Soft top versus hardtop: Which is best for you?

Small boats tend to make do with a soft-top canvas bimini. Larger cruising and offshore fishing boats are generally fitted with a hardtop enclosure. But what if your next boat has the option for both? Which is best? Soft top bimini or fixed hardtop? Let's consider the pros and cons. 

During my 56 years on this earth, I have spent a fair amount of time messing about in boats. As a boating journalist, I guess that goes without saying.

Starting young, like many boating/fishing enthusiasts, I realised early on the importance of having shelter out at sea; suffering a few severe cases of sunburn does tend to hammer home the slip-slop-slap message.

But wearing sunscreen and decent headgear is just the first step to protecting yourself from the elements. Our summers are far too hot to spend any length of time out boating or fishing without some kind of overhead shelter. 

Similarly, few of us like to get caught out in a summer storm; getting soaked to the skin beneath torrential rain is not a whole lot of fun. The kids might get a giggle out of it occasionally, but the novelty wears off pretty quick.

Unsurprisingly then, very few new boats - other than car toppers and small tinnies - are purchased these days without some kind of overhead boat cover or shelter. 

Sun and weather boat shelters can range from basic, lightweight canvas bimini covers to fully enclosed alloy or fibreglass hardtops with a lockable entry door. 

The point of this article is to consider the pros and cons of each - and to help you decide whether your next boat should have a soft top bimini - or one of the many types and variations of fixed hardtop.

With smaller craft, and forward windscreen alloy runabouts in particular, you don't really have the option to fit a hardtop. 

Fixed, or folding hardtops are generally too heavy for small craft, and having this weight situated up high, overhead will upset the stability of most small boats.

As a consequence, trailer boats in the 4.0- to 5.0-metre size range are universally fitted with a fold-down alloy framed soft top bimini. 

This simple type of boat cover works well; bimini covers provide useful shelter beneath the helm station, but can be easily folded down during fine weather, and for storing the boat at home inside a garage or beneath a carport. 

Most soft top bimini covers are designed to fold forward against the top of the windscreen frame - or aft against a Targa arch/rocket launcher rod rack. Both options work well - although the Targa arch/rocket launch set-up is best suited to cuddy and half cabin boats.

Low windscreen, forward-steer runabouts in the 4.2- to 4.6-metre size range work best when they have the bimini folding forward against the windscreen. This allows you to stand up from the helm, and to walk aft unimpeded. 

Folding the windscreen forward also opens up the overhead space so the crew can better enjoy the outdoors on fine days, much like a convertible car. 

Generally, the larger the boat, the more options you have for overhead shelter and weather protection. 

Trailer boats need a certain level of stability to be able to compensate for the weight and heightened centre of gravity created by fitting an overhead hardtop. 

With vee monohulls, the required level of stability is generally attained once the boat length reaches about 5.0m. This largely explains why there are few sub 5.0m hard top monohull boats available. 

The Surtees 495 Workmate comes to mind as one of the smallest vee hull boats I have seen fitted with a hardtop, and a semi-enclosed one at that. 

The bigger, more elaborate, and heavier the hardtop, the larger the boat to be able to carry it without upsetting the stability of the boat.

If I had to nominate a boat size or length where you can comfortably and safely fit a sophisticated, enclosed (read "heavy") type of hardtop, that length would be 5.8 metres. Most craft above this length will have the waterline beam to carry a high-mounted hard top whilst remaining relatively stable at rest.

So, if your next boat is going to be more than 5.8 metres long, then you have the realistic option of buying one with an open or enclosed hardtop – but should you? The soft top bimini does have advantages.

When you think about it, the only real disadvantage to the soft top bimini cover is the reduced weather protection. Just about everything else is a plus.

Further, you can enclose your helm station or cabin by fitting clear, zip-out drop curtains on three sides, and even four sides if you want to properly cocoon yourself against the weather. 

That said, it takes time to fit all of your side curtains, and this can be troublesome when there is a fast-moving storm approaching. Leave all the drop curtains in place, and you risk turning your helm station into a sauna in warmer weather. 

When there is little risk of rain the soft top bimini works a treat; fold up the bimini and you can enjoy the open-air experience and be at one with nature. 

Folding up the bimini also allows you to move about the full length of the boat without any overhead restrictions, a definite plus when fishing from a small boat.

The absence of an overhead cover – or other restriction – allows anglers to cast lures any which way from within the boat, even over the bow in low-windscreen runabout craft.

Boats fitted with a soft-top bimini also have better airflow and ventilation compared with an enclosed hardtop model. I have found this makes you less likely to get seasick, and if you do, then the best cure (other than medication) is to stand in the breeze and allow the fresh air to wash over your face.  

As noted earlier, having a fold-down or removable bimini makes it easier to garage your boat, and to pass your rig under low-lying bridges on the road or above canals in housing estates. 

Towing a hardtop-equipped Shark Cat many years ago, I recall having to take several detours on the Princes Highway to bypass low bridges and overpasses. Our national highway system has improved since then, but you can still get stuck on some backroads.

For some people, the overriding advantage of the soft-top bimini is cost. Given two otherwise identical boats (such as the Seafarer 6.0m Victory vs Victory hardtop), the one with the hardtop will be several thousand dollars more expensive than the open boat with the bimini cover.

Open-style hardtops are commonly fitted to trailerable boats in the 5.7- to 7.0-metre size range. 

Craft with this layout generally have an aluminium or fibreglass hardtop/roof suspended above the windscreen and helm station with support provided by aluminium or stainless steel frames. 

Many boaters prefer the open hardtop over an enclosed version as this configuration has excellent airflow and ventilation whilst providing shelter and shade from the sun.

Drop curtains are still needed – on three or four sides – to provide complete weather protection. 

An open hardtop boat is much cheaper than the enclosed version, yet the hardtop roof can still be used as the mounting platform for radio aerials, navigation lighting, rod racks, radar domes, and so on.

Similar to the enclosed-type hardtop, you can also have a radio/storage box (or safety gear netting) fitted beneath the hardtop and above the helm station.

Fixed hardtop boats can also be fitted with a shade extension which is designed to slide out over the cockpit from beneath the hardtop. As it is retractable, you can then slide it away and clear of your fishing rods as required.

Open and enclosed hardtops will also have external handholds or grab rails on each side to make it easier to climb forward to the bow for launching, anchoring or beaching.

That said, most cabin boats will also have an internal access hatch in the forepeak. 

The primary disadvantage of the open-style hardtop is that they vary in quality between boat makes and models. Cheaper brands sometimes fit poor-quality hardtops that creak, rattle and shake; you have to doubt their long-term structural integrity.

Conversely, a properly engineered open hardtop from a respected brand boat maker or aftermarket supplier will be strong, rigid, and will last the life of the boat. 

Some boat makers also have models available with folding hardtops. These can provide you with the garaging advantages of the soft top bimini, but these folding versions can never be as rigid as a fixed hardtop bolted to the deck. 

In summary, the open hardtop is favoured by many boaters and fishermen as it has advantages of both the soft top bimini and the fully enclosed hardtop.

The fully enclosed hardtop here refers to an overhead structure that is enclosed on three or four sides to create a wheelhouse cabin. 

You don't normally encounter structural issues with this hardtop configuration as the "roof" is not suspended on a frame. It should also be properly engineered, not just tacked onto the boat as an afterthought or optional extra.

Fully enclosed wheelhouse cabins are generally limited to craft of more than 6.5 metres in length. Larger craft like this have the size and beam to handle the extra weight of the high cabin sides and elaborate, usually larger hardtop.

For maximum shelter and weather protection, nothing beats the enclosed hardtop layout. It allows you and your crew to travel long distances at sea whilst remaining warm and dry in cold conditions, and cool and hydrated in hot conditions. 

Ventilation can be an issue with some enclosed cabin designs but those with forward-facing sliding side windows that pull back to open generally provide adequate airflow. An opening sunroof will also flood air into the wheelhouse.

Visibility in rough weather can be improved with an enclosed-style hardtop by fitting windscreen wipers. You can fit wipers to a soft-top bimini boat, but these craft generally have a lower windscreen that you peer over the top of while driving. 

Similar to the soft top bimini, the fully enclosed hardtop configuration has its share of disadvantages.

As noted earlier, fully enclosed hardtop boats are significantly more expensive than similar, or even identical, craft with a soft top bimini. 

The added weight and increased height of the enclosed hardtop will also reduce top speeds compared with an otherwise identical boat with a lower, much more aerodynamic soft-top bimini. 

Big, almost square hardtop boats with a full height, deck-to-hardtop windscreen are not very slippery moving forward through the air, so it makes sense that this type of craft is going to be slower in a straight line. 

Fully enclosed hardtop boats may also have issues when running beam to the sea. A strong crosswind will often cause a high-sided cabin boat to list into the wind, a common trait that can be extremely annoying. 

The fix here is to fit a pair of trim tabs, although I do believe trim tabs should be fitted to 6.5-metre-plus size boats regardless of whether they are fitted with a soft-top bimini or a fully enclosed hardtop. 

Another option is to fit your boat with twin outboard or sterndrive motors as you can adjust the height of one of the engine drive legs to lift up one side of the boat whilst underway, just like a trim tab. 

One final issue with enclosed hardtop cabin boats concerns the sun glare at certain running angles. Big front windows produce more glare that can reflect off a light-coloured dash and fascia. 

You can reduce some of the glare by blacking out the helm and fascia panel, and by placing strips of dark-coloured carpet or SeaDek rubber material below the windscreen across the width of the dash. 

The soft-top bimini, open hardtop and enclosed hardtop configurations all have their pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages. My personal choice will likely come down to boat size and application.

It is not practical or safe to fit a hardtop to small sub-5.0-metre monohull craft, so such boats should only be fitted with a soft-top bimini.

In the 5.0- to 6.0-metre boat size range I am pretty much split as to whether to fit a soft-top bimini (with aft Targa bar and rod rack) or whether to go with an open hardtop.

Conversely, if I was shopping for a 6.5-metre-plus cabin boat, the fully enclosed hardtop would likely get the nod, assuming I could find a craft that also met my other requirements. 

For wide offshore fishing, the enclosed hardtop boat is a no brainer, especially if the helm station can be enclosed on all four sides to create an all-weather wheelhouse.