My forward-hinged canopy uses automotive trunk hinges (from eBay) that have a built-in gas strut. They're designed for a luxury car (it's been a while, but I think it was for a BMW) with a fairly heavy metal hood, so the gas struts are quite strong. Two hinges together easily support the canopy. There are tapered blocks underneath them that are glassed onto the longerons. These blocks hold the bolts that attach the hinges to the fuselage sides. The hinges themselves then have bolts through their upper brackets that the canopy attaches to. It's a nice system, actually, because the whole canopy can be very easily removed if major maintenance is being done.