Bimini question

[nestorph]

I just picked up a bimini from a consignment shop and need some advice about its installation. It's a three-bow unit, 85" wide and about six feet long. Like others, it has two frame arches that come together in the middle that are to be connected to a deck mount roughly in the middle of the length. Two tubes in the back I assume are similarly mounted to the deck. What's different is that there are tubes attached to the front pieces that are on hinge attachments and have clips at the bottom securing them to the main supports. At their tips are connectors with removable threaded pins that suggest these tubes are meant to swing out and be connected to mounts forward. Other biminis I've seen have straps that secure the bimini via clips that attach to brackets on the deck. Do these tubes replace the need for the straps? Or should straps still be used as "belt and suspenders"?

Bonus question: Should I consider installing a sliding track for the center mounts or just stay with a fixed deck mount?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts….

 

[DannyS]

From the information given, you have it correct, the front tubes replace the need for straps. This makes for a much stronger, free standing bimini that is anchored to the deck in 6 spots. This also would not allow for mounting on a track unless all 6 attachment points are on tracks so that they could all slide in unison.

 

[Merlin Clark]

I didn't want straps to trip over so went with tubing and mounted the foreward braces horizontally to keep the winches as clear as possible.
Tracks are a great option as you can shift the bimini to cover the area of the cockpit in use at the time. As for mounting, just make sure it isn't in the way of the mainsheet.