of an expense to buy the top and worry about getting your money out of it later. I have had my Montauk for almost a year now and I doubt if I could recover both the money I put in the boat as well as the time I have dedicated to the project.

You could always sell the top at a later date, couldn't you?

Anyway, I like it. I considered something along those lines, but went for the bimini instead. It was cheaper and I figured I would get more coverage, which would please my wife and 2 kids when they are on the boat with me.

I didn't look for any color options. I bet red would look really good on a whaler.

Good luck.

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I say go for it!! If you sell the boat at a later date its no big deal to remove and patch the screw holes....besides...if you like it....thats all that matters.

I like the idea of a red top....would go great with the Whaler

Mark

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if done correctly, I don't believe it will effect the resale value of the boat. I purchased my boat with a t-top.

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I am not to crazy about the one size fits all. In all the pictures on the site the tops seems to be several inches away from the console. A custom top would be built closer to the console leaving more room around the top. As wide as the dauntless is the large console does not leave a lot of room on each side. take away 4 to 5 inches each side and that is quite a bit.

The top is the best looking one size fits all for sure and the thought of folding it down is appealing. Just make sure you are good with the total width of the top

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Thanks guys

I'm not sure what I want to do right now. What I would really like to do is see one in person but that does not look like its going to happen. I chatted with one of the owners and they don't have any plans to have it at any east coast boat shows over the winter. Their two dealers one in NJ the other in DE have been less than helpful. They sell them but they don't stock them. The demo boat on the video is a Dauntless 180, older than mine. It does look pretty dam good.

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At our local boat show last winter, I talked to 2 metal fabricators about a top. From my conversations and seeing the pre-made, adjustable tops, I would definitely go with a custom top.

While I would estimate a decent top is $1500 ($500.00 more than your link), the benefits are:

-better fit to your console.
-appropriate cross braces in the correct locations
-proper landing position to meet backing pads in the deck
-designed for your needs (box, t-bag, lights, etc)

I think a top would be great on your boat and you will really enjoy it. I would do a top on my boat in a second but it not very beamy and has no areas of reinforcement in the floor.

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I have an 18' Outrage and fought a few of the same decissions you now have. I elected to buy the folding top because of the shadding from the sun is much more than if i had a T-Top. Most T-Tops we sized for our boat gave little protection for the person in front of the windshield. We fish and ride and both require sun protection for my family.
I have never thought any top added much more value to the boat for resale; just added cost when buying a new boat.
We also trailer out boat, you did not mention that; but it is less drag without a T-Top.
If I were you I would size up how much protection you wanted and what it was worth. The down side to a soft top are the tie down lines when the top is up..

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To tell you the truth I want a tee top/ well something like that on my Montauk so bad my teeth hurt. The big problem as I see it. How do you anchor it to the deck, at least on my Montauk. I would have to go thru the deck to the hull and fill it back up with glass/ kind of a plug. I want it for jig poles, not the kind you use fishing poles and reels with. The kind you tie lines to with a bungees too, and pull by hand. The shade factor is not that big of a issue to me.

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Wow, that top would look great on your boat.

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I personally have seen the fishmaster, and that top is super sweet. I am not familiar with stryker, but I would definitely check out fishmaster for 200 more. Good luck!

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What type of T-Top did you end of buying? Trailering in my case is not a big factor. The boat spends most of its time in indoor rack storage. I do trailer from PA to the Outer Banks once a year for two weeks. Not only do I like the factor of some added shade but added storage. My 18 Dauntless has a ton of more storage compared to my 170. I do like the idea of the T-bag holding our PDFs.

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Thanks for all of your comments this is just what I'm looking for

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One thing I noticed in the Stryker photos is that most of the tops shown weren't installed as close to the console as possible and taking up more deck space than necessary. The windshield grab rail and/or side mounted grab rails can usually be easily removed and not really needed with the t-top installed. Thought I'd mention this since my Outrage has a more custom top installed and the grab rail was removed.

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On my 18 the t-top was custom and the console rails were left in place
I like the idea of leaving the rails in place since it maintains the classic look

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I'm looking at both the FM and Styrker Tops