The Fishing Boat Targa Top: A Great Bimini Top Alternative

For any boat owner, a bimini top is one of the most desirable item that they need to have on board when sailing out into the open seas. This top is basically an open front top mostly made from a metal frame supported canvas. The main purpose of the cover top is to provide shade, protecting you from the sun.

While the Bimini is a great way to protect yourself from the sun, it is quite limited as it will not offer sufficient protection from rain, sea spray or wind when moving forward at sea. And again, Biminis are usually quite limited in size. As such, when you have crowd on the boat, it will not offer sufficient protection to all those on board.

The good thing however is that there is a great alternative that will offer better protection to a greater extent. That alternative is the Boat Targa top. A fishing boat targa top serves the same purpose as a Bimini top- offering protection. However, compared to the bimini, it offers more protection as it will not only provide shade from the hot sun but will also protect you and your passengers from rain. At the same time, t tops usually have more ground clearance, meaning you can stand under it without having to worry about knocking yourself or the top off. Also known as the T-top, the targa top is constructed as a ‘T’ shaped structure.

Compared to other boat tops, the T-top is quite different in the sense that its structure is quite different. The most common and most reliable T-top design is the one supported by a center console with no straps or support brackets. Such T-tops offer you and your passenger’s more freedom to move around with a 360-degree access advantage. This way, you can carry on doing your activities around the boat without having to worry about crisscrossing support beams or cables.

These tops are usually made from top-quality marine aluminum extrusions known for their longevity, appearance and sturdiness. They can also be made from stainless steel. However, many people do not opt for steel has it has more negatives when compared to aluminum. Basically, this is because steel is heavy, costly, harder to construct with and is not as flexible or as durable as its counterpart.

Benefits of a Fishing Boat Targa Top

Ease of use: The beauty of a T-top is its ease of use. When you do not need it up, all you have to do is to collapse the top and voila! ...it’s out of your way. Setting it up is also fast and easy and will only take a matter of minutes to get it back up.

Saves on space: compared to the Bimini top or other types of boat tops, the Targa top is a great space saver. For instance, with the center console T-top, the only space used is where the top stands. If you don’t need it collapse the top and when in need of it, getting it back up is fast and easy.

Affordability: considering that it saves both time and space, the targa top makes the most economical sense. It requires minimal to no support columns, cables or beams for it to stand, it uses one of the sturdiest materials in its construction and will cost you a onetime fee to get it set up on your boat (that is if you are going to hire a professional to handle the task for you).

The T-top is definitely a great alternative to that of a Bimini, when it comes to protecting yourself from the elements when out fishing. The great thing is that it is easy to design and set up your own Targa top. All you need is the right DIY Targa top construction manual, all the necessary construction materials and plenty of time to get the job done.