tiller extensions & bimini question

[catndahats]

Not to take away from the many other bimini questions:

Solved my last problem easy enough....now keeping my 1984 C22 at a local spot with a deep ramp!

New questions:
#1 I live along Galveston Bay, and Texas summer sun is a beast especially if sensitive to skin cancer which I am, and now am looking at bimini options. I talked to a dock neighbor whose bimini looks nice, and he said he bought it online --- around $120 bucks. He doesn't remember where... I'm cool with that if I can find one that fits.

Looking online,
Don't really care if it's aluminum or somewhat light weight, just something that I can sail with that keeps the sun off. I read that the size most use is 36H x 68W x 70ish long....

However, I am seeing some C-22's with the bimini mounted on top of the area where the winches mount, and others (including mine since there are screw holes ) where they are mounted about 6 inches lower and farther out on the deck.

Would anyone care to chime in on what they are using? Are there advantages to mounting directly on the deck or on the raised winch pad area?

#2 What brand / length tiller extension are you guys using?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ken]

That size Bimini would sure make going forward tough for me. My Bimini is
46" high, 85"wide, 72" long (standard length)

I currently have the MKII the Bimini mounts using a set of cars, this same Bimini was also used on my old style and also was mounted on the track, but on the old style used the outside track. (The MKII only has the inside track).

The old style cars I made, Garhauer was kind enough to make the current set.
Having the Bimini mounted on cars makes removing it quick and easy.

 

[Chris Patterson]

The deck. On the coamings is all kind of in the way.

 

[CaptDon01]

Ditto on the deck. Also stainless steel is a lot stronger than aluminum tubing. I got my bimini off Craigslist. It was just the size I was interested in. The height is adjustable by shortening the main tube. My bimini was from a powerboat, and just needed to be shortened. It was much cheaper than a new one with a stainless steel frame. And don't worry about an exact measurement, the frame width have some ability to be adjusted.

A bimini is one of the top "must have" items for us!

Don

 

[catndahats]

thanks for all the replies......very helpful.

 

[allen-deckard]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Catalina-22..._Accessories_Gear&vxp=mtr&hash=item53f7a397c6

Is where I got my bimi and love it. good material the atachment hardware is vinyl which isnt the highest grade but is still good enough especially for the price and the easy fit and install.

 

[StanFM]

I really wanted my bimini when I got our boat. But dang, the thing is always in the way. I can't get forward with it up, can't see the sails well, and when down it binds on the hatch cover. Maybe I'm not doing it right...??? Sure blocks the sun though. Off the boat when racing for sure. Anybody have one not in the way?

Stan

 

[ShotgunSlim]

I had a bimini for my fishing boat that was wide enough to span the cockpit of the sailboat and mount to aluminum tracks on the deck, outside of the coaming. I spent a good part of one evening out there with the mast up and the boom on the boat trying to figure out where to permanently mount everything to make it work and all I can say is it's one big compromise. Being able to slide the whole bimini back and forth makes it a little easier to manage but the best thing I've found was tying the two forward straps together and mounting them to the mast step. It makes getting out from under it a little easier when one needs to go forward, but I wouldn't recommend it under high winds.

 

[Merlin Clark]

Biminis on our size boats are tough to get right. I wanted one that didn't require crew (generally older on my boat) to have to crawl out from under it (BTDT), needed to clear the mainsheet and the winches (as much as possible).
I got very lucky and found a ski boat frame on CL in stainless, with a little bending, a couple of fittings, and trimming and switching the forward supports (horizontals in the pic) to keep the v spread and a new cover from a local canvas shop and I had what I wanted.
The stainless bows are heavy enough that unless I'm beating into 10+kts I don't have to fasten the horizontal supports, allowing me to flip it back when I need to look at the main or stand when motoring. Could be a bungee on each side (instead of straps) would work this way for an aluminum frame.
Mine is only about 40 inches long so it doesn't cover everything but that was my trade off.

 

[CCrane2299]

Mine was on the boat when I got it. It is on sliding tracks. I wish the tracks were long enough to cover the hatch when open so I could leave the boards out and the hatch partially open on a rain day. My avatar picture is at an angle that makes it look more forward than it is. It stops right at the edge of the hatch.

My boat also came with two tiller extensions. Both tillers were damaged from them being pulled out or twisted. That being said, they were extendable. Short enough to stow in the winch handle hole when collapsed. Just twist and extend, then re-twist to lock.