Taylor Made Systems & Ameritex Fabric Systems introduce first fabric retractable roof and tower integration at IBEX 2015

GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. – Taylor Made Systems and Ameritex Fabric Systems unveil the first Fabric Retractable Roof integrated into a bonded glass, powder coated tower and T-top at the 2015 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX).

“Both companies have worked with each other to bring our creative technologies together in the first ever T-top that has a manual retractable folding roof, bonded tempered glass and power-actuated center glass vent,” said Don Zirkelbach, president of Ameritex Fabric Systems.

The patent pending Retractable T-top Fabric Roof is engineered and manufactured by Ameritex Fabric Systems using Patented SureSeal technology, which ensures that it is waterproof. It can be incorporated in any fiberglass or aluminum T-top roof. A strap allows the user to pull the roof panel to half open or fully open. It has a locking mechanism, and while the version shown at IBEX is manually operated, power-actuation can be added. It is available as part of the Taylor Made tower package or as a stand-alone product.

The supports on the Tower-Windshield assembly are designed by Taylor Made Systems to support most hardtop or T-top systems and will tie in with fiberglass consoles. The supports incorporate patented canvas tracks to isolate the canvas fasteners and avoid corrosion. They are powder-coated and can be ordered in a variety of colors. The windshield is designed with tempered, safety glass and can be shaped for individual styling. The structure can be fully enclosed with bonded front and wing glass, or unique options are offered such as power or manually actuated front or wing vents.

“The proprietary design of our towers is precisely engineered to provide exceptional rigidity and stiffness to the entire tower system,” said Mike Sturm, vice president of engineering for Taylor Made Systems. “Furthermore, it eliminates problems that can occur when matching parts from different vendors and provides a smoother, seamless finished look for the boat buyer.”

“This integrated unit  — the tower, windshield and T-top with a retractable fabric roof — offers boat builders a range of exclusive design options, while saving time and installation costs on the production line,” said Mike Oathout, vice president of sales and marketing for Taylor Made Systems. “The whole package is really cool. It shows our ongoing commitment to a program of continuous innovation to help our partners reduce costs while enhancing customer satisfaction.”