Re: Advice about bimini and carpet
On the bimini, if you mean using the brackets that are there for the top in the pic on the top of the windshield side glass frame then probably wouldn't use those for a bimini. (A convertible top is what I think the one in your pic is called.)
Regarding the measurements for a bimini frame...
Most biminis mount to the top flat parts of the gunwales/sides of the boat. You can also mount to the inside or outside of the hull with different types of bracketing. Measuring for the top, determine how tall you want the bimini top to be when mounted from the flooring to the height you want. Then determine where you will mount the bottom brackets, and measure how far that is from the floor. The bimini will mount starting at that height so the height of the bimini frame from a catalog is the height from the hull mounting point to the height you want it to be from the flooring.
Say you want the bimini top at 6 foot height over the cockpit floor. Say the hull mounting point is 30" above the floor. The height of the bimini frame would be 42" in this case (72"minus the mounting height of 30"). The length is simply the length of the cockpit you want to cover.
When mounting take into consideration where the booted top will be when folded up and laid down, some boats have a compartment in the back the the bimini can lay into. Also check where it will be when laid forward, like just across the top of the windshield would be nice for winter storage, etc. Take all of this into consideration before mounting.
Also does the back of that top you have now have a zipper, like another top could zip onto it? That would be something to think about, meaning finding a bimini that can zip on and extend from there.
