Bimini on a trailerable

Feb 19, 2008
292
Catalina Capri 18 ann arbor
Hi all,

Recently acquired Capri 18 came with a Bimini.

Previous owner said that the boat can be sailed with the Bimini in place. So far the geometry has eluded me. It seems to be much taller than the boom. My conclusion is that it has to be fully extended to fold and trailer, but then has to be adjusted (lowered) to fit on the boat. I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it.

We have never figured out how to adjust it to make it low enough to sail, having it on board seems to make EVERYTHING harder, and it adds significant time to at the launch ramp; BUT, it really would have been nice to have on Tuesday when we were sailing about 9 hours and the sun was relentless.

I'm tempted to rig the boat in the boat in the driveway and just experiment with the bimini, and I'm equally tempted to throw it away.

What is your experience with biminis for your small boat?
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Figure it out WITH the bimi. It doubles the joy on a hot day when the UV index is 10
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
I need my shade. My dermatologist agrees. So hopefully you can work it out. I can think of times transporting a boat home from a regatta when we were fighting for the shade of the boom/sailcover. That's not much but it was valued real estate at that time.
 

Tedd

.
Jul 25, 2013
745
TES 246 Versus near Vancouver, BC
I don't have any advice for you, but this is what has kept me from putting a bimini on my Mac 26S. I have the rigging system down nicely now; I'm on the water and under sail in less than half an hour from arriving at the boat launch. As much as I would love to have a bimini, I suspect it would at least double the time it takes me to get under sail (from the trailer).
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
On my H26 the bimi stays in place and when I want it, I unzip the cover, pull it forward and clip in place two straps forward. Rig it at the right place, height and out of the way when not in use and it does not add any inconvenience
 
Feb 8, 2017
107
MacGregor MacGregor 25 Middle River
I bought a bimini for my Mac25 a long time ago - if it's not the best money I ever spent, it's close. I keep the boat in a slip now, but when I was trailering it all over the place, took approximately 3 minutes to throw it on and install the 2 screws and deploy it. Like rgranger, it now stays zipped in the cover and takes seconds to put up, and the boat is easily sailed with it down, because night sailing is pretty kewl looking up at the stars!! I used to just absolutely bake out there on the Chesapeake Bay all summer long. John6206, the driveway is a controlled environment and is absolutely the best place to figure it all out. My 2 cents...

Cheers,

Ron
 
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Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
This is my Bimi when tied up in its cover. I can drive just fine with it like this and I don't even have the two screws that Captain Ron 18 mentioned. I just launch and if I get hot, I open up the bimi. Like Ron said, it is good money. I've put bimis on three different boats I have owned and if the H26 had not come with one, it would have been the first money I spent. You can also see the two blue straps that hold it forward. I have two eyelets on the cabin top. I just take the cover off, and take those two straps to the eyelets and I'm deployed.

2016-12-14 12.16.36.jpg
 
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May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
My experience is that they are a necessity for protection from the sun. The bimini can be set as low as you can feel comfortable crawling under and having adequate head room while sitting. The height of the bimini can be set by cutting the tubes. When there is no head room and you need a few inches there are a couple of things that can be done. You can raise the boom if the sail has room at the top. Also you can take in the topping lift raising the boom from the back until it clears the bimini and the resulting angle is not too steep. Moving the bimini forward or backwards sometimes provides for needed clearance and the mainsheet mechanism may need to be relocated. Some boats have a short boom and a shorter bimini can fit behind it . As far as setting up these are not power boats so the time it takes to rig the boat is the time it takes to rig the boat. We take our bimini totally off when the boat goes on the trailer. We only use the small boat maybe once or twice a year as we take 10-14 day trips in distant sailing venues. Never contemplated rigging the boat just for day sailing. If we would not have the bimini we would not sail in the summer months so we are willing to sacrifice some comfort, set up time and performance to be able to sail. I know of at least one person that raised his boom and had the mainsail cut to fit so he could be comfortable under the bimini. Others just have a very narrow top at the stern of the cockpit for the helmsman to sit. In my days I have sailed with umbrellas on small boats that could not accommodate a bimini. The San Juan 21 comes to mind. Go ahead and fit that bimini and use it, good luck.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
I don't have experience with biminis, I think dodgers are indispensable and am interested in making both a dodger and a bimini for my Mariner 19. If you can, I'd like to see pictures of your problem and your setup.

- Will (Dragonfly)
 
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Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
Mine is above the boom and works just fine. The clew still clears the front of the bimini, so no problem having it up while sailing. It looks a little weird above the boom, but it is nice to be able to stand up under it. The only problem is that it is difficult to see the sail shape and the telltails. Makes a huge difference in the hot sun. Unzipping and clipping the straps forward is only a few seconds, so it does not add to the setup time.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Hi all,

Recently acquired Capri 18 came with a Bimini.

Previous owner said that the boat can be sailed with the Bimini in place.
Yes, but maybe with just the jib!
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
If you can raise the boom above your head while sitting down you can usually accommodate a bimini. It is a matter of priorities, sometimes you have to sacrifice sail shape and performance for sailing comfort. Think outside the box, consider your personal needs and not the picture of what a bimini may look like in a catalogue. A narrow sliver of canvas behind the boom at the transom may shade a solo helmsman. All a bimini is, is a shade provider; you furnish the specs.
 
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Feb 19, 2008
292
Catalina Capri 18 ann arbor
fair enough - but my question isn't "do I want a bimini?" it's "do I want the bimini that I already have?"

I'm pretty sure I have no interest in starting from scratch.
 
Feb 8, 2017
107
MacGregor MacGregor 25 Middle River
As was posted previously, step the mast, etc, and set up your rig with boat in your driveway and play around with it. On trailerable boats, it's so very much easier to do most things there the first time or two. IMHO you'll find your answer there.
 
Sep 7, 2018
82
Chrysler C-22 Battle Creek
No pressure, I am watching also. I have a vested interest because I just crossed over into the world of sailing with a 22 footer. many of the larger boats have them, but I was thinking, it just may over cramp an allready small cockpit and low hanging boom.
I can add this, because I bought a speed boat 4 summers back. For the first two summers when we took it out on the really hot days, it would feel like I was sitting in a frying pan. You can always jump in the water and then get back in the boat. Which helps, but your still sitting there cooking. Then I bought a Bimini off of Amazon. It is worth far more than I gave for it brand new. Slightly different because it is a speedboat...but it can go from stowed in its sock to fully deployed in a matter of seconds. Like literally 20 seconds.
If there is anyway to make one work on my boat, (and I am sure there is) I will be making it happen.
 
Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Stupid question, preemptive apology:

The boom on a Capri 18 slides up and down in the sail track, right? Do you have it as high as possible?

If you've already covered that, and you needed the shade badly enough, you could always reef and then raise the boom a little more.