CONTINUOUSWAVE

I may buy a Bimini top. I may mount the frame to the railings instead of to the gunwales to avoid putting extra holes in the boat.

Q1: On a 15-footer will a Bimini top be able lay flat when not in use if the frame is mounted to the railings?

Q2: ON a 15-footer will a Bimini top lay flat so a mooring cover can be placed over it?

[Moderator's note: a survey question has been removed. Please do not ask questions that propose a survey.]

[To mount the frame of a bimini top on a 15-foot classic hull,] I used the side rails.

The Bimini top frame was stainless steel, and it came from another boat so some bending was necessary.

The top fabric was Sunbrella.

[The Bimini top] folds down and lays flat at the stern [of the classic 15-footer]

[The Bimini top frame] is clamped to the side rails with stainless Bimini mount hardware.

[On my classic 15-footer there are] two stern seats that the backs rest against the folded Bimini top rails.

The Bimini top out of sight when folded down.

I mounted the Bimini top on my classic 1976 SPORT 15 using the gunwales. I show the installation in detail in an illustrated article at

Adding A Bimini Top
https://continuouswave.com/maintenance-logs/bimini/

Due to the slope of the gunwales, a special hinge bracket that incorporates an angled offset is necessary.

The hinge mounting point on the boat must be chosen very carefully in order to permit the Bimini top to fold down toward the stern without interference with other elements of the boat. When folded down the top will just clear the aft end of the side railings.

The advantages to mounting the frame hinge to the gunwales are:

• the folded top lies closer to the hull;
• the folded top does not obstruct the side railings; and
• the folded top needs no retaining straps to keep it in place.

My installation is based on Jim's article.

I bought a stainless steel Bimini top from a SeaRay boat for $20 on Craigslist, but the top was too wide and the fabric was shot.

I was able to cut the top tubes, shorten them, and re-attach with stainless sleeves. I then carefully bent them to align with the top of the SPORT 15 side rails. I secured the ends with stainless steel sliding rail clamps.

I bought a new top that was a standard-size Attwood Sunbrella 6-foot model for $50 on eBay.

To get the top to shade each seat and still fold down at the stern was quite an endeavor. The rail clamps made it easy to slide the top fore and aft until I found the right spot.

I also find that the folded down top with three rails on top of the fourth Whaler side rail makes for a very strong and slightly taller safety railing for when my small grandchildren are aboard.

The folded-down top also helps secure the area behind the two stern seats that the kids sit in.

The older I get the more the blazing Sun bothers me. The top was a great addition to the boat.

A few years ago I purchased a Bimini top for my 1985 15 Sport. I was reluctant to drill into the gunwale so I searched online and found these fittings.



I replaced the pin that held the ball with a machined screw. So far, it has held up well.

I’d prefer to rail mount the Bimini top.

Will a rail-mounted Bimini top lay flat and fit under a mooring cover?

Owner reviews of products purchased from Specialty Marine have been very negative overall 30% favorable, 70 % negative.

Buyer beware.

Alternate vendors with positive reviews include:

Mills Canvas
Carver
Westland
Great Lakes Boat Top

TFrere:

What brand bimini did you purchase?

What was the source for those [rail mounted Bimini frame hinge fittings]?

The TaylorMade rail-mount frame hinge fitting can be bought from Wholesale Marine for about $63 a pair:
https://www.wholesalemarine.com/bimini-canopy-top-rail-mount-hinge.html

Just the fact that [the hinge for the frame of a Bimini top] will be rail mounted negates the idea that [the Bimini to[ will lay down [outboard of] the rails. The Bimini top MUST lay atop the rails.

The Bimini top will then act as a barrier to access the stern.

I don't mind [the added five inches of height due to stacked railings when the Bimini top is folded down]; the added railing height makes the sides more secure for the children--but it may irritate you.

I use some pool noodles to cushion the [original boat railing] from the Bimini top rails [to suppress] rattling.

But please measure, measure, measure to get it right the first time.

I purchased from vortexdirect.com. It was important to me to have a stainless steel frame. The top is nice but may not be the same quality as a Mills' Flying Top.

I don’t remember where I got the fittings; I suggest a search for "ball mount bimini hardware."

Greatly appreciate you sharing this info with me. Am I correct that your Bimini rests flat when it is not being used? From the photo you shared, that’s what I’m picturing and what I am after.

[Moderator's note: a survey question has AGAIN been removed. Please do not ask questions that propose a survey. A PM has been send to the participant informing that this thread discussing methods of attachment of the hinge for the frame of a Bimini top to the railings of a classic 15-footer should not be turned into a SURVEY seeking to discover the population of participants that have purchased a particular brand of canvas.]

[The frame railings for the Bimini top on my boat that are mounted to a hinge on the original boat railings] lay flat on the side rails.



[Regarding the choice of fore-and-aft location for the hinge] the Bimini top wrapped in the boot [when folded down] lays [aft of] the [custom made and added] stern seats [on this particular boat]. Also, the engine when tilted up does not hit the top. The top is as out-of-the-way as it can be.

My bimini lies flat on the gunwales of the boat with the ball and socket fittings.

If there is a strong preference to locate the hinge fitting for the frame rails of a Bimini top on the the side rails of a classic 15-foot Boston Whaler boat, there is really no impediment for accomplishing that.

The rail-mounted hinge fittings seen above in Figure 4 will result in the frame railings piling atop of boat's side railings when the top is in the stowed down position, as has already been explained and illustrated several times.

The unusual ball-and-socket hinge fitting seen in Figure 3 which is mounted to a vertical stanchion post for the boat's side railings will result in the frame railings resting outboard of the boat's side railings. However, the choice of fore-and-aft location will then be limited to the location of the vertical stanchion posts for the boat's side railing. Whether or not there is a vertical stanchion post in the boat's side railings that will produce the desired location for the folded-down top will depend entirely on the height of the top and its longest railing.

A further consideration is whether the height of the top should be chosen for the best fit when the top is deployed as sun shade, or whether the height of the top should be chosen to make it fit best when using the pre-determined attachment point of a vertical stanchion post for the existing side railing.

In my experience, if a boat has a Bimini top, the top is generally almost always deployed when the boat is in use. To alter the dimension of the top to enhance its fit (due to use of a fixed mounting point) when stowed seems inappropriate.