Bob,
You've done it!
The GB's are so seldom seen w/o the FB there's no comparison. But now we have it. To me sans FB is perfect, better and better looking but many aren't comfortable w different than usual houses, cars, boats or whatever. Thinking out of the box comes natural for others (like myself) but in this case it seems that most any honest person can see your boat looks better .. longer, faster, more stable .. or even sleeker ... at least visually but perhaps to a small degree otherwise too. But then I'm biased. I've been say'in fly bridges are kinda silly all along. Does this make you out to be kind of a myth buster? To some degree yes.
Kinda odd how people who either never have had or have amputated their fly bridge like to down-talk fly bridges in general. Basically trying to show how correct they are in not having one and how "silly" (see post quote above) they feel it is for boaters to have one.
While on the other hand... I can not recall any posts where owners of boats with a fly bridge ever bother to waste time down-talking people who have boats with no FB and who must remain confined inside closed quarters aboard whenever cruising and at most other times too. There is a reason for this... keep reading, please.
Often when one group attacks another group for a difference of opinion... it is because the attacker feels some how inferior to or frightened by the difference openly displayed by the others. Thus creating a conflict of fight or flight in the attacking group's mind. In this case, regarding fly bridges, the fight syndrome is accomplished by the attacker
Correctly proportioned and well designed FB on a boat are only silly if they are never used. If owners like to be atop on the bridge then they are not silly at all... but rather, a Fly bridge becomes an intricate useful boat portion. Some, (we included) spend 99.9% of out time up on the bridge while cruising (actually with the motors running at all). We also have guests and ourselves migrate onto the bridge when we all are gathering outside on the sundeck to enjoy openness.
IMO - what is silly is to have many, many square feet of "upper deck" (on top of salon) siting there accomplishing nothing except as a roof when inside. However, if the top is used for dink storage, solar panels, sun bathing (which I don't recommend) or other useful purposes then having it flat with no fly bridge seems appropriate.
I write this post simply to exemplify that having or not having a fly bridge or a flat top is perfectly OK. And, that for persons who do not have or even like a fly bridge... there is simply no need or use in stewing how to best attach FB's by words such as "silly" in posts.
Different strokes for different folks and each to their own!
BTW: I feel the GB in this thread looks great with or without a flying bridge and wish untold years of boating enjoyment to all boat owners.
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