Bimini tops?

[K Chiswell]

Russell, I didn't want to stay off subject on your hardtop dodger thread. Thanks for the offer to take a picture of your solar setup but I found a good picture of it in an old tread.

I was thinking on my bimini of putting a window over the wheel to be able to look up at the main sail and mast head. Coming from a racing background I look at the wind vane and leech tell tails often. I would like input from those who have a bimini. Are you okay with the visibility with the bimini up?

[Russell]

Russell, I didn't want to stay off subject on your hardtop dodger thread. Thanks for the offer to take a picture of your solar setup but I found a good picture of it in an old tread.

I was thinking on my bimini of putting a window over the wheel to be able to look up at the main sail and mast head. Coming from a racing background I look at the wind vane and leech tell tails often. I would like input from those who have a bimini. Are you okay with the visibility with the bimini up?

I thought for awhile about putting a window in, there is about 2 feet of space between the panels in which a window would fit nicely.

But I ultimately decided against the extra maintence and issues of having strataglass there. My situation is not at all typical compared to most, but here are my thoiughts on it.

As a single hander, when I want to trim sails, I am already forward of the wheel and can see everything fine. And really, I am forward of the wheel almost all of the time, except when docking or in very crowded sailing areas (the wind vane steers my boat 90% of the time, the autopilot 5% and me the other 5%). The visibility impairment has never been an issue, and I am a bit of a geek about sail trim sometimes (not to mention good wind vane performance relies heavily on good trim for balance).

If you spend a lot of time behind the wheel (which most people do), put a window in, but have a cover for it so it stays clear enough to see through (and dont make the cover out of sunbrella, it scratches! have it made out of stamoid or another smooth vinyl). I doubt you will ever be happy about how much visibility you have though or the distortion the strataglass or other clear window material provides, but it would be better then nothing if its something that bugs you. I sail mostly in places where the sun can take the life out of you, a bimini is a must and I woulnt even consider sailing without one, but if I spent most of my time in a place like Maine, I would probably have different feelings about all of it.

[gates_cliff]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/46511467@N00/14445256982/

Well I hope this link works! Found this on another site, nice looking CD 27 with a bimini. wonder if you can sail the boat like this.

[tjr818]

Well I hope this link works! Found this on another site, nice looking CD 27 with a bimini. wonder if you can sail the boat like this.

I'd love to try. August in St. Louis gets awfully hot.
Does anyone know more about this?

[Zeida]

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For 18 years I had a CD25. When I moved down to Miami FL, I HAD to put in a bimini, or die from heat exposure. When at anchor, or at a marina, I would put it up. When sailing, the bimini would fold down forward, right over the companionway. Never bothered me, and was a big help to shield from the weather.