bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

[korn9613]

i have a 2001 reinell 240c with a bimini top. i replaced the rear straps with adjustable bars so that i could keep the bimini up at all times, laying it down forward or backward chews up the boat! I am getting way too much sway with the bimini, so much that one of the mounts broke. my only solution i can think of is where the rear bars mount on the gunwale of the boat, making a larger footprint mount and welding a solid bar to it, that would run up through the adjustable tube, that way you wouldnt see it, it would still look like an adjustable bar. this may sound confusing. my question is if i do that, will that put too much stress on the gunwale, where these mounts would attach? if you need a clearer picture i could draw something up and try to explain it that way.

 

[RickJ6956]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

Mine has straps from the top's sides to about 1/4 toward center on the windshield to stabilize the top.

 

[korn9613]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

arent you ducking under straps then? maybe your setup is quite a bit different cuz i think if i did that i would have straps in my way. do you think solid mounting the rear bars ( formally straps ) would be too much stress on the fiberglass?

 

[RickJ6956]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

This isn't my boat, but you can see the two black straps going towards the bow. Mine are attached to the windshield. I don't have a walk-through. The straps are mounted about halfway between the corner and walk-through. Just enough to stop it from swaying side to side.

The rear supports are usually screwed though the fiberglass into blocks of wood under the gunwales for added strength. The only problem with that rig is your guests will use the supports as hand rails as the enter & leave the boat. Get in the habit of warning them.

 

[korn9613]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

ok, i see how that is, i have front straps too, im talking primarily when the bimini is closed, but still in the upright position (permanent position). i need to be able to stabilize it there. when my bimini is open and being used, it is quite a bit more sturdy, i just need to figure something out to sturdy it up for when its not in use. i will try and get some pics to you.

 

[blifsey]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

Is this when towing or on water? For towing, what I do is disconnect my rear support poles from boat and velcro them to the bimini frame. Then, attached near top of rear pole is a short (maybe 1 foot) pole that I reattach to the mounts for the rear poles. These lets the bimini lay almost flat for towing. If on water, you might want to look at some of the boats that have an angle brace at rear of bimini. I've seen them on Cobalt bowriders and Hurricane deckboats.

 

[korn9613]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

i would like to keep the top up in folded position at all times, towing and on water. i know thats not ideal but thats what i want to do. the bimini broke while on water however, from the side to side motion of the waves. the only angle brace ive seen which was on a cobalt was used for towing, it was at around a 45 degree angle to stop the swaying during towing, while on water this would not be ideal, you would always be ducking around this support pole. is there a different support pole you are talking about?

 

[blifsey]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

I always thought the Cobalt poles where for on water use. If you go to their website, they show pics of a Model 232 that actually has 2 poles (1 per side). Perhaps the single pole was in way so they went to 2 smaller ones? They also look like the have some arch to them to make passing under them easier.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

Other than a complete new top or a total redesign, with that top your going to have a lot of sway. A cross brace of any type would be in your way no matter how its done.
I find that Bimini tops which have the outer supports spread out a bit, and not on a 90 degree angle to the top and boat sway a lot less.
Your only option may simply be to go to a top with heavier tubing?

 

[korn9613]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

i appreciate the advice. does anyone have an opinion on my original question about making a solid mount with solid bar running up through the adjustable tubes(rear) to reduce the sway? that would mean that more sway pressure would be directed to the fiberglass on the gunwale. so basically instead of having two weak points where the rear poles mount, it would now be solid and bolted to the gunwale, eliminating the week points and making the top more rigid????

 

[tschmidty]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

Don't see how a solid bar would help. What would help us give us advice is a picture of your set up.

 

[korn9613]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

because the solid bar would be welded to a plate and that plate would be bolted to the gunwale. right now the rear bars are attached to the gunwale with a bracket that flexes. i will try and get some pics up so you can see what im talking about. about the only way i can really explain it is imagine you have a platform and you have a bar in your hand that is mounted to the platform with a bracket, now imagine that bar is welded to a plate and then then plate is bolted to the platform. i would believe the welded one would be more rigid wouldnt you?

 

[korn9613]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

this is a pic of the rear mounts for the rear bars, actually the front mounts are the same too.

 

[korn9613]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

this pics i posted above show the set up now, which is swaying too much, so much its breaking some hardware. my idea was to take that rear mount, and make it bigger, say like a 3"x3" plate, and weld a solid bar to it, at the current angle that the rear bars sit at, and then slide the rear bars over that solid bar, this would eliminate that weak rear mount and turn it into a solid mount. im a machinist so i can make whatever to make this work, i dont think its anything you can buy. does this help any?

 

[blifsey]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

Is it the plastic mount in middle picture that is breaking? I would think a solid mount there would help. How would you attach poles to new mount? Pin/bolt through them both after sliding pole over mount?

My only concern is would making that solid just transfer the force elsewhere. You might already be considering this but you might want to use a backing plate under gunnel instead of just screwing into fiberglass.

 

[Stachi]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

With the right backing plate on the underside of the gunwale, it should be fine... I think you will want to run the solid bar up pretty far into the tube...less area to flex...if you make the rod too short, the tubes may sway and start to fracture just above the rod.Good luck bro...post picks when you are finished...

 

[korn9613]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

sounds like your following me, whew! what broke was the hardware that goes into that mounted bracket, but on the front one, if you look at the pic again, you will see that one of the ends is white, thats the one that broke, they had a cheap pot metal one before and they suck. on to mounting now-my original concern was what you said, the flexing pressure being transferred. i was going to do a bolt through. on the under side i would make a plate to match the mounting plate, so that im sandwiching the gunwale. i was concerned with that being too much for the fiberglass since thats where the swaying pressure would be transferred to. i think it will handle it but i wanted opinions. also, should i use some sort of gasket or rubber material under the plate as to not crack the gel coat? as far as mounting the rear bars to the "new solid bars", my rear bars are adjustable, i would take the lower bar out, which is the smaller diameter bar, and slip the solid bar in, basically replacing the smaller adjustable tube with the new solid bar. this would still make it adjustabletoo. make sense?

 

[korn9613]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

STACHI- that is what im thinking too. i want to run them as far as i can but still have run for adjustment if needed. should stiffen it up quite a bit dont you think?

 

[Stachi]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

As far as the under mounting to the gunwale,... maybe glue in a block of pressure treated wood with 3M 5200, about twice as long as your under aluminum mounting plate first...spread it equally from the mounting point in either direction along the gunwale...glue both plates ( upper and lower) with the 5200....that should work and not stress the actual mounting point. That 3M 5200 is some amazing stuff....

 

[Stachi]

Re: bimini help please!!!!!!!!!!

I might make a larger 'step plate ' for the upper end ...spread the tension out a bit...I am wondering why you need it to be adjustable , as far as the rear tubes go..