I installed my brand new soft top this weekend and ran into a few snags. nothing insurmountable and certainly nothing to disuade me from either product....i think they are both top quality!
the aqualu tub doesn't have a hole for the rod to slide into...it has a box (so you can attach the door striker hardware). for some reason, when i slide the rod in the box the top frame is flush with the lip instead of being flush with the body with the pointy edge sliding down outside the lip. my modification was to cut the angle steel with a sawzall and bend it flat. the downside of this mod is that the roll of canvas that slides in the groove hits the lip and doesnt go down as far as it should causing a little bunching (i didnt realize this til i was done). my permanent mod is gonna be to slice the rod down the middle and weld in a gusset in order to move the frame out past the lip. the only other difference i can see is the rear body gusset...i had to drill a 1 inch hole for the frame to slide through...this takes the place of the upper clamp. the rest is a straightforward first time install of a soft top. i got the twist lock grommets and the footman loops at westmarine. i didnt use a special grommet tool...just careful use of a razor blade. it took a sunny day for the material to stetch a bit to fit right.
the aqualu tub doesn't have a hole for the rod to slide into...it has a box (so you can attach the door striker hardware). for some reason, when i slide the rod in the box the top frame is flush with the lip instead of being flush with the body with the pointy edge sliding down outside the lip. my modification was to cut the angle steel with a sawzall and bend it flat. the downside of this mod is that the roll of canvas that slides in the groove hits the lip and doesnt go down as far as it should causing a little bunching (i didnt realize this til i was done). my permanent mod is gonna be to slice the rod down the middle and weld in a gusset in order to move the frame out past the lip. the only other difference i can see is the rear body gusset...i had to drill a 1 inch hole for the frame to slide through...this takes the place of the upper clamp. the rest is a straightforward first time install of a soft top. i got the twist lock grommets and the footman loops at westmarine. i didnt use a special grommet tool...just careful use of a razor blade. it took a sunny day for the material to stetch a bit to fit right.
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