Another bimini thread?? no way!!!

[rivermobster]

I'm not a baller by any means. And I'm sure as fuck aint all that smart! lol

But, I do know how to do homework when I need to. And when it comes to spending money on something, I do all the research I can.

I talked to a lot of different shops before I bought my bimini top (no one recommended straps btw). I got all my prices lined up, and then I started shopping. Becka at The Main Stitch was certainly not the cheapest at the time, but she had all the right answers and she came in about in the middle of the pack on pricing.

It's full stainless, sunbrella material, with 80% mesh panels to let the wind through. Not sure if it helps or not, to me it always acts like a sail!

I went with poles and not straps not only for safety reasons, but they allow you to store the top in all kinna different positions. It NEVER comes off the boat.

Here is what she sold me and the reasons why we did what we did...

First, make sure you get the short poles to keep the bimini off the seat when you store it. If you don't, it's gonna fuck up your upholstery/gel as the years go by. I bought this bimini in 09, and it still looks brand new.

 

[rivermobster]

To keep it out of the way under power, but still stored, you put in the "radar position" . I didn't make this term up!!! lol When the first shop told me this, I was like, wtf are you talking about?? They told me to to look at some shops around Havasu, and you will get the idea. It works well and keeps it out of the way.

 

[rivermobster]

The back poles mount into brackets that are kind of a pain to use. I didn't want to deal with that with the front poles, so they sold me these quick disconnects. You and attach them in any position, which makes them ideal for curved decks and such. Looking back, I should have got them for the back poles too. They are nice, but a little expensive, and I didn't think I needed them then. They snap in and out easily!

 

[rivermobster]

I also got the panhard rod that I didn't take a pic of installed. It keeps the top from moving around side to side and keeps it a LOT more stable. It will get in the way sometimes, but with a quick pin pull, it just hangs there and won't bother anyone.

The thing that Becka told me that made the most sense to me was, you can't always predict the weather. Gusts of winds will come out of nowhere. If your cruising around at 30mph and you get a gust of wind that comes at you going 30mph (which we all know is nothing out in the desert). Now you have 60mph worth of wind yanking at your top! You don't want something unstable in those conditions.

The panhard rod is a must.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I would not expect any shop to recommend straps over poles. Poles are a superior setup but still require periodic inspection.

Everything can and will fail if given enough time. I’ve yet to see anything overly dangerous with regards to being hit by a nylon strap. If the eye pulls out of your boat and goes flying with a hook on the end, that is a different story, and the same could happen with poles if the cleats are not secured.

If the nylon strap fails, it will
leave the hook on the boat and you might get slapped in the face with a harmless piece of frayed nylon.

That looks like a nice setup. My boat has a hidden bimini and poles would be a gigantic pain to use, and my boat is not fast enough to justify a pole setup.

 

[rivermobster]

So with everything in place, the top is nice and tight all the time. I took this pic in 2015, years after the top was built. Even today it still looks this tight...

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

So with everything in place, the top is nice and tight all the time. I took this pic in 2015, years after the top was built. Even today it still looks this tight...

View attachment 679257

Legit question - Is there a way to tighten, loosen or adjust this type of setup? Does the top stretch at all over time? Or is it just set up tighter than a drum and left alone?

 

[rivermobster]

To set it up from storage, all I have to is swap out the rear poles for the longer poles, and pull the front poles forward and snap em in. It's easy to do, but one drawback of full stainless is that it's heavy!!! Having a second person helping you makes it a snap, but I can do it by myself.

I like the look of the full stainless and mesh top way better than the old canvas top this boat had on it when I first got it.

It's not welded. Welds can break when they flex. I check all the allens on mine at the beginning of every season. I check all the mounting points too. Every once in awhile, I will find something loose, and it just takes a second to snug it back up.

I paid good money for it, but it is super functional for everything I do with it. Even today, it still looks like the day it was born.

Thanks Becka! She also made a real nice full cover for me. Everything fits like a glove.

 

[rivermobster]

Legit question - Is there a way to tighten, loosen or adjust this type of setup? Does the top stretch at all over time? Or is it just set up tighter than a drum and left alone?

I'm gonna go with your "tight as a drum" description. There are no adjustments on it. I bought it back in 09, and it's still super tight today.

My wife sews for a hobby. When she looked at the work Becka did, she commented "who ever did this did a nice job!" My wife is super critical of sewing stuff, so for her to say that was pretty impressive to me. So far is had lasted quite well.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

To set it up from storage, all I have to is swap out the rear poles for the longer poles, and pull the front poles forward and snap em in. It's easy to do, but one drawback of full stainless is that it's heavy!!! Having a second person helping you makes it a snap, but I can do it by myself.

I like the look of the full stainless and mesh top way better than the old canvas top this boat had on it when I first got it.

It's not welded. Welds can break when they flex. I check all the allens on mine at the beginning of every season. I check all the mounting points too. Every once in awhile, I will find something loose, and it just takes a second to snug it back up.

I paid good money for it, but it is super functional for everything I do with it. Even today, it still looks like the day it was born.

Thanks Becka! She also made a real nice full cover for me. Everything fits like a glove.

View attachment 679258

When the strap broke on my old boat, Becka made the new straps with forged hooks for me. She does do great work.

 

[JB in so cal]

Big Bend!

 

[rivermobster]

I intentionally didn't have it go all the way forward. Some people like the sun!

@YoPengo @Bobby V

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I'm gonna go with your "tight as a drum" description. There are no adjustments on it. I bought it back in 09, and it's still super tight today.

My wife sews for a hobby. When she looked at the work Becka did, she commented "who ever did this did a nice job!" My wife is super critical of sewing stuff, so for her to say that was pretty impressive to me. So far is had lasted quite well.

Good to know. It looks great.

 

[rivermobster]

Here is an old pic with the pan hard rod in place. Hard to see in the back, but I think you'll get the idea...

 

[rivermobster]

Anyhow, that's my build thread and what I learned. Years later, it still serves me well.

 

[JayBreww]

I made my own short mounts to keep the Bimini off the hatch.
I think they are a must to have [emoji1303]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Englewood]

Best upgrade I ever did was go to a stainless bimini. Doesn't have that bubbly look some of the other have. And, its tougher than a $2 steak.