OTT Bimini or Bigger under for Titan I

[kerpluxal]

So Boz, have you driven down the freeway with your frame up & the cover rolled up? Any issues?

I think I could drive with just the frame in place without a problem. But the cover does have some tension to it when it's installed so it may rattle a bit. Mine is in place with 8 quick release pins so the whole frame comes down in a few seconds.

That was going to be my next question. Normally I trailer 1.5 miles and have no concerns there. When I go see my dad, I trailer ~240 miles and have concerns with bimini in tow (folded or deployed).

[Asmodeus2112]

So Boz, have you driven down the freeway with your frame up & the cover rolled up? Any issues?

I think I could drive with just the frame in place without a problem. But the cover does have some tension to it when it's installed so it may rattle a bit. Mine is in place with 8 quick release pins so the whole frame comes down in a few seconds.

Cool, any picks of said quick release pins per chance?

[Bozboat]

So Boz, have you driven down the freeway with your frame up & the cover rolled up? Any issues?

I think I could drive with just the frame in place without a problem. But the cover does have some tension to it when it's installed so it may rattle a bit. Mine is in place with 8 quick release pins so the whole frame comes down in a few seconds.

I can go locally 45 mph short distance with fabric extended or 60 minute round trip at 55-60 with it rolled up. Longer trips I just take it off as it shakes in the wind at highway speeds.

Taking it off completely is not hard but it is time consuming so that is a negative.

[Bill_AirJunky]

Cool, any picks of said quick release pins per chance?

My tower is all torn down for powdercoat at the moment. Heres my old design mockup..... the clamps have a SS pin on a wire attached to it. Their a stock Star One part. Same part at the base of the bimini like Levis or my old one.

In the end, the custom bimini looks similar. The bows & supports were changed a bit. But the 8 clamps are all the attachment points.

I drive 40 or 45 mph with it up anytime with little or no movement... behind the truck or on the water. But freeway speeds I've been pulling the frame too, all 8 pins & it's down. It looks kind of stupid with just the frame on the tower. I might be too vain to do it very often.

[Levi900RR]

Hijack...

Bill, I love you boat. Always have, always will...

[Asmodeus2112]

My tower is all torn down for powdercoat at the moment. Heres my old design mockup..... the clamps have a SS pin on a wire attached to it. Their a stock Star One part. Same part at the base of the bimini like Levis or my old one.

In the end, the custom bimini looks similar. The bows & supports were changed a bit. But the 8 clamps are all the attachment points.

I drive 40 or 45 mph with it up anytime with little or no movement... behind the truck or on the water. But freeway speeds I've been pulling the frame too, all 8 pins & it's down. It looks kind of stupid with just the frame on the tower. I might be too vain to do it very often.

Yeah, the frame without the fabric will look goofy, and I do like to take an evening cruise without anything blocking the view of the sky ocasionally. If I can put some quick release pins in I will. I was explaining this to the wife yesterday and it was going ok until I told her that the frame doesn't fold up nicely.

[Levi900RR]

Yeah, the frame without the fabric will look goofy, and I do like to take an evening cruise without anything blocking the view of the sky ocasionally. If I can put some quick release pins in I will. I was explaining this to the wife yesterday and it was going ok until I told her that the frame doesn't fold up nicely.

My wife hated the idea of this as well... In the spring around here, you want as much sun as you can get...

[Bill_AirJunky]

Hijack...

Bill, I love you boat. Always have, always will...

Thanks Levi, your new boat is lookin great too. Is it spring yet??

Yeah, the frame without the fabric will look goofy, and I do like to take an evening cruise without anything blocking the view of the sky ocasionally. If I can put some quick release pins in I will. I was explaining this to the wife yesterday and it was going ok until I told her that the frame doesn't fold up nicely.

The only real drawback for me on the OTT bimini is storage. Taking it down is no tougher or time consuming than it was for the stock Titan/Star One bimini. But it doesn't roll up real easily. This isn't a big deal for me because the boat spends about 80% of it's time on our home lake, and the bimini is up. For the trips we take to other lakes, I have just pulled the pins & set the frame on the back seat till we get to our destination.

My wife hated the idea of this as well... In the spring around here, you want as much sun as you can get...

Except for a few weeks in August, it's very much the same here. So the OTT bimini works well for our situation..... descent protection out of the sun, yet not so enclosed on days like that.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Bill_AirJunky

[Asmodeus2112]

My wife hated the idea of this as well... In the spring around here, you want as much sun as you can get...

After I talked to my wife for a bit, we decided that 99% of the time when we boat we are exposed to the brutal sun down here in TX and shade was more important than anything else. I know it looks dorky, but I'm probably going to go for the Aerial OTT. I'm confident in my engineering/fabrication abilities to mod it to make it work....

[wakebrdr94]

I'm still torn on bimini's. IMO, the old style provided more shade in the boat. Raising the Bimini higher to allow walking is nice, but raising the Bimini exposes more of the sun into the boat. If shade is really the main concern, get the Bimini lower to the boat

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bill_AirJunky]

Raising the Bimini higher to allow walking is nice, but raising the Bimini exposes more of the sun into the boat. If shade is really the main concern, get the Bimini lower to the boat

I don't really understand this idea myself. Granted, I don't live in Cali or TX, but I am in the desert & I'm a bald guy with pretty fair skin. Even when I had the lower bimini, I still used shirts, hats & sunscreen regularly. The higher bimini hasn't really changed that in any way.

Good luck with the new top, Asmodeus. Lookin forward to seeing what you get done.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Bill_AirJunky

[wakebrdr94]

My wife didn't like the higher bimini at first. Especially when on the water all day at the sand bar. We frequent parker a lot and as you know it can roast there. Even our local lakes are 100+ regularly. With the higher bimini, because of where the sun is in the sky (dependent on time), there are times the shade from the Bimini is on the outside of the boat. We just have clip towels to the bimini at that point, or try to move the boat, which is a PITA. Since the sun is not directly above you per-say, raising the bimini up gives the sunlight a better angle to get to the boat. I definitely notice a difference, but just accepted this is the way it is on the G3

I may not yet be bald and have darker skin, but I burn with the best of them

Edited March 12, 2014 by wakebrdr94

[Asmodeus2112]

My wife didn't like the higher bimini at first. Especially when on the water all day at the sand bar. We frequent parker a lot and as you know it can roast there. Even our local lakes are 100+ regularly. With the higher bimini, because of where the sun is in the sky (dependent on time), there are times the shade from the Bimini is on the outside of the boat. We just have clip towels to the bimini at that point, or try to move the boat, which is a PITA. Since the sun is not directly above you per-say, raising the bimini up gives the sunlight a better angle to get to the boat. I definitely notice a difference, but just accepted this is the way it is on the G3

I may not yet be bald and have darker skin, but I burn with the best of them

I hear you on the issue of the shade falling outside of the boat during times when the sun is lower in the sky. I'm hoping the bigger bimini will compensate some. I'm going to work on inventing some type of a pivot/track system that will allow the rigid framed OTT bimini to slide fore/aft and left/right to position the shade in the boat. Maybe even use some little arm processor with some cameras and servos to automatically optimize the shade by tracking the shadow in relation to the boat.

[Asmodeus2112]

Well, I ordered a bimini from Aerial, but they were back ordered and I need it sooner. I then went with the Indy bimini, and I am glad I did so. I think the mounting works much better for a Titan I. I didn't have to fab, bend, cut anything except the hole through the top for the tow point. I used my Weller soldering iron with the cutting tip to cut the Sunbrella material, with worked well and melted the threads nicely. My wife will help me sew a border around there soon. Since someone was looking for a OTT bimini I said I'd post some pictures of this, but to be honest I'm still in the process of getting it just right, and I don't have the speakers or racks up there at the moment. So, these pics are work in progress, but overall I'm quite happy with the bimini. All stainless 1" tubing, mounting is strong, fabric is Sunbrella and sewn nicely. The cover has three zippers, and after getting the hang of it I can put it on and off quite quickly. I know it looks a bit odd, but it is super nice being able to walk under it, and the look is starting to grow on me. More pics later when I get it all done, and hopefully some when it's on the water....

Edited June 5, 2014 by Asmodeus2112

[Bill_AirJunky]

Don't take this in a mean way.... but your right about two things. It is nice being able to stand up under the bimini.... and it is odd looking.

It looks like the material is stretched over the frame pretty tightly. So it must handle speed & the wind just fine.

Some of the details I was paying attention to when we built mine was the shape & rake of the front & rear sections. I was thinking about a baseball cap & how the shape & rake of the brim needs to be just right so it doesn't look stupid. So you shape it & curl it till it looks like you want it. And I tried to keep the supports as short as possible.... raising the tower brackets & pulling the tower down over the rear hoop.

I wonder if you used a conduit or tubing bender to bend/shape the side pieces a bit. Bring the front down. Maybe bend the center of the front & rear to bring the sides down a bit. Shorten the supports a bit. On mine, I lower the brackets on the front tower legs & it tightens up like a drum.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Bill_AirJunky

[Asmodeus2112]

I'm going to bring the front down a bit by lowering the front mount a tad, but right now it works really well which is my first priority. I think it looks odd because we are not used to seeing boats of this vintage with OTT, but as I have been around it for a bit I actually like it. Once racks and speakers are up there it looks better as well. Anyway, for the price, ease of use and functionality I'm very happy.

[Bill_AirJunky]

Yea, I think with the sides being straight, if you lower the front much, it will raise the back, which might introduce an interference problem with the rope.... especially getting someone up with a short rope (ie; surfer). For that reason, mine is actually 2 pieces, the front & the rear so I can raise or lower either one without effecting the other

I think your right on all counts too. It's different, so looks & feels strange. But when you get a chance to be in the boat & use it, it really makes the interior feel so much bigger. And I don't notice any difference as far as the amount of shade, just the location of it.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Bill_AirJunky

[QmanBu]

Asmodeus,

Can you post the link for your bimini, I am trying to do something similar to you and Bill but can't find the bimini you have from the earlier links.

BTW, it looks really great!!

[Asmodeus2112]

Asmodeus,

Can you post the link for your bimini, I am trying to do something similar to you and Bill but can't find the bimini you have from the earlier links.

BTW, it looks really great!!

Thanks! http://wakeboardtower.com/bimini-top/

It's looking better now that the speakers and racks are going up too.

Edited June 6, 2014 by Asmodeus2112

[Asmodeus2112]

So, after living with the bimini at the lake for a couple weeks we couldn't be happier. Provides enough shade, is up and out of the way, doesn't rattle of make any noise underway. Pretty much put it up and forgotten about it. We've had some severe thunderstorms over the last week or so here in Wisconsin, but the bimini takes the wind and rain just fine. I slanted it down just a bit twords the front, and it doesn't interfere with the line attached to the tow point at all. Edit: My boat looks pretty bad in these pics. Halfway through replacing vinyl, towels and stuff all over. Dirty as heck as she's been floating for weeks, but this is what she's for, having fun and getting used.

Edited July 12, 2014 by Asmodeus2112

[Spiv86]

Asmodeus,

How is your Indy top working out? Are you happy with the construction / fit / finish? Can you use any quick disconect pins on that top? I'd like to be able to take it on and off easily. I'm thinking about getting that same bimini.

Heading to Lake Dunlap tomorrow without any cover. Hope we don't get cooked.

[Asmodeus2112]

Asmodeus,

How is your Indy top working out? Are you happy with the construction / fit / finish? Can you use any quick disconect pins on that top? I'd like to be able to take it on and off easily. I'm thinking about getting that same bimini.

Heading to Lake Dunlap tomorrow without any cover. Hope we don't get cooked.

We are very happy with it. Stainless tubing and fasteners, polished aluminum tower mounts and Sunbrella fabric. We don't take the frame down, we just remove the cover which is easy to do as it has zippers and velcro. No harder than deploying a standard bimini. If you did want to take the frame down it's 4 hex screws, so not sure if tying to make that quick release is worth the cost/effort. We trailered the boat several thousand miles this summer with the frame up on the tower without issue. I really love this bimini. My last boat had a traditional under the tower bimini and I got tired of ducking under it all the time, and it was just one more restriction on the way to the bow which is a very congested place with lots of kids and people on the boat. Yes, some sun comes in at low sun times of the day, but we always had enough shade, especially at noonish when the sun is more directly overhead.