Bimini top - what length?

[wgander]

What length should my bimini be?

I'm considering ordering one and they come in 6' and 8' lengths.

My '98 1950CLbowrider came with a convertible top that snaps to the windshield. It's OK for the rain, but you can't stand up under it.

[Jeffw]

Kinda like horsepower, nobody ever claimed they had too much. B)

[6104696]

"Jeffw" post=804257 wrote:
Kinda like horsepower, nobody ever claimed they had too much. B)

Actually a lot of truth to this statement.

Some things to think about, though:

Do you have enough gunnel (or other surface) to mount a huge bimini?

Are you gonna want to fish? A bigger bimini will be in the way more.

Are you going to want to (or possibly want to) add isinglass "windshield" panels? If so you would want the leading edge of the bimini to be (roughly) directly above the top edge of the windshield.

A bigger bimini will have more "windage." If not very tight, it will balloon and/ or flap in the breeze, and possibly impact your fuel consumption. This is true with any bimini, but the bigger the canvas, the bigger the impact.

Looks. Looks may not matter much, but IMO big biminis on sportboats look ridiculous. I have always had small biminis on my boats, and most factory biminis on the smaller boats are in the 4 foot range......

[wgander]

Thanks for the replies.

I would probably use the bimini mostly while on USCG Auxiliary patrols, most of which are many hours at idle speed or just above plane speed, so wind and fuel consumption are not a consideration, especially with a 3 liter, 4 cylinder engine. I don't know if I'd keep it up during water sports. I don't fish much, but don't think it would interfere. I have no need for side curtains, I'm only concerned about avoiding 8 hours of baking in the SoCal sun. I guess I'll have to take a measurement to see how much coverage 6' would provide, and if 8' would be necessary.

[Jeffw]

That's a good approach, but remember, the sun is directly overhead about 2 hours mid-day, then you have angles.

[Guest]

I went with a 6 foot on my 1988 1950 capri. It looks correct and functions great. I went to empirecovers.com great product and great price.


Attached files

[wgander]

Bought one on EBay for $120; OK quality, but the vinyl's pretty thin. Unfortunately, it's going on Craigslist. It fits the gunwales, but is too wide and too tall to fit between the wakeboard tower.

Considered cutting the crosspieces to fit, but would still have a problem with it being too tall.

Back to checking specs...

Oh, install would gave been pretty easy: I was going to use the existing mounts for my original convertible top and just add the additional front and rear mounts.

[jasongind]

I'm not sure what length mine is, I just brought my first boat home yesterday but I think it's 6'. It seems perfect for what we were looking for. It covers the driver and two left seats and the two rear seats are uncovered.


Attached files

[wgander]

Ended up with a 6' long bimini,it just fits between the gunwales but is too tall to collapse and fold.. I don't know if it will hold up to highway speed (55 MPH), so I have to remove it for travelling.. That's a real nuisance, because my usual boat ramp is only 1 block from where I park. Now I have to travel 20 miles on the highway and the top won't fit inside my car unless I remove the 3 cross bows on one side.

[RobMick]

I have always been under the guidance of putting the Bimini in "full" retraction mode when trailering, not just not open and in the boot. Someone pointed out that my boat would never reach highway speeds, let alone let's say a big truck driving past me in opposite direction at speed. Why chance the Bimini top ..... my $.02

[Davidlyne]

Here is a photo of my bimini cover it goes the whole length

[ultrafast]

I had to replace mine and bought a generic 8' one from Ebay. I think I paid $110. I had to do alot of customizing but, the finished product was great. There was plenty of tubing to do it I just had to buy fittings and pull pins so can close it when I want. heres some pics