Visit our Popular Forums

Typhoon · 26-02-2018, 11:53

Hi all.

Thought I would share my latest adventure in boat improvements.

I always hated my canvas Bimini. It was to high to flimsy and did not look good at all . So I decided to build my own .

Parts list so far

26 yards 1808 fiberglass stitch-mat.
6 gallons of polyester resin
two sheet of half inch plywood.

The measurements of the top are 105 inches by 77 inches and has been cut to the same shape as the cockpit comings .

The supports will be four 6 inch stainless poles .

There is a slight over lap of the top over the much lower soft dodger , I will this space closed in if I want the full enclosure with full sides and bug screening .

The under neath will be tweak line with four touch leds from Marine Beam. The edge of the top will have a 3 inch teak rail all the way around and will match nicely to the teak we have now.

I will carry 6 100 watt flexible solar panels on top and will not be visible unless look look on top.

I will be able to walk on the top if need be , it is very strong .

So far total weight is 130 lbs .

Our boat is 36000 lbs so it is not a concern .

I will update as build progresses.

Regards John.

Typhoon · 26-02-2018, 11:55

A few more pictures.

Regards John.

Bill O · 26-02-2018, 12:58

John,
Looks good, nice job. Agree the hard bimini is great to stay out of the sun/elements.

The size of your bimini is fairly similar to ours that we built a few years ago. We also integrated a hard dodger and a glass windshield w/opening panels to allow air flow. We wanted the glass windshield to provide better clarity/longevity than most plastics and we can apply RainX on it so no wiper is needed. To allow us more working space up top, we only have 270 watts of solar on ours and you typically can't see or notice them.

A couple of nice additions that we included was a hatch to view the sail trim and side hand rails on the top. Besides the rails being nice hand holds, they also keep rain water funneled fore/aft so anyone getting out of the cockpit doesn't have to go through a water fall.

Keep up the good work and keep the progress reports coming to follow the project.

Bill O.

Typhoon · 26-02-2018, 13:14

Thanks Bill.

On a side note , your tickets will be at the show office , just give them your name .

Regards John

Bill O · 26-02-2018, 13:41

John,
Thanks, looking forward to seeing you at the show.

Bill O.

Eigenvector · 26-02-2018, 14:54

Looks good so far. One question: Why 6-in SS pipe? Seems way overkill.

SV Bacchus · 26-02-2018, 15:04

I was thinking the same as Eigen, seems 4" would still be overkill but maybe easier to look at, and to look around! I think you are giving yourself some big blind spots..

TheOffice · 26-02-2018, 15:35

Looks great! How are you going to finish it? Looking at doing a smaller Bimini with foam core.

Typhoon · 27-02-2018, 05:28

Yes 6 inch poles do seem large . When I get the stock in front of me I will pick a pole size that looks aesthetically pleasing and still give me the strength that I'm looking for . I want no wobble .

As for Finnish . It will be plan white polyurethane on top with a full teak 3 inch edge . Half of that above and half below . This will give a firm hand hold and also give the teak lining underneath to butt up against .

Regards John

Bill O · 27-02-2018, 05:57

John,
We used 1.5" alum schedule 40 pipe for the vertical stands which are welded into the upper alum grid for the top. We were also worried about stability (wobble) w/o adding upper side stabilizing "legs" to the stand pipes. To date, w/>60kts, our top has been very stable and we do walk on ours fairly often when we need to put the simple "old school" sail cover on.

The 1.5" pipe is great as a hand hold also. Anything larger, some may not be able to get a good grip on it. Possibly size it up w/your crew (w/the smallest hand) to see what is a comfortable grip for them.

Bill O.

PuttingDoctor · 27-02-2018, 09:06

I have molded polystyrene Bimini and dodger on my Irwin and love them. They are mounted on what look like standard bows.

anacapaisland42 · 27-02-2018, 09:06

We're in year 2 of ours, the first one to find out bugs....I just used 1/8 ply.
Bugs were,backstay interference, ducking head to get into cockpit (I'm 74 and 6'2" i.e tallish and stiff. Hatch to see trim, Hatch will be smoked finish with a canvas cover to keep sun out.
Most important failure was not making sure the edges of the plywood were REALLY sealed.
I'm sure we'll have other construction changes when I put the permanent one on this spring (whenever that is!!!)
OH, one other thing..on ours the fore camber matches the cabin top and the aft camber matches the transom...much straighter...looks good like that.
Bill, Westport, Ontario

I always hated my canvas Bimini. It was to high to flimsy and did not look good at all . So I decided to build my own .

Typhoon · 27-02-2018, 09:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by anacapaisland42

We're in year 2 of ours, the first one to find out bugs....I just used 1/8 ply.
Bugs were,backstay interference, ducking head to get into cockpit (I'm 74 and 6'2" i.e tallish and stiff. Hatch to see trim, Hatch will be smoked finish with a canvas cover to keep sun out.
Most important failure was not making sure the edges of the plywood were REALLY sealed.
I'm sure we'll have other construction changes when I put the permanent one on this spring (whenever that is!!!)
OH, one other thing..on ours the fore camber matches the cabin top and the aft camber matches the transom...much straighter...looks good like that.
Bill, Westport, Ontario

I always hated my canvas Bimini. It was to high to flimsy and did not look good at all . So I decided to build my own .

Thanks for the info , I did the same with a slight difference in camber from front and rear .

I will make sure I have a good seal at the teak rail. It will be screwed and epoxied in place .

Regards John.

Cadence · 27-02-2018, 10:09

John, it looks good but polyester resin on plywood. I hope you saturated the ply with acetone thinned resin prior to glassing it or used rough sandpaper to give it some tooth.. A little West System or System Three for a small job would have been worth it.
I guess it is after the fact advice, best of luck.