[PaulR]

I just finished the "Big Cut" on my tip up canopy last evening and have a question. After the cut, and cleaning the edges I put the front part of the canopy back on. After the cut, the rear of it dropped down the 1/4 to 1/2" to rest on the roll bar. This, in turn, caused the cut edge at the bottom to shift forward off the line.

It would seem prudent while continuing to trim it to fit, that I could move the whole canopy rearward and when all the rest fit good, make another cut on the back edge to align with the center of the roll bar.

It seems that the 1-3/4" dimension that the instructions give you from the front of F-702 to the canopy is somewhat arbitrary. Would 3/8" be to much to move it back? I really only need an 1/8 or so, but it's easier to cut when you're actually taking a sliver of material off.

In retrospect, the "big cut" is really more nerve wracking than it is hard.

Thanks for the help.

 

[rwhittier]

Alignment is everything

When I did my "Big Cut", I trimmed all the fore, aft and sides enough that the canopy sat down against the roll bar and fore and aft where I wanted it for just that reason. The cut has an angle to it to match the roll bar and if the front or rear drops more than the other end it will move the line.

That said, when I did mine I still ended up with a very minor (like an 1/8 to 1/4 inch IIRC) gap and it was easy to match it up doing what you suggest.

 

[roee]

Paul,

I wouldn't shift the canopy aft any more than you have to because that may make the fit more difficult around the forward ends of the side rails and aft ends of the forward skin, i.e. the "ears". The canopy starts to angle in significantly in the area around the ears, which already makes the fit a bit difficult. Shifting the canopy further aft would increase the angle at the ears even further, which would increase the difficulty in getting a good fit.

If you only need to trim about 1/8 inch, you're in very good shape. I know what you mean about it being difficult to remove such a thin amount, but it's actually not that bad (like the big cut, a bit intimidating only until you actually do it). Depending on your tools & methods of choice, you can either cut off what you can with a disc and then finish with abrasives, or just remove it all with abrasives. Just make sure to try your technique first on a piece of leftover scrap to avoid disasters on the real thing.

Good luck,