Bimini owners, get in here

[Plasma George]

Now that I got your attention ....what size bimini top do you have ?

I bought a 20' 1992 Maxum bowrider with no top whatsoever and I want/need to buy a Bimini Top.

Iboats has them 4', 6'. 8'. I wanted to hear from others on what length they chose.....or guys that chose 6' or 8'. I want the entire cockpit covered to the rear seats, all but the rear sun deck and bow.

What about height? Sounds like we'd all want to stand without hitting our heads. What height do you have ? 36", 42", other ? Where do you measure the height from ? the middle mounting point ? My concern is going higher will create too much wind drag that will cause stress/damage over time.

Thanks.

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

mine is a 3 bow 6ft. It covers from the windshield just up to the rear seats. It seems to be the perfect size to shade a big area but not get in the way. Dont worry about the wind drag, it will hold up to it. mine has seen cruising in 30-40 mph winds and is still fine. I dont remember the height i purchased.....but im about 6' and i just barely hit the top when i stand up underneath it. mine is mounted low on the hull though, outside the windshield so i got maximum coverage inside the boat.

 

[Plasma George]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

Thanks for the info and pics. I guess you have the standard height ? It looks a little low, like another 6-12" would make a nice difference for the 6'+ guys standing.

Your boat looks very similar to mine, I guess I have to decide whether I want another 2' of Bimini added to the back. Makes for more shade, but it might also hinder guys fishing and casting off the stern.

 

[PitchFork]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

If I remember right I bought a 6' as any smaller wasn't going to cover enough and would look funny. The 8' was too long as it would extend too far back or too far forward. The height all depneds where you are going to mount it. I would recommend not mounting on the windshield frame as I first had mine and it was way too shaking and learned later on it could break the glass.

I mounted mine on the outside ledge the cockpit glass mounts to. I had to shorten my top a couple times so it would fit under the tower I put on last year.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

My old boat was 19 ft and i bought a 3 bow 6ft bimini...it was ok but could have went 8 ft.
My 21 footer has the 4 bow 8ft bimini and it works out great but i wish they made a 10 footer.

The taller it is mounted the less shade it gives you.
Decide where the mounting points will be and measure up just to the top of your head while standing in the boat.That will be the height you want.
I would rather have to duck just a bit to walk under it than have it really tall.
They do not look good really tall in my opinion.

Both tops i bought for my last two boats i ended up cutting them down to lower them about 8 to 10 inches.

This is the 6ft on a 19 footer...still a little taller than i like but it was modified as low as i could go with it.

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

I guess I have to decide whether I want another 2' of Bimini added to the back. Makes for more shade, but it might also hinder guys fishing and casting off the stern.

yep, thats it. Check these things out...
http://www.overtons.com/modperl/pro...Biminiclip_6_pack&str=biminiclip&merchID=4005

They allow you to clip towels to the bimini/frame to make temporary "walls" that will even stay while under way. works great for cruising as the sun starts to set or when the kids are sleeping. then, you can kinda move the shade to where you want it.

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

I think the 8 footers are just too long and dont look right. And height wise I think you want to be able to walk underneath it without ducking. I never measured the height of mine but you can see from the pic I have tons of head room (although my wife is only 5'3") Your mounting point will be on your gunwhale....measure the distance from the floor to the mounting point and add the height of the bimini (36", 42" etc) to get your total height. All just my opinion of course.

 

[Plasma George]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

My old boat was 19 ft and i bought a 3 bow 6ft bimini...it was ok but could have went 8 ft.
My 21 footer has the 4 bow 8ft bimini and it works out great but i wish they made a 10 footer.

The taller it is mounted the less shade it gives you.
Decide where the mounting points will be and measure up just to the top of your head while standing in the boat.That will be the height you want.
I would rather have to duck just a bit to walk under it than have it really tall.
They do not look good really tall in my opinion.

Both tops i bought for my last two boats i ended up cutting them down to lower them about 8 to 10 inches.

This is the 6ft on a 19 footer...still a little taller than i like but it was modified as low as i could go with it.

Great pics guys, they really show what it will look like.
Gary, Do you have any pics of your 21'er with the 8' bimini ?

 

[pinellas50]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

Here is my 6 ft, 36" tall bimini on my 17 ft.

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/4910/1/24772500131_large.jpg

The driver/pass front seats are always shaded. The back to backs behind these seats are normally shaded----depending on where the sun is. The bow obviously isn't nor are the seats on the sides of the motor well.

I'm a short guy(5'7") and I have to slightly duck under mine. I had originally intended to mount it on the gunwale but didn't realize the mounting point was covered by windshield when I ordered. So the new mounting point is several inches lower. I wanted the bimini as low as possible because I like that look and I loose as little shade as possible.

I think an 8' on my boat would be cumbersome when getting in and out. It would also interfere with fishing. What I have now is the best compromise for me IMO.


Oh, nice vessel there Gary H NC.

 

[DJ]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

Four bow-six feet. Boat is 26'. Does fine at 55 MPH.

Bows are 42" I believe. It is about four inches over my head. I'm 6'3". Height is a relationship between the deck to gunnel height and your height.

 

[Plasma George]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

Great pics ! Seems like I want shade more than others. I still don't know which way to go.

Anybody have any pics of an 8'er ?

 

[dan4081]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

I dont have pics of mine (its a 6 footer anyway) but I 100% agree that a 8 footer on your boat would be the way to go.
My 6 foot 3 bow on my 16' Bowrider covers the driver and stops short of shading the back seats. It also leaves the front bow area unshaded.

If (and when) I replace it I will go with an 8 footer. I wish I had when I ordered mine.

I also agree that you want it tall enough to stand comfortably under.

 

[Plasma George]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

The taller it is mounted the less shade it gives you.

Gary,
Wouldn't it be the other way around ?
The closer you get to the light source, the wider the shadow gets.

If a 6' bimini was 1" off the floor, it would have a 6' shadow.
Start raising the bimini, why would the shadow get smaller ? As if it would eventually go to zero ?
It has to be the other way around, getting larger as the bimini rises.

Easy to try with an umbrella and a recessed light.

 

[Plasma George]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

The taller it is mounted the less shade it gives you.

Gary,
Wouldn't it be the other way around ?
The closer you get to the light source, the wider the shadow gets.

If a 6' bimini was 1" off the floor, it would have a 6' shadow.
Start raising the bimini, why would the shadow get smaller ? As if it would eventually go to zero ?
It has to be the other way around, getting larger as the bimini rises.

Easy to try with an umbrella and a recessed light.

 

[Plasma George]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

The taller it is mounted the less shade it gives you.

Gary,
Wouldn't it be the other way around ?
The closer you get to the light source, the wider the shadow gets.

If a 6' bimini was 1" off the floor, it would have a 6' shadow.
Start raising the bimini, why would the shadow get smaller ? As if it would eventually go to zero ?
It has to be the other way around, getting larger as the bimini rises.

Easy to try with an umbrella and a recessed light.

 

[dan4081]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

Gary,
Wouldn't it be the other way around ?
The closer you get to the light source, the wider the shadow gets.

If a 6' bimini was 1" off the floor, it would have a 6' shadow.
Start raising the bimini, why would the shadow get smaller ? As if it would eventually go to zero ?
It has to be the other way around, getting larger as the bimini rises.

Easy to try with an umbrella and a recessed light.

If the sun is directly above you, then yes, that would be true.

But if the sun isnt directly above you a higher bimini will give you less shade.

 

[Riverboat_Mickey]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

Gary,
Wouldn't it be the other way around ?
The closer you get to the light source, the wider the shadow gets.

If a 6' bimini was 1" off the floor, it would have a 6' shadow.
Start raising the bimini, why would the shadow get smaller ? As if it would eventually go to zero ?
It has to be the other way around, getting larger as the bimini rises.

Easy to try with an umbrella and a recessed light.

No matter what height the Bimini is... Any difference in the size of shadow will be negligable... You'd have to significantly change the ratio of the distances --- sun-to-bimini:bimini-to-ground and that's not going to happen!

The lower the bimini is, the more usefull will be the shade area when the sun is NOT directly overhead!

-Mike

 

[Plasma George]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

No matter what height the Bimini is... Any difference in the size of shadow will be negligable... You'd have to significantly change the ratio of the distances --- sun-to-bimini:bimini-to-ground and that's not going to happen!

The lower the bimini is, the more usefull will be the shade area when the sun is NOT directly overhead!

-Mike

Makes perfect sense. I'll goto the storage place and do some more measuring. Thank for the posts of all the pics.

If anyone has an 8' bimini, we'd love to see a pic to see the coverage. The wife is already voting for an 8'er, just scared of it being a PIA for the fishing days (which she's not part of).

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

I'll see if i can get a pic this weekend of my 8ft bimini.
I have to take the cover off the boat and put the bimini on.I store it inside over the Winter.
Should have the rest of my parts today and be ready to hit the water for the first time this season...If work does not call me in..

The taller it is mounted the more the afternoon sun gets under it.
My 8ft ended up just to where i can walk under it with about 2 inches to spare.
I did install a set of the slide tracks so when i fold it down and put the boot on it will slide back and lay on the transom out of the way.
Plus the tracks give some adjustment with the top up.

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Bimini owners, get in here

8' would be pretty neat....but on some boats, like mine, I know that boarding the boat with the bimini up and tied up at the dock would be a pain. as it is now the 6' with the straps are almost in the way of the boarding area/rear seat. Which is where hindering the fishing would come in to play.
But i agree, 8' would be pretty cool and if i told my other half there was a way we could put more shade on the boat she would make me do it .