[Amgine]

I'm definitely sold on the dodger / bimini combination. Being able to afford the rigger and rig is another question, but one of the primary reasons I chose a smaller-than-the-largest-we-could-buy boat was that gear would be somewhat less expensive, and we can save up to get the best one. Since all the deck canvas is in the process of being replaced we may end up with a color coordinated boat for once in our lives...

I'm still doodling ideas, and will be all winter I'm sure. I'm interested, Euro Cruiser, in what you described as "stantions" for one bow. Did you mean heavier gauge stainless pipe as suggested by GordMay?

Speaking of whom; yes, I plan to meet all the guidelines you gave Gord. Here in the PNW side curtains are pretty much assumed, and most of the boats I've been aboard have a cockpit which is reminiscent of a glassed-in gazebo. Whenever we visit friends for dinner we usually eat in the cockpit, but the clear curtains are often completely fogged if there's any cooking going on unless we open a window or two as vents. Still, it's wonderful to eat almost on deck during a cold winter drizzle.

When it comes to a folding Bimini, what have been people's experiences? Are they easy enough to un-rig and fold back that you're willing to do it for every good blow? Most of the ones I've seen down (usually on powerboats) seem both clumsy and in the way. On the sailboats the bimini is usually completely removed for the winter, or left standing, but we have gales off and on through the winter and particularly in late fall.