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Old 09-11-2011, 10:00 PM   #1
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Penthouse Corner Brace Install

As a paddler, I haul a canoe or kayak at times on my manual penthouse. While I can lift the top with a boat up, it doesn't seem to want to stay up very well so I usually remove the boat at night which is not very convenient. Since I also travel without boats, I don't want to adjust the springs since I still want to get the top down. Corner braces seemed to be solution so I made and installed a set. The brackets for the SMB ones seem a bit small with the screws close together viewtopic.php?p=55822#p55822 - I wanted the screws and stresses spread out a bit more when attaching to the ceiling liner.

I made my brackets from 3-1/2" octagonal box covers. With some drilling, cutting, bending and filing, I ended up with this:


After measuring and cutting 3/4" oak dowels, I attached them to the brackets with a pivot bolt and added a endcap. A bit of measuring and drilling later, I attached them to the top and added low-profile broom clips to hold them in the stowed position:




If you have a RB like mine, make sure that the stowed position does not interfere with the penthouse supports when lowering the top. This photo is looking approximately straight up in the front, the rear is similar but a bit tighter:


The stowed braces do not seem to interfere with the canvas/windows when the top is down. This is in the front:


Looking at the photos now, I'm kinda wishing I'd painted the brackets white but I'm not taking them out just for that.

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Old 09-11-2011, 10:11 PM   #2
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Penthouse Corner Brace Install

Nice installation. I like hat they fold up and are self storing. Been thinking about making some braces for my rig but have not gotten to it yet. Out of curiosity, how long did you make the braces?


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Old 09-11-2011, 10:31 PM   #3
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Re: Penthouse Corner Brace Install

Quote:
Originally Posted by larrie
Out of curiosity, how long did you make the braces?
Due to the variation between rigs, you should measure yours at all four corners before cutting. For mine, I cut the fronts at 28-1/2" and the rears at 28-3/4". The cap and bracket added about 3/8" to this length.
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Old 09-12-2011, 06:10 PM   #4
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Penthouse Corner Brace Install

Those are close to my measurements. Thanks.


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Old 09-14-2011, 02:41 AM   #5
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Re: Penthouse Corner Brace Install

SMB West sells braces and they are pretty slick. I like the added security in stormy weather.
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Old 09-16-2011, 08:01 PM   #6
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Re: Penthouse Corner Brace Install

Nice design
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Old 09-16-2011, 09:41 PM   #7
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Re: Penthouse Corner Brace Install

Nice work!

I don't now what year your SMB is, but mine is an '07 and it came with 4 corner supports already installed.
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Old 09-16-2011, 10:38 PM   #8
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Re: Penthouse Corner Brace Install

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ketcham
SMB West sells braces and they are pretty slick. I like the added security in stormy weather.
Any thoughts on whether it is worth installing a brace on an electric PH, just for safety's sake?
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Old 09-16-2011, 11:15 PM   #9
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Re: Penthouse Corner Brace Install

I requested them in addition to my power top. With the aluminess rack plus solar plus gear if something failed I would be crushed. I love camping in crazy winter storms. Waking up to snow on the roof weight would add up quick.
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Old 09-17-2011, 09:23 AM   #10
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Re: Penthouse Corner Brace Install

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ketcham
I requested them in addition to my power top. With the aluminess rack plus solar plus gear if something failed I would be crushed. I love camping in crazy winter storms. Waking up to snow on the roof weight would add up quick.
So, what do you do if you wake up with 150# of wet snow on the PH top? Wait until it melts? You can't exactly go up and clean it off, can you?

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