Bimini rain catcher design

[FullCircle]

We are going to make a bimini, and want to include a rain catcher into the design. HAs the panle any links or photos on what has worked well (and what to avoid?). Also ideas for pole support arrangement, has any one used lightweight carbon fibre poles like those on hiking tents, that are very flexible for using in hoops?
Boat is 35 Jeanneau Sun Oddity, so very wide.

 

[vyv_cox]

If this is to be a permanently erected bimini that will be up when sailing, essential in my view, then lightweight poles are not strong enough. If it is to be an awning that is ercted at anchor, then lighter supports are possible. We have 3 metre water piping/conduit for this and it seems to be adequate although not yet fully tested. I think that the carbon fibre poles used for modern dome tents will work well and are easily stowed.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

How lightweight is lightweight?
For all intents and purposes, a bimini is left erected on a permanent basis. Down here it's for the sun, not the rain. Since it's always there one tends to use the support tubes as handholds. I'm afraid that carbon fibre tubes - if lightweight - could well shatter.
Why not go for stainless steel? That's what we do: strong, easy to clean, inexpensive, fittings readily available.

 

[ytd]

unless you put rain gutters on the bimini it will need to have a concave top so rain can collect at a central drain. Could be tircky to engineer.

We had an awning with a drain we could put up while at anchor but gave it away because it caught so little rain. Only about 2 litres and hour and you have to throw out the first halh hour's worth because it will be salty. Awning was about 4 m2 but much of the water is lost as the boat rolls and water falls off the edge of the awning rather than going down the drain.

 

[pcatterall]

Rising to the challenge I got my sketch pad out and stirred the brain a bit.
As the cover has essentially, to be convex and ruling out any ideas about sagging roofs with drains! I felt that the solution had to be some kind of gutter.
The gutter would probably be some kind of flap all round the bimini and leading into a tank/container. The flap could be raised (catching mode) by 'sticks' (impractical) by an infalatable tube under the flap or by light lines from one side to the other.
The flap could be buttened down when not required.
Personally I would look for other ways of catching water!
Couldn't cockpit water be drained off int a seperate tank? clean enough for emergencies or washing purposes.
Is there a place where a large light tarp can be quickly rigged when rain is expected?
ER... water maker?

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

[ QUOTE ]

Personally I would look for other ways of catching water!

Is there a place where a large light tarp can be quickly rigged when rain is expected?
ER... water maker?

[/ QUOTE ]

The time-honoured method of using the runoff from the mainsail...?

 

[damo]

Another neat idea I heard was to use bin bags with some seawater in them to act like sand bags, forming a catchment around the deck filler.

 

[Sea Devil]

I had bimini of my own design on my Moody 36 - I sewed two small plastic funnels into it (having drilled a load of small holes round the lip of the funnels)

I positioned them both in the after part of the bimini and the entire thing sloped slightly aft - so all the water ran down towards the two funnels.

The ends of the funnel were towards the sides of the bimini so that I could attach plastic tube to the funnel end and run the tubing down to either water jugs or direct into the water tank via the filler which happened to be beside the cockpit.

The system worked well either sailing or parked on anchor and I collected significant amounts of drinking water in this way. Because the funnels were permanently fixed the only thing I had to do when rain arrived was to push the plastic tubes on and lead the end to tank or jugs...

Don't know if this helps?

Michael