Adding a Pilot house to an Open Sport Fisher

[kclanier]

I own a 1997 Luhrs 320 open and live in the Pacific Northwest of the US. I am looking to see if it is possible to replace the isenglass eclosure with a pilot house type structure. I have not desire at this time to reconfigure the interior of the enclosure. I am looking for suggestions and direction. I love the boat and the Hull rides incredibly smooth in these North Pacific waters. Thank you in advance for your input and assistance. I have enclosed a photograph of the boat.

[michael pierzga]

Diffficult to say...the esthetics will be a challenge. A wheelhouse of the same volume as your present soft top arrangment would be heavy and look terrible.

I say blow up a side on photo of your boat, copy the profile to paper, then start sketching possible wheelhouse combos.

On small boat I think wheelhouses with a heavy camber roof look best... Standing headroom under the center , sitting headroom at the helmstaion, with a overall lower profile side view image .

Big side wheelhouse windows on a small craft look goofy.

Flat glass in a three panel layout forward is easy to build , looks good and allows wind screen wipers.

A wheelhouse roof that extends forward of the windscreen ...like a baseball cap visor ..keeps the house from looking boxy.

A compact ,shapely hard wheelhouse with a extended soft roof looks good on small boats

[Easy Rider]

And a small trunk cabin fwd of the main makes the main look much smaller and goes a long way to avoid the box look and give the optical illusion that proportions are still OK even if they are'nt. Build LIGHT. Not budlight. Also try and break up the straight vertical line of the back of the cabin.

[u4ea32]

Maybe just try those Rainer windows or, apparently better and far cheaper, plexiglass instead of eisenglass. Lots of canvas shops can do that for you for two or three boat bucks.