This is what the welder is making for me, approximately. The tubing is 1 7/8" outer diameter, thick wall (5/32") tube. The overall dimensions are included in the graphic.
The bend in the top piece is as follows: the center 12" is flat, beyond that there will be 1.5" of 'droop' at the end of each side. This shape conforms to the shape of the cabin roof, which like many Ariels, has been flattened from a smooth curve by 40 years or so of mast weight/pressure. The top tube will also have a flat plate about 2.5" wide welded along the top edge for its whole length, as seen in the graphic to the right side. This will spread the load once the mast is back up, make for a larger bearing area, and to make mating the support to the cabin roof easier.
The height of the support allows it to extend a bit more than 2' below the top edge of the cutaway bulkhead, which was trimmed just above the level of the port-side cabinet top. 6 3-4" square plates will be welded to the verticals, with holes that bolts will go through to attach the whole thing to the bulkhead. I may also opt for a 3rd hole which goes through the tubing (a triangle pattern for the bolts). There will also be some gussets at the top where the tubes meet, to help transfer the horizontal loads to the vertical.
The internal width of the two vertical tubes is the same dimension as the original Ariel doorway. The faint blue line on the drawing approximates the cabin trunk, deck, and bulkhead.
This structure is costing, "ballpark", between $200-300, and is being made of a bright finish tubing. The compression strength of the tubing is over 1,000#, I was told. This is the material used to make 'tuna towers' and hardtop frames on large sportfishing boats (35-70'+). All I will have to do to finish it for mounting is to drill the holes for the bulkhead bolts.
I told the welder that other folks might be interested in getting one of these, since so many Ariels have had compression effects, he said he could always make more.
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