Bimini

[Guest]

I wonder what types of bimini's would be suggested by those who have used them a lot. I am familiar with the type of bimini which can stay up while sailing (at least on various types of boats) and can be taken down if required by collapsing the frame of stainless steel tubes. The main disadvantage of that system seems to be the fact that the frame in collapsed mode stays on deck and is not particularly good looking in my opinion.

I have seen the option of a small bimini which is attached directly to the sprayhood and then fixed to the backstays. There is hardly any frame, so it can be taken away quickly and completely. However I still have my doubts about the functionality of those. First of all there seems less headroom underneath them and more importantly your vies forward is limited.

Any good/or bad experience with any two types ?

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[charles_reed]

I have a bimini, attached to the trailing edge of my sprayhood and with a batten at the aft end where it attaches to my backstay.

For smaller boats, where you don't have a lot of room under the boom they are ideal, however you cannot stand up under them. The lack of a gap in the forward edge also means you don't get much of a draught from any breeze when at anchor (unless you have a zipped window in your sprayhood).

You also need to have side and back extensions to rig when the sun is not directly overhead.
It takes about 120 seconds to put up or take down.

If there would be room for you to stand in your cockpit without your head projecting above the sprayhood it might be possible to rig a standing-headroom bimini.

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[Gunfleet]

So how do you cope with the mainsheet in this arrangement, Charles?

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