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T-Top Sun Shade Poles: Extend Shade Beyond Your T-Top
A T-top sun shade pole is a fixed-length pole that drops into a boat’s standard 1.5 inch rod holders and extends shade past the fixed T-top, into the bow and aft areas the top does not cover. Sunfly Poles makes carbon fiber and aluminum rod holder shade poles that work with any T-top boat, built by Canvas Designers in Riviera Beach, Florida. A T-top shades the helm, and not much else. The bow, the cockpit aft of the top, and the casting platforms sit in full sun. A pair of Sunfly poles fills those gaps without drilling, without a second hardtop, and without anything overhead to block a rod tip. New to shade poles? The boat shade poles hub covers the full system. This page is about extending the shade on a T-top boat.
Why a T-top alone leaves you exposed
Sunfly poles work with a T-top by mounting in the rod holders the boat already has. The shade fabric attaches to the T-top frame, and the poles tension it out over the area you want covered.
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Forward of the T-top. Mount a 6 ft pair in the forward rod holders and run the panel from the front of the T-top toward the bow.
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Aft of the T-top. Mount a 6 ft pair in the stern or aft gunnel rod holders and run the panel from the back of the T-top over the cockpit.
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From the T-top rod holders. Many T-tops have rocket launcher rod holders along the back. A 1.5 inch Sunfly pole fits those too, which gives you another mounting option.
The 1.5 inch pole, patented 316 stainless steel duo cam cleat, custom Delrin top pulley, and angled Delrin base inserts hold the panel tight with no support straps.
How Sunfly Poles extend your T-top shade
Sunfly poles work with a T-top by mounting in the rod holders the boat already has. The shade fabric attaches to the T-top frame, and the poles tension it out over the area you want covered.
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Forward of the T-top. Mount a 6 ft pair in the forward rod holders and run the panel from the front of the T-top toward the bow.
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Aft of the T-top. Mount a 6 ft pair in the stern or aft gunnel rod holders and run the panel from the back of the T-top over the cockpit.
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From the T-top rod holders. Many T-tops have rocket launcher rod holders along the back. A 1.5 inch Sunfly pole fits those too, which gives you another mounting option.
The 1.5 inch pole, patented 316 stainless steel duo cam cleat, custom Delrin top pulley, and angled Delrin base inserts hold the panel tight with no support straps.
How Sunfly Poles extend your T-top shade
To extend shade past a T-top, a rod holder shade pole beats the alternatives on install speed, no drilling, offshore stability, and clean removal. Here is the side-by-side.
For the full breakdown of every removable option, see our removable boat shade guide. For the head-to-head against a bimini, see shade poles vs bimini compared.
What size shade pole do you need for a T-top boat
For most T-top boats, the answer is the 6 ft carbon fiber pole pair. T-tops are most common on center consoles from 23 to 45+ ft, and the 6 ft pair covers the bow or the cockpit on boats in that range. Sunfly poles are fixed length, so you match the pole to the boat rather than adjusting one pole.
Sunfly poles fit T-top boats with standard 1.5 inch rod holders, including Yellowfin, SeaVee, Contender, Invincible, Freeman, Regulator, and Boston Whaler. For the full center console setup, see the center console boat shade page. Stepping up to a bigger boat? See sportfish yacht shade.
How Sunfly Poles install on a T-top boat
Installation takes about five minutes the first time and under a minute after that. There is no drilling and no permanent hardware.
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Step 1. Secure the shade fabric to the T-top frame using the Sunfly stainless keyhole mount assembly.
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Step 2. Feed the tensioning line at the end of the shade through the custom Delrin top pulley fitting, then through the 316 stainless steel duo cam cleat on the pole.
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Step 3. Drop the pole into your rod holder, pull the shade taut, and lock the line on the cam cleat.
Takedown is the same in reverse. The poles store flat in a WeatherMAX bag that fits under a console seat or in a leaning post locker.
Carbon fiber or aluminum for a T-top boat
Carbon fiber is the right call for most T-top boats. It is about 40 percent lighter than aluminum, stays rigid in wind load without support straps, and does not corrode in salt water. That matters on a center console that runs offshore and sits in the sun. Aluminum is the budget option and uses the same rod holder mounting system, so it still drops in with no drilling. The flagship line is carbon fiber.
See finishes and pairs on the carbon fiber shade poles collection page.
Built for South Florida T-top boats
Sunfly Poles are designed and built by Canvas Designers, a marine fabrication shop on the South Florida waterfront since 1985. The poles are tested in the same water our customers fish: year-round UV, trade-wind chop, and tournament runs that keep a boat in salt water 200 days a year.
A T-top shade extension here has to deploy fast enough to rig between drifts during the Silver Sailfish Derby, hold in the 4 ft seas that are normal off Jupiter Inlet, and come off clean so the boat trailers home without extra hardware. Carbon fiber, 316 stainless hardware, and Soltis 86 fabric are built for exactly that. Every pole carries a 1-year limited warranty.
Frequently asked questions
Extend your T-top shade with Sunfly Poles
Sunfly Poles has supplied marine shade to boat owners and the trade for over 40 years through the Canvas Designers facility at 1500 Australian Avenue, Riviera Beach, FL 33404. Every pole is built for real T-top boat use: salt water, UV, wind, and tournament days, and ships nationwide.Marine canvas shops and boat dealers can spec Sunfly Poles into T-top builds and refits with wholesale pricing and shop-direct support. Boat owners shopping retail get help matching the pole length and finish to the vessel.
Browse the carbon fiber shade poles collection, or call (561) 848-2111 to spec the right setup for your T-top boat.