It comes to all Freemans eventually, a day when the old PVC canopy bites the dust and is beyond repair. It’s something I’ve put off for a few years by spending hours re-stitching seams where the old thread had rotted out and replacing fasteners which invariably pull through their backing and of course replacing the bungee cord which hooks the canopy to the cockpit side. This ‘nurture’ gave me perhaps three extra years, but I couldn’t stall the replacement any longer.

With new canopy comes new opportunity with the stock Freeman canopy offering very few options in terms of modifying opening panels. One major bugbear I had, particularly with getting older, was the ridiculous clambering through the front panel over the helm or navigator seat. It is common for replacement canopies to forego the simplicity of the forward opening and single canopy bar hinge point by splitting the rear bars and attaching them to sliding tracks which then with a modified canopy allows access between the front and rear canopy bars giving much more civilised access. Additionally, having made and fitted a fridge/seat box, my helm position was now higher which meant the top of my head would hit the top of the canopy and middle bar requiring me to slouch in my seat. It also meant I had no visibility out of the side panels without ducking. Finally, the rear window (which had started to split) was so low that there was no visibility out of the back of the boat without ducking and bending double.

The new canopy rectifies these problems by having new, higher bars and a higher canopy in general, extending further back than the original and allowing for a much larger rear window. It also allows every panel to be opened, attached or removed separately with the toggle fastenings being mounted on the inside of the canopy making the job of fastening panels from inside the boat an awful lot easier.

The front canopy bar is telescopic with a spring loaded button to allow the bar to still fold into the original stern recess but more importantly allows the air draft to be reduced to the same level as the windscreen to allow me to pass under Wroxham Bridge without dropping the canopy completely – a major benefit when late season or winter cruising on the Broads.

Constructed from Marine Acrylic canvas, the original was PVC. Although PVC is cheaper and arguably more durable, it also suffers shrinkage and becomes very stiff when cold. I’m hoping the breathability and form stability of Acrylic will serve me better with a little care given to the fabric.

I chose a dark grey rather than the customary blue as it felt a little more contemporary but not as stark as black. I’m not keen on vivid colours as although they are eye-catching, you also need to live with it. Beige was also out of the question as it makes everything look old. Burgundy was however a contender but clashed a little with my blue upholstery.

Fabricated by Bailey & Stone, the canopy was about a third more expensive than an off-the-shelf PVC canopy but in my opinion well worth the extra. They re-made the windscreen batten and sourced fabrication of the stainless steel bars. A few installation tweaks have had to be made but the end result has been excellent, confirmed by a week’s cruising enduring very heavy rain and strong winds.

Having lived with the canopy for a week, I can say that the extra space in the cockpit is a wonderful thing. Windows make the whole area light and airy although with this also comes reduced privacy. Being able to cruise with the canopy up whilst enjoying very good visibility without having to duck to get a view or have my head hitting the front canopy bar is a pleasure. A concern is how durable the clear plastic windows will remain and of course how easy the canopy is to maintain as a whole. It will also be interesting to see how ell it keeps it’s shape over time. The increased sense of useable space is tangible and it does feel like I’ve bought a slightly bigger boat. In terms of the profile, the classic ’round’ back end of the boat has now gone which I did like aesthetically despite it being impractical and it undoubtedly changes the feel and appearance of the boat but not in a detrimental way but more importantly it does make the boat feel less cramped.

I’m not quite sure how I will fit the ‘Daddi Long Legs’ bird scarer yet but I’ll work that out somehow.