I had the opportunity this past week to stop by and visit with long time sponsor of CharlestonFishing.com, T- Top Covers. Most of you have heard me brag before about the great cover I got for my 23-Contender from these guys that is now in its 6th year of service. The cover does a great job keeping my boat clean as well as sheltering it from the sun, the top is very simple to install (I can put in on by myself in less than 5-minutes), and it still holding up like new even after 6 years in the weather.
When I had visited Darren and Kevin last December they showed me a sample of a material known as Black Resilience. This material is very similar to Spandex and is equipped with a special UV coating to block the suns rays. Darren was having the material tested for resistance to the elements in hopes of being able to use it as a t-top bonnet. The idea of the bonnet would be to cover and protect the very top of the t-top since it is left exposed to the weather with their standard boat cover. Just like their other tops Darren was searching for a material that would be extremely durable; in addition it needed to be elastic to stretch over radar domes, rod holders, antennas, outriggers, and other components typically mounted to the t-tops of center consoles. In January of 2011 T-Top Covers starting manufacturing the bonnets and they have been steady turning out the new innovative product for customers all over the country.
The Black Resilience offers UV protection while allowing air to flow through so your top is protected from the sun, dirt, leaves, and is still allowed to breathe so there are no issues with mold or mildew growth. And just like their T-Top covers this bonnet can be installed in just a few minutes.
T-Top Covers quickly realized that Black Resilience would also make an excellent material for sunshades. Not only does it offer the UV protection, it allows the air to flow through for additional cooling; furthermore, since the breeze passes through, there is no noisy wind flap common to traditional