If you can fit it, do it. We would be lost without our bimini. It saves us from "cooking ourselves" in the sun while sailing.
bimini
- Thread starter fred1diver
- Start date
Yep, that's how we do it. We always seem to have the setting sun directly aft as well. When tilted aft the bimini just misses the rear stay. I attach it to a pigtail on the rear stay to hold it open in that position.
I've been looking for a stainless Bimini on Craigslist... Hard to come by in the right dimensions for my boat. Cutting the tubes to make it shorter is easy, its getting a frame that is overall wide enough that is the problem.
I'm wondering if a DIY option is in my future. I can get polished 7/8 stainless tube from my local metal supplier for less than $40 for a 12 foot piece. The hardware I can get from Marine Parts Depot, and I already bought a used industrial sewing machine off CL a few months back... Just wondering if time and investment in supplies will end up costing me the same $400 I would end up spending on a used one? Never can tell till you try.
I'm wondering if a DIY option is in my future. I can get polished 7/8 stainless tube from my local metal supplier for less than $40 for a 12 foot piece. The hardware I can get from Marine Parts Depot, and I already bought a used industrial sewing machine off CL a few months back... Just wondering if time and investment in supplies will end up costing me the same $400 I would end up spending on a used one? Never can tell till you try.
Sailing here on the Chesapeake in mid-summer, a bimini is a must. Despite the relatively low boom on my New England catboat, I was able to modify an off-the-shelf aluminum-frame bimini from eBay to fit and stow neatly without a great deal of effort. The frame members will likely need to be cut down, but aluminum is easy to cut with an inexpensive tubing cutter. Just work out the dimensions with a sketch on paper before you start cutting.
My $.02: we use the bimini on our C-22 regularly. The shade is huge, and it sheds a little rain in a pinch.
Ours is low enough to sail with, and we do so regularly. We don't have sliding tracks, so I've only ever tried the position selected by a PO, but personally I'm pretty happy that it's reasonably far forward. I can see the sail from the helm, or slide up under it just a bit if I need the shelter. Also, it sits forward far enough over the companionway to keep a drizzle out and let us leave a drop board or two out for some cabin ventilation. My only complaint is that it makes going forward on deck rather awkward - I usually crawl under the bimini to the mast, rather than trying to navigate the already-skinny side decks with bimini poles in the way.
For real rain (at the dock), we added a Habitent (http://habitent.com/). Highly recommended. No matter how you slice it, 2 adults + 2 kids on a C-22 is pretty tight. It's a huge advantage to be able to use the cockpit as another room even in a downpour. Ours handled 30+ knot sustained winds with no problem on its first real outing. No affiliation with the company, but if you need it, it's worth the money. Should be a little cheaper now than it was for us, with the pound dropping so much post-Brexit.
Ours is low enough to sail with, and we do so regularly. We don't have sliding tracks, so I've only ever tried the position selected by a PO, but personally I'm pretty happy that it's reasonably far forward. I can see the sail from the helm, or slide up under it just a bit if I need the shelter. Also, it sits forward far enough over the companionway to keep a drizzle out and let us leave a drop board or two out for some cabin ventilation. My only complaint is that it makes going forward on deck rather awkward - I usually crawl under the bimini to the mast, rather than trying to navigate the already-skinny side decks with bimini poles in the way.
For real rain (at the dock), we added a Habitent (http://habitent.com/). Highly recommended. No matter how you slice it, 2 adults + 2 kids on a C-22 is pretty tight. It's a huge advantage to be able to use the cockpit as another room even in a downpour. Ours handled 30+ knot sustained winds with no problem on its first real outing. No affiliation with the company, but if you need it, it's worth the money. Should be a little cheaper now than it was for us, with the pound dropping so much post-Brexit.
I brought a Bimini from Empire Covers. I chose them for both price and the fact they had a small two bow Bimini that better fit the space on my cockpit. It is tall, and is over the height of the boom. However that means there is full standing room underneath it. My Youtube channel has video shot from underneath it that you can see. I debated for a long time on where to put it and how tall it should be. No complaints.
I think it was about $700 with shipping/import from the UK. Probably a little less now, since the exchange rate is a little better (for US buyers at least). Wish they had a US importer - that would certainly cut the shipping and duty somewhat. Maybe a business opportunity for someone...
Looking back....a bimini has added more enjoyment to our O'Day 23 than any other accessory we ever had.