Bimini Suggestions?

[Chris Reinke]

This crazy heat has given me a new perspective on bimini tops and I am seriously considering adding one to my CD330. I have long thought of them as something that wimpy sailors have because they are afraid of a little rain....not how I view them any longer. The heat this past week has been horrible. I am currently sitting in Westbrook CT waiting for the fog to lift so I can continue on my NY to Cape Cod trip. I fashioned a temporary bimini off my boom securing sailcover cloth, several bungee cords and 3 batten poles. I admit...it looked like hell....but it kept me from frying an egg in the cockpit.

So now I am considering adding a true bimini and would appreciate feedback / suggestions / words of advise or caution from other CD owners. What I envision is a bimini that would begin just forward of my companionway so I could keep the companionway open during light rain. I would then want it to extend just aft of my boom and rise up to give ample headroom to stand at the helm. I do not want to raise my boom and recut the main so I think a stepped bimini is the best option. I have not considered adding a dodger, although I would if it could be removed independent of the bimini and stored for the rare occasion that I totally wimp out.

My biggest concern is the aesthetic effect it might have on my beloved CD. I have seen dodger/bimini tops that look very cheap and out of place on very nice vessels. Which I guess is why I often find myself sitting in the sun and rain.....I am miserable...but my CD looks "classic".

Any suggestions are welcome?

[Russell]

This crazy heat has given me a new perspective on bimini tops and I am seriously considering adding one to my CD330. I have long thought of them as something that wimpy sailors have because they are afraid of a little rain....not how I view them any longer.

As you discovered, shade is their primary purpose. They actually do very little to keep rain out as any wind will drive the rain right under it.

What I envision is a bimini that would begin just forward of my companionway so I could keep the companionway open during light rain. I would then want it to extend just aft of my boom and rise up to give ample headroom to stand at the helm. I do not want to raise my boom and recut the main so I think a stepped bimini is the best option. I have not considered adding a dodger, although I would if it could be removed independent of the bimini and stored for the rare occasion that I totally wimp out.

If you want to keep your companionway open while it rains, a dodger is your best bet, since while on the hook your bow will be into the wind so rain would not be driving under it and into the cabin. A bimini would have to extend pretty far to accomplish this and if you ever in the future wanted to ad a dodger and your bimini was so large already you would find yourself needing to change your bimini. I think once you see the prices on these things your not going to want to have somehting designed that may interfere with a possible dodger.

My biggest concern is the aesthetic effect it might have on my beloved CD. I have seen dodger/bimini tops that look very cheap and out of place on very nice vessels. Which I guess is why I often find myself sitting in the sun and rain.....I am miserable...but my CD looks "classic".

Getting something to look aestheticly right is difficult. Dodgers are a bit easier I think, and a dodger bimini combo isnt too bad, but a bimini alone is the most difficult I think. What makes the dodger easy is the canvas is attached to the cabin itsself so it is just a continuation of the lines of the boat and they are so common that they do seem to be natural these days. If you have a dodger a bimini can be made to appear a natural extension of that line. But a bimini alone is just something sticking up there that does not appear naturally extended from anything. I guess I would keep it level fore and aft so it matches the line of the cabintop. The sides are going to curve down a bit to help keep a little rain out and let collected rain to flow off naturally and not pool on the top. Try not to make the bimini too high either, the higher it is the stranger it will look, but also you dont want your sail cover or anything else that dangles up there chafing on the bimini, you will have a hole pretty quick. There is a tendancy to want to put in the most height possible and just barely clear the boom, this is because people want standing headroom, but most of the time you sit in the cockpit, not stand strait up and the drawbacks are worse then the benifit of standing room. Also the higher it is the more potential rain will get in.

Just my opinions, hope it helps. And I would suggest at least considering getting a dodger while your at it. The first time your out in hairy weather with waves crashing over the deck you will be very happy you have it, especially with that cold water you have up there.

[Mel V]

Chris,
I agree with Russel, a dodger usually adds to our CD's or atleast mine. I don't think I would own a boat without a dodger, it adds to the sailing season in early spring and late fall. Colour and design will be the major factors because your are quite correct when you say you have seen some cheap ones. To me the bimini is something you can rig when you need it but we are sailors because we enjoy what nature has to provide, most of the time. Its just when she gives us too much of herself that we need to seek shelter. I am getting ready to add a bimini to my dodger and will design something that I can zip to the dodger, slide in a couple of battens and bungee cords and seek shelter from the sun. Again I think Russel is correct bimins don't stop the rain.

[mahalocd36]

Agree with Russell and Mel.

Looking around our mooring field this weekend, I noticed on boats where I thought the dodger looked good was when it was light colored (usually) and when it had lots of 'glass' - i.e. the major sunbrella was the 'roof' but the sides and front were mostly clear. Not that some others didn't look okay, but those blend in with most boats better.

We love having a bimini. Doesn't do a lot for rain but it's great to get out of the sun.

[Chris Reinke]

Melissa - Thanks for looking around and taking notice for me. I appreciate your comments....but then again...I guess with your inflatable almost sinking you had little else to do but stay on your CD and enjoy the views.

Thanks again and best of luck on your inflatable repairs.

[Parfait's Provider]

Parfait sports a bimini / dodger combination. The bimini can be set against the backstay, but I usually set it a bit forward to eliminate chafe. It has two bows and reaches forward to overlap the dodger a bit. I find the dodger more of a pain than help when in the slip and haven't bothered to set it this year. If the weather piped up on a trip, its about a five minute job.

Standing head room at the helm is important unless you have a high helm seat. With the dodger up visibility forward is pretty limited; there is a small slot between the two and the windows in the dodger are not helpful when standing.

Our bimini has flaps forward and aft that are usually rolled up. They are split so that one side can be set at a time. This is helpful both underway and on the hook when the sun gets low.

[Rperlot]

Living in the great NW, where it is hard to tell the difference between a well tanned and a well rusted person, I can attest to the near uselessness of biminis for rain protection.

I have a dodger and a bimini. A dodger is required for rain intrusion in the cabin. Because I have an aft mounted traveler, my bimini can only extend to the end of the boom and it does not zip onto the dodger, but is about 6" above it and overlapping. I can view between the dodger and bimini when standing. It also has to fold forward when not in use. As a result, the sun protection is limited heading any direction but South.

But the real nuisance is that this configuration requires the frame be mounted on my coamings just about a few inches aft the genoa winches. Getting in and out of the cockpit is relatively perilous. The frame is not strong enough on either my dodger or bimini to grab. So I have to balance very carefully while I wiggle through limited space before I can get forward the dodger and grab the handrails on the cabintop.

With the CD330's traveler on the cabintop, I would think you have the opportunity to design the frame mountingfurther aft the dodger. Giving more room to offer a better passage to the deck. Just something to think about as you design yours.

[Al Levesque]

I have been through several iterations of the questions of dodger and of bimini (and a few other conveniences as well.) Both devices limit visibility and physical access to parts of the boat. My current solution is to do without either. I even filled holes where hardware mounted. I have fisherman's quality foul weather gear for the bad weather and a broad hat, a bucket, and a swimsuit for the very good weather. The boat looks much less cluttered and I have the least difficulty seeing or going on deck.

Good luck in making your own choices.

[rtbates]

I understand your desire for a bimini. Down here in Texas IF biminis were outlawed I'd have to quit sailing!! Sure they make getting around a bit of a hassle compared to no bimini, but the shade is just not an option. On our 25D,Seraph, we have a dodger with aft panel and a bimini. We use the dodger when we want protection from wind and water and the bimini when we want protection from the sun. The aft section of the dodger does provide protection from the sun, just not as much as the bimini. When I go off shore it will be dodger and it's aft section only. So far I have not figured out a way to have both the dodger and the bimini because the two's supports together make going forward a real issue.
The dodger makes the forward end of the cockpit a really nice extension of the cabin. Much like a screen porch does for a house.

[Bill Jarrell]

We were recently with a couple, at anchor, who had some sort of large umbrella set up in the cockpit that was tied off on the lifelines. They inherited it from a previous owner so they were sketchy about it's origin. This was a marine design rather than your common variety patio umbrella. Worked real well keeping the sun off and looked like it would store real easily.

Bill

[jerryaxler]

Our first dodger and bimini was dark brown and we changed that to a light tan(toast as my mate would say). It has improved the coolness factor by a lot. This year we added a set of closed mesh screens that act as shades when at anchor. They zip on to the bimini and bridge. They were a lifesaver during that 100 degree period earlier this summer.

[Zeida]

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cHRIS... THIS IS MY CD-33 BANDOLERA, with its dodger and bimini. They add terrific comfort, shade and protection from the elements. Also provide a much desired shade at the marina slip when after a day of sailing we sit in the cockpit enjoying a couple of beers.

[Ed Haley]

The bimini on my CD330 has plenty of headroom for me (6'3") and it begins aft of the boom. As others have stated it is only good for a bit of shade but in addition it has two 100 watt solar panels mounted on top to take care of electric needs. The panels are out of the way and never seen from below.

[s.v. LaVida]

We use a dodger with a zippered awning that attaches to the back stay on LaVida, our 33 CD.

Only down side is when your using the main, you've got to pop it down.

However there is no hardware to get in the way and it makes for great shade.

Rit

[tradewinds780]

Zeida
Where did you get your Dodger and Bimini made? I live in Miami and bought a CD27. I jury rigged a small bimini but I realize I need something more. Especially after this summer.