[csterner]

I have been holding my wife off of getting a Bimini for a year and now it has to be on my to do list for this winter. Although, I did learn last year that if I make her a drink before we hit the boat ramp, then she doesn't complain nearly as much! Lmao!
Anyways, I am afraid that it will really look funny with a Bimini. So I am looking for pics and/or suggestions of anyone that has pulled it off and made it look good.


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[rajjneef]

Why would it look funny? It is a pleasure boat and not a Fountain or something. I think they look better a little lower than what most stock poles are going to put it at. You can also consider what the offshore guys do. Get one of the umbrellas and use it while you are anchored. I love having my bimini on my z242.

[ColoradoDiablo]

Definately lower the height of it. I think like rajjneef....it would look fine as long as it isn't 4 ft off the top of your windshield. Just don't run her at 60 mph with it up Chris. LOL
The umbrella idea is good too

[Oregondunes]

Here is mine all rolled up. We love ours, even being black. When it's been shinning hard all day and youve had enough, it's nice to get out of it for a bit.



Thats ours furthest away

[ShabahZ280]

I have one of the "Anchor Shades" as rajneef spoke of. It's basically a square umbrella with 4 straps on it. It works, yeah, but it's a little bit of a hassle having to maneuver around the center pole every time you need to grab a snack or beverage, and becomes more of an inconvenience when you have more people on board. They say it's rated up to about 10mph winds, and that's true. I wouldn't use it in much more than that. You can see in the second pic below what happens when the wind picks up. I do see a handful of people using them, mainly speedboats, as it's pretty easy to stow and go, and comes with a nice carrying case. You can also carry it to the beach and use it as an umbrella there too.

All in all, it is a cheap alternative to a bimini top, and if you don't mind the center pole and your cleats are spaced out right (or you have other attachment points for the 4 straps), it may work good for you. I think I paid about $160 for mine.

[csterner]

Thanks for the input! I do like the portability of the Anchor Shades. And you can't beat the price! I will have to figure out if I want to chunk down $500 for a custom bimini or go the temp. route with the Anchor Shade. I could use that extra money for vinyl repair, or that other battery I was going to install, or the new speakers I want to match the subs, or.....

[rajjneef]

Get the stainless hardware if you do. It looks so much better than the plastic stuff. I put one on a z212 that I used to own and think I paid a little over $600 for it with sunbrella. If you have a good shop around i would recommend having one made as opposed to the pre-fab ones. I thought my $600 would be really nice but as it turned out there were many things I would have wanted different to how it was designed. Take a look at some current tops used on a Cobalt or Sea-Ray or something. Take some pics and notice how they are designed. Have the shop do it right for you. More money, but you love your boat and will regret some cheaply looking thing on it.

[Oregondunes]

nothing worse then money cheaply spent.

My favorite line:

Cheap
Fast
Good

Pick any two you like

[Andy b]

Originally Posted by Oregondunes

nothing worse then money cheaply spent.

My favorite line:

Cheap
Fast
Good

Pick any two you like

like this

[csterner]

Lol! Like the pic. That is very true though. I am kind of leaning towards going ahead with the custom Bimini because I can leave it open when cruising and it is a great place to hang beads off of for when we are...giving to charity..yea, that's it!


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