Best sources in Northeast for new bimini & dodger ?

[accomplice]

I am in need of a new dodger / bimini / enclosure.

When my father-in-law replaced his bimini & dodger last year, I thought the $6k he paid was excessive. Then I started looking for my boat. One potential vendor wants over $27k to build his proposed design. Even a very simple design will run over $17k with him.

Does anyone have a good canvas guy they can recommend, anywhere between Mt. Desert Island, ME and Point Judith, RI?

Also, what have you paid for quality canvas & stainless work?

Thanks.

[antoha]

we just got a bimini from hathaways in stamford, ct. paid around 3600 all in, i believe; that included a winter low season discount. they have funny pricing: they quote for the job itself, plus "extras" (like per sight window, per foldable gemlock thingies, etc), plus "driving expenses" per mile traveled to boat from their shop (reasonable charges, but why bother separating that out). but if they have to redo or adjust whatever didn't come out quite right, they'd do it for free.

i was reasonably happy with them, but not entirely. what came out looked nice enough but it was supposed to be a somewhat non-typical design because i had to go around the coaming and i wanted walking room around on the deck (in the end of the day, it ended up much more typical than "shaped to the boat" but whatever, one always wants more than reasonable). what i didn't like was that it first came out kind of flimsy in the lateral direction as there were no triangles that way: the fore-aft was stable, but rock it the other way and it was giving a good 6 inches, yet they called it mission accomplished. i called them, asked to reinforce, came back a week later, and they installed one strut the way i suggested. i called them again, asked for a similar strut on the other side, and they obliged. but it irked me that i had to ask (and ask twice) - what, didn't they see what i saw?

also there's a guy called cove canvas in mamaroneck, ny (a one man show, i believe). no first hand experience, but he does good work according to the folks in the club who used him (i couldn't reach him, he was too busy when i was trying to commission my project).

but that's for a 38' boat; our bimini ended up being about 6' long by 6' wide or so, 3-bow bimini, no webbing, all stainless, with boot and two pieces of gemlock hardware. bigger is more expensive, so this could be a data point for you.

dodgers are more expensive, i think.

[maine50]

Try Gemini in Rockland, Maine. Their shop is right near the harbor. The number is 207-596-7705. Nor cheap but they have a good following.