Home made PVC Bimini ( Canopy) one year later

mandolinut · April 20, 2013, 12:29:35 PM

I made this Bimini top a year ago and posted it under Compac 16. Thought some of you might enjoy this reposted under DIY. After a year, it is doing fine and I would highly suggest this as an easy DIY project. The sewing required is very basic.
I got the original idea from the book on trailering sailboats by Burgess.

The modifications I made that WORK VERY WELL are 1, the two stern telescoping PVC supports that allow you to adjust the Bimini height for under sail or at anchor. At anchor I prefer the canopy to be higher than the boom would allow under sail. 2, an adjustable PVC pipe running from the front crossbar to the rear crossbar to keep the Bimini canopy taut and eliminate sagging 3, addition of 1/2" CPV pipe with caps on the two shrouds to allow the forward Bimini crossbar support to be held at a certain predetermined height and as a bonus,become rollers to reduce sail chafe when using your larger genoa sail.

Some of the pluses are 1, the Bimini canopy goes up and comes down very quickly.2, When rolled up takes very little space below 3, inexpensive.4. adjustable height
I initially made a mock up using an old sheet and when I was happy with the size, used Sunbrella fabric with some help from my first mate..

The pictures below should answer most questions. One picture showing the sag in the top, was taken with the PVC front to rear connecting piece removed. Another picture shows the canopy with the pipe inserted. The adjustable rear supports are made with two PVC pipes telescoping into one another and have pre drilled holes and pins to maintain whatever height you choose. I have the two rear supports resting in a pair of stanchion supports resting on two square white rubber furniture leg protectors.
Hope this helps prevent Sun damage to your hides and makes your time spent at anchor more enjoyable.
Patrick

When you go to this link, click on the blue letters BIMINI to get all 9 photos

https://picasaweb.google.com/PakaandKiule/Bimini#5868954339720672466

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nies · April 21, 2013, 09:38:31 AM

What was the approx. size of your canopy?..............nies

mandolinut · April 25, 2013, 05:38:07 PM

The finished canopy is 53" wide and 67" long. You must allow a bit more fabric in both directions to be able to fold over and sew.
I made the forward cross bar 58" and the rear crossbar 55 1/2 " which includes the caps.
This puts the base of the caps up against the fabric in the back and on the forward crossbar, left me enough pipe extending past the fabric to lash my two bronze clips that attach the forward pipe to the shrouds.
Patrick

Salty19 · April 26, 2013, 11:22:16 AM

Boy, I really like this design. I'm hesitant to build one for our 19, mainly due to the fact that the shrouds are close to inline with the mast. With an attachment point here, this would leave very little room to step up on the deck to free a line/fuss with whisker pole, set a preventer, etc. And would interfere with the boom vang, which I'm not giving up.

With the 16, you'll have more room to step on deck, no question.

I do wonder if a shorter version could be designed for the 19.
Gotta re-read Bob Burgess's section of The Handbook of Trailer Sailing on his design for a 19.

Anyway, nice work!!!

Ted · April 28, 2013, 08:56:45 AM

On my 16 I made a bimini but I didn't use the standup poles to keep it up - I just placed it on top of the boom. It was just a big square with aluminum poles at each end, tied down to the deck on all four corners. It was easy to setup and stored below really quickly.

Last December I got my 19 and it came with a bimini top. I didn't like it! While under sail, you have this big folded up bimini top sitting there, obstructing your view and keeping you from being able to lean back against the rear of the cockpit. It has to be somewhat forward on a 19 due to the backstay. So I took it off and intend to re-build the square style bimini.

Another benefit of the square... I could put mosquito net over the whole thing and seal off the cockpit from pesky squeeters. I suppose that could be done with my other top, but the backstay cable ran through the fabric so it would take some finessing to figure out.

mikec · May 12, 2013, 09:33:47 PM

You did a wonderful job. And your pictures really show how simple and elegant your solutions is. One question though. When you are sailing, do you find the rear posts to be in the way? Or is you have guests on board has anyone tried to use the supports to hold on?

Mike

mandolinut · May 13, 2013, 08:35:08 PM

The rear post do not get in the way with the bimini length I am using. That was part of the reason for my initial "mock up" I made from an old sheet. If the bimini were longer, I could see where the mainsail lines would rub. I also used the bimini length I chose because I wanted to be able to stand up behind the bimini to stretch.
The only challenge is going forward while under sail. It will help keep you limber.