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Bimini mounting and size question


gonorth

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Hi all, I'm new here. Was hopeing to find info and picture examples on a Bimini for my 2000 Response LX. Been shoping around and there are lots of options. First I don't have a tower and don't think I will ever have one but I do have a fly hi pole. My questions are:

Length? 5', 5'6", or 6', any opinions? I know 8' is way too long.

Height? I would like to keep it low for best sun and catching the least wind problems. I am only 5-10 and the rest of the family is shorter. If I mount a 36" top on the deck it ends up about 5' off the floor, is that high enough? If I go higher I am afraid the fly hi cables might hit on the front of the bimini too.

Mounting point? I see lots are mounted on the window frame. That scares me a little plus I would think it makes the bimini narrower by maybe 6" than if you mounted to the deck outside of the window. Any opinions? Plus I am thinking maybe if I mount outside the window it might fold up and hinge forward and lay just in front of the windshield when not in use. (we don't use the front seats much)

Fly Hi pole? I saw one in Overtons that had a zippered hole for the pole to go thru. Does that get akward to deal with?

Thanks for your input, I am thinking I need to get off the dime here if I am gonna have this all done by spring.

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Here is picture of our old 2000 RLX with a bimini from Johnson Bimini. Had our mounted outside and below the windshield, so it would fold down in front of the windshield. Bimini was 5' long and had the openings for the pylon, no problems at all.

I went with these quick release brackets for the mounting, it would of worked better it I had mounted it a little closer up to the windshield.

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Thanks, I was hopeing to get a pic like that. Onamission, you say you would put the mounting bracket higher? Do you mean on the side just below where the deck rolls from vertical or horizontal, or on the horizantal part up right next to the base of the windshield?

It looks like yours was no higher than 5' above the floor, does that height work OK for geting up and out of the drivers seat to get to the back of the boat?

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I have a Johnson bimini on my Response. It is mounted just below the windshield frame. I wanted it to lay down forward at the bottom of the windshield when not in use. I don't remember how long it is. I think maybe it was 5 foot. It is mounted high enough to open the center glass on the winshield, which would be very handy on your open bow. The cables on my pylon just barely rub the bimini at the front.

Bill

Edited by BillFooter
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Thanks, I was hopeing to get a pic like that. Onamission, you say you would put the mounting bracket higher? Do you mean on the side just below where the deck rolls from vertical or horizontal, or on the horizantal part up right next to the base of the windshield?

It looks like yours was no higher than 5' above the floor, does that height work OK for geting up and out of the drivers seat to get to the back of the boat?

I would mount it closer to the windshield frame like BillFooter has, when you would open the center window it would rub against the bimini. I went lower because of the different bracket I used to mount to the hull, the shim that I made to compensate for the angle of the mounting surface just didn't look right to me so I went lower on the less angled surface. I did have to lift the bimini up when storied to open the window. I'm 5'9" and the height worked out fine, you learn to duck quickly. Also go with the SS bracket option. One of our beach members has one of the bimini's from Overtons on his 96 RLX with the pylon holes, top looks fine if you can fine a matching color, (we wanted yellow and with stripes), not sure how long his will last compared to the Johnson. Yours was just about always up during the summer months, his is rarely up.

Edited by onamission
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i have a "custom" bimini that was made for my MC when I lived in FL, and it fits my response quite well. mounted almost exactly like billfooters. it folds nicely forward, and it clears the window and the flyhigh cable to.

also, since you have a RLX, you can get straps made so you don't have to drill any holes for the front and aft bimini straps. I had 4 straps made that have loops at both ends (boats in storage so i can't take pictures). 3 are all the same size, one is really long. I use 2 of the shorter straps to wrap around the front grab rail and attach to the straps coming of the bimini. Then I use the other shorter one to attach to the strap on the port side and the grab handle on the port side (next to the passenger seat. The fourth long strap, I loop through the combing pad (i think that's what it is called)on the starboard side and to the bimini strap. So the only holes I had to drill where for the braket (which has 2 quick releases on them).

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Onamission, how did you order your top from Johnson? I had a bimini for my old boat (before tower) made there and a boat cover for my current boat. They are a very small family outfit about 10 minutes from me. Did you have to give the locations for the slits for the pole/ cable?

Pat

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Onamission, how did you order your top from Johnson? I had a bimini for my old boat (before tower) made there and a boat cover for my current boat. They are a very small family outfit about 10 minutes from me. Did you have to give the locations for the slits for the pole/ cable?

Pat

Ordered over the phone. They had already made a number of biminis for the Response so no measurements where needed. Both the front and back slits had zippers in them so you could zip them up from both directions, so you could make the opening any size or place you needed. (Picture only shows the back opening). That was important because with the ext. pole that I had was adjustable and that would chance where the cable would go through the bimini. The only problem that I had with there bimini was the welting that they used around the outside, (white or black), and the zipper openings, (white vinyl), no other options. So if your center stripe was not white it made it look like it had another small stripe, they did remake it you after I discovered that.

Edited by onamission
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You folks are great! I got more info here in a few minutes than in hours of internet searching. I sent an email out to Johnson to see what they can do for me. (price wise) There is a very good canvas shop here in town that I think could do just as good but I doubt they have ever seen a bou, with these pics I am sure they can do just fine. They did some repairs on my boat cover and my lift cover, good work, good folks. They were ballparking $450 with all stainless fittings.

jgouveia, I was hopeing I could use the front rails as anchor points. I am going to have to go out and look at the boat to visualize what you are talking about for rear starbord anchor point. I am thinking if you go way back to that handle at the back seat that the strap will always be in the way but maybe you mean something closer to the front that I am not remembering. I bet if I go with Johnson or the local shop I could get the straps made to the appropriate lengths for those anchor points.

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GONORTH: Straps from Johnson where very long and adjustable. For the front mounting straps I drilled and taped into the turn down section of the bow hand rails to mount the eyelets. For the back I used screw that holds the windshield frame to the hull and drilled just one more hole for the eyelet. I tried going to local shops but found it a little difficult trying to explain the holes for the pylon. Good luck.

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jgouveia, I was hopeing I could use the front rails as anchor points. I am going to have to go out and look at the boat to visualize what you are talking about for rear starbord anchor point. I am thinking if you go way back to that handle at the back seat that the strap will always be in the way but maybe you mean something closer to the front that I am not remembering. I bet if I go with Johnson or the local shop I could get the straps made to the appropriate lengths for those anchor points.

on the port side (passenger) i use the handle that is right there at the rear facing passenger seat (i.e. even with the ski pylon). On the starboard side, it is basically directly across from where that handle WOULD be if it had one (so you are looping around the front of the side ski locker). I will dig through my pictures to see if I have any. i won't be able to get to the storage area for a little while, but if i do i will try to snap some photos.

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Dang all these nice boat pics and pics with water are making me wish I lived where we had more than 4 months of good boating weather.

Toby, my daughter just got back from 4 months in Lismore and another month in Fiji, NZ, and some other Islands around there I have no clue what the were called. She had a blast. She left just when the boating season was geting hot here so she missed out on a lot of time with the bou.

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  • 4 months later...

Well, I took all your dimensions and suggestoins, added a few of my own and presented them with your pictures as a challenge to the local canvas shop. He has been scratching his head and I have been stoping by every evening to help him think and get it all right. He finally has the frame all built now and it should be done in another day or two and I will post some pics then. I think it took him a lot more time than he bid the job for, we'll see if he charges me more as a result.

Specifics: 2000 Response LX, with fly high pole.

Here are the parameters I gave him.

- had to fold forward of the windshiled, this was the hardest challenge for him, he had never done one to folding forward before. To do this and have it lay down well he had to put a little bend in the bottom of the main frame, this means it can never be folded backwords but that's OK with me.

- window had to be able to open with bimini up or with it folded down

- hug the window as much as possible when down to keep the front seat usable. (he cold not totally satisfy this and still have the windshield be able to open when down, but it only sticks forward of the seat back rest a few inches.)

- main frame bracket had to mount to the deck up against the windshield frame (this worked easy on one side but the windshield was installed off center and one side we had to grind down the mounting bracked to make it fit on the narrow side)

- No holes in the fiberglass except the main mounting bracket. (front straps go to the hand rails and the anchor bracket for the back straps are screwed into the floor)

- All stainles fittings and stainless one piece poles.

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