Bimini top life in FL

Bruce, my tower surrey is made of Stamoid. I found it on a number of websites which state it is an excellent material for Bimini tops as well as permanent tops. Mine has held up better than anything I've ever had in the Florida sun. No idea what it would cost to make a top, but it seemed to be priced at around $36-40/yd.
 
Pascalg I sure have a lot of questions about using starboard for a bimini replacement. I used it to replace the bench seats on my bridge. I used a different material in my hardtop. Please try to contact me thru the forum. Your replacement bimini with lights sounds like a good idea.Thanks Jim
 
Starboad is heavy, even the light version, and a small boat with a Staborad Bimini would probably roll over like a turtle. You can make all kinds of things out of PVC board, which is about 1/3 the weight of Starboard, cuts with any saw, has some flex for attaching to curved surfaces, can be shaped with a heat gun, and you can glue it with PVC cement, unlike Staboard. The bench seat in my tower is made from PVC board.
 
this is the first I have heard of PVC board. where do you get it?
 
weight wasn' an issue on my boat (37').

how does PVC board handle years in the sun, what color does it come in and how much does it cost? on usplastic.com it states that PVC sheets are not UV stabilized.

Jim, I used starboard Light, which is lighter. it's important to bend it inside, not outside as the heat from the gun is wasted by the slightest breeze.

on a small boat, the bimini is small too... so i really dont' think 100lbs will make a huge difference... sure, it's high above the CG but when you have 5 adults standings in a boat, one coudl argue their heads may weight as much as a SB top :-)
 
Ron I agree the lighter the better.I don't know if my seats are overkill or not,I replaced the plywood with starboard and now they cannot absorb moisture.Starboard is sure lighter than wet plywood,trust me.Your pvc board may be a better idea if it gives proper support. One of my seats is 7ft. long and it is stronger now than it was when new. Thanks for the info. JIM
 
100 lbs on a Bimini top frame on a small boat would be difficult to stabilize in any kind of conditions other than flat calm.

I had to replace my seat bottoms and backs once also due to water saturation. I used marine plywood and coated it with clear polyurethane to seal it. Haven't had a problem since. I don't see Starboard holding staples very well for re-attaching the seat fabric. Don't get me wrong...I think Starboard is the greatest thing since a rigged ballyhoo, but it has limitations when trying to use it in some applications where weight or fasteners are an issue.

I got my PVC board from a plastics & laminates supplier. It came in 3' X 5' sheets and was about $100/sheet (considerably cheaper than Starboard). I put one coat of Interlux Brightsides on mine to match my hull color and of course that has protected it from any UV damage. I think I saw several color choices when I bought mine.
 
any photos?
How did you join to make larger cover??
 
well, full sheet of 1/4" starboard is about $120 from what i recall.. and that's 4x8 sheets not 3x5, finished, no need to paint.

i've used screws or staples in starboard, no issues. screws hold VERY well.

an alum frame maybe to flimsy but not an SS frame, at least it worked for me...
 
Just finished making a new bimini for my boat, a 265 Rinker. It is made out of TopGun. much stronger and longer lasting than sunbrella. It comes with a 5 year warranty. I have it in the elements in the Chesapeake all season and it looks and cleans up like new every year. Great material. Very waterproof. Others using it have had their biminis for 10 years and still look good.
 
We only have a six month boating season but the bimini is original on my boat. It's a 1985 and was leaking badly last year. My buddy and I took it off, bows and all and carried it up to shore. We sprayed it down real good with some water proofing and let it dry for 8 hours and put it back on the boat. That night we went for a ride and the stiches in the pocket that holds the top on the bow ripped out. The support bow in the middle came wipping around and smacked me in the back of the head. The canavas flew off into the lake. It had an air pocket in it so it was floating when I threw my nine year old in after it. $75 to restitch the whole top and we are back in business.
 
I just spent $800 to replace my bimini with new sunbrella material. I also spent another $800 to have a nice cockpit cover made to protect the interior from the sun. The sun and the UV rays are very harsh to just about everything. Nobody has mentioned the use of a bimini boot to protect the top when not in use??? I bought one for about $45 and make sure the bimini is rolled up and protected after use. Yes it is a bit of a pain to roll it up and zip up the boot but I feel it is absolutely necessary to get some kind of life from the bimini material. I live on a canal in Tampa and the great majority of my neighbors just leave their tops up all the time. Most are faded and don't look to good. Protect your canvas from the sun and it will last. TBF
 
I have had much better luck with Sunbrella than reported by many above. I wash it regularly with clean water, keep "any bird stuff" off it. If it gets dirty, I use a soap and chlorox (as recommended by Glenn Raven Mills) to clean it with a brush. I also treat it regularly with Protectorant 303 for fabric. I have used the teflon thread for the seams. The most recent cover is made of the Sunbrella Plus (which is waterproofed on the inside)--I think it will do better than the regular Sunbrella.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top