Second Bimini top install.
Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2015 3:46 pm
So i finally got a chance to yank my Bennie outta storage and start getting it ready for the summer. (I'm going nuts that its middle of June and I still haven't been on the water yet, but that's another story...)
I took copious pictures, but honestly, It ain't even worth posting up the assembly ones. I bought the 10 foot 8.5 foot wide top from PontoonStuff.com. The top arrived in a large box that looked somewhat beat up, but the contents were unscathed. All parts and hardware were present, and the instructions were remarkably well done and easy to follow. The 2 sides come assembled and all you need to do is snap a 'coupler' between each bow on the side part, and the middle pieces of the bows. Literally 5 minutes worth of work, with no tools. Except!... a couple of the ends were slightly out of dimension (probably from the cutting process) and the couplers did not slide right in. An easy and minor adjustment with pair of pliers fixed that issue. If I was just installing this on a boat as a first top, it would have taken maybe 30 minutes start to finish to install.
But, my install was a little different because I was using it as a front bimini on my boat. To start with, I mounted it "backwards" so it folds up to the front. It took a bit of adjusting of locations of the mounts to get it to set just how I wanted it. It would be impossible for one man, and was still a bit troublesome for two. I wished I would have brought a couple c-clamps with me to temporary hold the brackets in place while I sized everything up.
I was worried how the fabric would match the existing top. It was as close as makes no difference. The fabric is not as "opaque" as the existing top, In bright sunlight, you can really notice it, but its not that bad. Its still nice and shady underneath. I did have to get creative with the rear "legs". I have a side gate that is right where the rear "legs" would have landed. After playing around with a couple different ideas, I came up with a decent, if slightly odd compromise.
I wanted to somehow tie the tops together for strength and support. I wound up removing the front legs of the existing (rear) top, and attaching the rear legs of the new (front) top to those mounts. (see pictures). The legs were plenty long enough, but there was not enough adjustment available in the little snap-button adjusters to bridge the gap. These things:
I would up pulling the little springy 'button' thing out of the tube, and drilling another hole for it at the right location. In the end, the tubes wound up more or less horizontal between the two tops, at enough height that you can duck under when using the gate.
So the rear bars in the original top pulls tension "backwards" on that top. The front bars on the new top pull tension "forwards" on the new top, and the bar between the two tops tie everything together. It would up being a very sturdy structure. Only drawback is that this configuration requires both tops to be deployed or stowed. You cannot just deploy one top by itself. I saved the original front bars off the rear top just in case, but I really can't imagine a time where I would just want to use only one top and leave the other stowed.
Nice and shady underneath. I thought the gap between the two tops would annoy me, but its really not that bad. The front top actually sits under the rear top, with maybe 5-6 inches of vertical separation. Of course I would have preferred an actual dual-bimini, but this will work just as well for a fraction of the $$$.
All I have left is to take my mooring cover to the top shop for modifications to fit around the new legs when they are stowed.
Overall, I was very pleased with the results, and the quality of the top. I can highly recommend one if you are thinking of getting a top for your boat.
Tim
I took copious pictures, but honestly, It ain't even worth posting up the assembly ones. I bought the 10 foot 8.5 foot wide top from PontoonStuff.com. The top arrived in a large box that looked somewhat beat up, but the contents were unscathed. All parts and hardware were present, and the instructions were remarkably well done and easy to follow. The 2 sides come assembled and all you need to do is snap a 'coupler' between each bow on the side part, and the middle pieces of the bows. Literally 5 minutes worth of work, with no tools. Except!... a couple of the ends were slightly out of dimension (probably from the cutting process) and the couplers did not slide right in. An easy and minor adjustment with pair of pliers fixed that issue. If I was just installing this on a boat as a first top, it would have taken maybe 30 minutes start to finish to install.
But, my install was a little different because I was using it as a front bimini on my boat. To start with, I mounted it "backwards" so it folds up to the front. It took a bit of adjusting of locations of the mounts to get it to set just how I wanted it. It would be impossible for one man, and was still a bit troublesome for two. I wished I would have brought a couple c-clamps with me to temporary hold the brackets in place while I sized everything up.
I was worried how the fabric would match the existing top. It was as close as makes no difference. The fabric is not as "opaque" as the existing top, In bright sunlight, you can really notice it, but its not that bad. Its still nice and shady underneath. I did have to get creative with the rear "legs". I have a side gate that is right where the rear "legs" would have landed. After playing around with a couple different ideas, I came up with a decent, if slightly odd compromise.
I wanted to somehow tie the tops together for strength and support. I wound up removing the front legs of the existing (rear) top, and attaching the rear legs of the new (front) top to those mounts. (see pictures). The legs were plenty long enough, but there was not enough adjustment available in the little snap-button adjusters to bridge the gap. These things:
I would up pulling the little springy 'button' thing out of the tube, and drilling another hole for it at the right location. In the end, the tubes wound up more or less horizontal between the two tops, at enough height that you can duck under when using the gate.
So the rear bars in the original top pulls tension "backwards" on that top. The front bars on the new top pull tension "forwards" on the new top, and the bar between the two tops tie everything together. It would up being a very sturdy structure. Only drawback is that this configuration requires both tops to be deployed or stowed. You cannot just deploy one top by itself. I saved the original front bars off the rear top just in case, but I really can't imagine a time where I would just want to use only one top and leave the other stowed.
Nice and shady underneath. I thought the gap between the two tops would annoy me, but its really not that bad. The front top actually sits under the rear top, with maybe 5-6 inches of vertical separation. Of course I would have preferred an actual dual-bimini, but this will work just as well for a fraction of the $$$.
All I have left is to take my mooring cover to the top shop for modifications to fit around the new legs when they are stowed.
Overall, I was very pleased with the results, and the quality of the top. I can highly recommend one if you are thinking of getting a top for your boat.
Tim