A cruiser arch moving and control mechanism includes a pair of carriage guides (32, 150, 188) fixed to opposite sides of a cruiser hull, and a pair of carriages (30, 170), each mounted to one of the opposing legs of the cruiser arch. Each of the carriage guides includes a slot (40, 156, 190) with an elongate linear track section and an adjacent arcuate track section. Each carriage includes a pair of spaced apart bearings (76/78, 164/176, 198/200) that are confined for reciprocal travel along one of the slots to support the carriage moveably relative to the associated carriage guide. Two linear actuators (34), one coupled between each carriage and its associated guide, are extendable and retractable in concert to move the arch between working and clearance positions. The carriage guides are configured to prevent any substantial rotation of the carriages until the arch is extended linearly at least a predetermined distance from the working position.