CONTINUOUSWAVE

The OEM top on my 1991 Outrage needs to be replaced. I do not use it frequently but it is nice to have when I need it. Is there a source for tops that the continuouswave community has found to be of good quality and reasonably priced?

Thank You - Will

For recommended vendors for many components used in classic Boston Whaler boats, see

Original Equipment Manufacturers and Recommended Vendors
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/OEM.html

In the case of boat canvas, there is almost no chance to satisfy the requirements of reasonably priced and good quality in a single vendor. Boat canvas is somewhat akin to women's dresses. There are off-the-rack moderately-priced dresses that don't fit quite right, and there are custom-fitted dresses that are expensive. Boat canvas works the same way.

If you live in an areas with plenty of boats kept at marinas, there is probably a good boat canvas artisan in your area. If he is really good he will have a backlog of orders stretching at least six months or longer. His custom made canvas will be expensive.

Will wrote:The OEM top on my 1991 Outrage...

If the canvas was supplied by Boston Whaler in c.1991 and not added-on by a dealer, the canvas was probably made by Wm. J. Mills & Co., of Greenport, New York. See my earlier reply for information on contacting them.

Thank you for the replies. I contacted Mills and would prefer not to spend that much on a top. Additionally, I need the frame and top, not just the canvas redone. Thank You

What is the price range you are willing to spend on a replacement Bimini top for your 1991 Boston Whaler OUTRAGE model of unspecified length?

What fabric do you prefer?

Do you want components such as hinges and fittings to be plastic or metal?

If you want metal hinges and fittings, do you want marine grade stainless steel or chrome plated pot-metal?

Do you want the frame to be made of aluminum tubing or stainless steel tubing?

Carver Covers make quality bimini tops. I recommend you look into their products at http://www.carvercovers.com/.

In addition to Carver, who offer very good products, there is also Great Lakes Boat Top who has been a OEM supplier of canvas since 1997.

https://greatlakesboattop.com

Thank you for the replies. The boat length is 19. The canvas is in remarkably good condition considering its age. I have searched extensively but cannot find a top that mounts to the boat the way the one I have does. The easiest thing to do is to have a new frame made and I found a company in Deltaville, Va that can reproduce the frame I have.

I recall the 1991 Outrage 19 is the same hull as the classic Outrage 18. The model name was changed in that year and the only change was the redesigned console that included an electronics box and a taller windshield.

The typical installation of the bimini was on the gunwale cap, using a 4' or 6' slider to allow it to be stowed inside the rails either forward or to the rear. Is your installation different.

I would think Carver's selection would be very good.

Hi Jim—ASIDE: thanks again for your insight (regarding my post on another thread). I did purchase my first whaler. It is in fact a 1971 13' Sport (from what I can determine) in excellent condition and I am the third owner.

To my point, I have read your post regarding the install of your Taylor Made bimini top from West Marine. After stopping in my local Northern Michigan store, this seems to be a great---if not convenient, option for me.

My questions to you now are:
1. Do you have any follow-up advice based on the installation decisions/materials (screws, location of mount, etc) you used?
2. How has this Taylor Made product held up? Are you generally happy with the quality (the current price is twice what you paid!)

Thank you,

Re my purchase and installation of a TaylorMade BoaTop:

I sold that SPORT 15 about 15-years ago. The fellow who bought it still owns it, and, by happenstance, we are now co-workers. So I see him often and have kept up with the state of the SPORT 15.

I was very pleased with the outcome of my installation. As far as I know, that same top is still in use. I believe one of the plastic hinge fittings was damaged upon an encounter with a dock, but a replacement part was obtained and installed. The only element of the TaylorMade BoaTop that I was not completely satisfied by was the material used for the top. I was, naively, expecting it to be a woven fabric like Glen Ravin Mills SUNBRELLA, the gold-standard of material for boat canvas. The material of the top was a heavily treated fabric encased in a vinyl coating, so not at all like SUNBRELLA. I imagine that the cost of SUNBRELLA fabric is probably quite high compared to the material used in the TaylorMade BoaTop. In defense of the BoaTop, it seems to be still in good condition after many, many years of use.

For another vendor, I suggest you look at Great Lakes Boat Top:

https://greatlakesboattop.com/

Many have endorsed Great Lakes Boat Top, and they were in the recent past (and still are) making OEM canvas for Boston Whaler. They are an independent company, not owned by Brunswick, so the notion that their products are chosen by Boston Whaler as an OEM supplier seems like a strong endorsement to me. I don't have first-hand experience with their boat Bimini tops, but I would expect them to be first-tier quality, considering their use on current Boston Whaler boats.

For another vendor, I suggest you look at Great Lakes Boat Top...

Perfect thank you for the reponse.

I will give Great Lakes Boat Top a call to inquire; based on their website, 1997 is the oldest model Whaler they list. I will have to find out if this new year OEM model will work on the [1971].—Cheers.