I found out first hand yesterday how much relief can be when provided by a bimini. My brother and I went to the lake yesterday to install a new bimini which I purchased from West Marine. During the installation the day's temperature reached 96 degrees around 12:00 pm. The heat index was estimated at 106 degrees although surface temperature seemed much hotter. Needless to say, during the installation process we had to take a break from the heat and seek shelter inside the air conditioned club house so as not to suffer heat stroke. After hosing ourselves down with cool wet towels and drinking more fluids, we proceeded to mount the bimini onto the deck and immediately noticed a much cooler temperature under the bimini's shade. We sat there in the cockpit for a good 30 minutes to relax and enjoy the comfort of the shade and a mild breeze coming across our faces. What a relief! A measure of safety should be noted here. Stay out of the heat. If you don't have a bimini or some type of shade, you'd better be prepared to find cover somewhere and do it quickly. If not, you could easily get into trouble. We almost did, but we noticed we both were in need of relief and acted upon that idea immediately. Just a note of friendly advice brothers...