Bimini Top Replacement?

[Rabbit929]

Well it happened. The top on my 2021 sylvan pontoon shredded.
Drive it to the lake almost every day, without the protective boot on. The other day, wind came up, had a hell of a fight getting it on the trailer in 3ft waves, managed to slam it on the trailer by parking the trailer half out of the water and riding a roller onto it.

on the 3 mile drive home, the bimini top ripped a bunch of the forward zippers. I called the dealer, he quoted me $550-800 for just the replacement fabric, but i saw on pontoonstuff they have them for around $250.
Any suggestions? anyone running the fabric from pontoonstuff?

 

[ahicks]

Check out Amazon. Just make sure of your dimensions and exactly what fabric you're getting.

 

[Mechmagcn]

Just bought a replacement fabric for my barge off of eBay, $119. 8'X8' four bow canopy.

 

[Il2bhwic]

I just purchased one but paid $400. It was difficult finding shops that provided you with enough information to make a decision. Which was why the costs were so high. My .02

 

[legalfee]

Pontoon stuff has these 8x8 with frame for $480.

 

[Rabbit929]

Well i got ahold of an upholstery shop that said (guesstimate) $120 to replace the zippers. Im going to send it to him and see what he says when he sees it. It does really suck having to replace a 4 month old bimini top!!

Who the hell came up with the word bimini? Seems like noones sure how to pronounce it.

 

[guy48065]

Pontoon stuff has these 8x8 with frame for $480.

That's what I have now on my 96 Sweetwater but it was a journey getting there.
I wanted to replace the top fabric last summer but Pontoonstuff was out of stock due to Covid mucking up commerce with China.
Finally got the replacement top this spring. Awful, saggy fit on my frame. I've noticed frames on newer 'toons have a lot more arch in the bows than my 96 frame so I ended up with a new frame--which of course the cover fits perfectly.

More than I intended to spend but now it looks terrific. I don't expect it to last 25 years like the original top--the new cover is thin enough to see sunlight thru the "pores" in the fabric.

Pontoonstuff customer service thru the entire 14-month ordeal was nothing less than stellar.

 

[Il2bhwic]

Thanks all for the replies. I received an 8x8 Bimini Top for $450,no frame. It took 2 months to receive it, but it fits, saggy as mentioned at the top. We were using a mesh tarp across the frame the past three outings. Sure it looked silly, but I was still on a boat with a big smile on my face.

Joe

 

[legalfee]

That's what I have now on my 96 Sweetwater but it was a journey getting there.
I wanted to replace the top fabric last summer but Pontoonstuff was out of stock due to Covid mucking up commerce with China.
Finally got the replacement top this spring. Awful, saggy fit on my frame. I've noticed frames on newer 'toons have a lot more arch in the bows than my 96 frame so I ended up with a new frame--which of course the cover fits perfectly.

More than I intended to spend but now it looks terrific. I don't expect it to last 25 years like the original top--the new cover is thin enough to see sunlight thru the "pores" in the fabric.

Pontoonstuff customer service thru the entire 14-month ordeal was nothing less than stellar.

I have a 1995 Sylvan and my custom top sags and catches water because of the frame. I'll eventually get the Pontoon stuff frame and top. How is the quality of the fabric?

 

[Wiread]

I replaced mine this spring from Pontoonstuff. The fabric needed replacing, but I did it one better and caught it on a tree branch in the yard and bent the frame too

I got the 10x8. Only the first season, but i'm happy with it.

 

[ahicks]

10x8 a great plan if you have the room for the front tie down strap - so it doesn't cross a frequently used doorway for instance...

On our inland lake, seeing more and more pontoon boats with 2 tops, that zip together. Never used to see them, now it's pretty common.

 

[guy48065]

I have a 1995 Sylvan and my custom top sags and catches water because of the frame. I'll eventually get the Pontoon stuff frame and top. How is the quality of the fabric?

I think it's good quality coated fabric--it's just much thinner than my OEM top that was very thick & heavy.
I've had a Pontoonstuff cover on my folded top for a couple years and it still looks brand new. Same material... No fading... Good zippers.

 

[guy48065]

BTW I found a "bandaid" fix for the sagging between the bows.
The new cover on my old frame was tight around the perimeter, but sagged in the middle. The tension around the edges forced the bows down into the zippered pockets. To get rid of the sag I needed to raise the middle bows to push the fabric UP so I cut a length of 3/4" plastic electric conduit and notched the ends to snap over the corners of the middle bows. I fiddled with the length of my "spreader" till the sag was gone.

This worked for the few weeks before I received the new frame. Maybe it'll work for you...

 

[legalfee]

I'm looking to buy a 8x8 frame. Pontoon Stuff doesn't sell them. They recommended Pontoonboattops who carries them but is out of stock and they don't know when any will get in. Any ideas?

 

[guy48065]

I'm looking to buy a 8x8 frame. Pontoon Stuff doesn't sell them. They recommended Pontoonboattops who carries them but is out of stock and they don't know when any will get in. Any ideas?

My Pontoonstuff top is 8x8.

 

[legalfee]

Looking for just the 8x8 frame. No fabric.

 

[ahicks]

To get just the frame, you may end up paying more than for an entire replacement canvas w/frame.

Worst case, you end up with an extra fabric. If the boat is going to be around for a while, you'll probably need a replacement at some point, so not a waste of money.

 

[legalfee]

To get just the frame, you may end up paying more than for an entire replacement canvas w/frame.

Worst case, you end up with an extra fabric. If the boat is going to be around for a while, you'll probably need a replacement at some point, so not a waste of money.

Frame = $325 Frame and fabric = $480

 

[ahicks]

A search of "8x8 bimini top pontoon" done on Amazon yielded quite a few complete canopies for less than 200. a few minutes ago.

 

[Rabbit929]

Thanks for the help guys, i managed to find someone to sew mine up. Looks like the did a good job, but if it doesnt hold up, i will be replacing it with a pontoonstuff unit. I do love my bimini top, but hopefully the will get stock back in for black canvas'.