Lookin' for some shade.....

[MissBehave1]

OK guys (and gals)..... My wife and I were out ALL day on Sunday here in the northeast and we got burned to a crisp...... We brought EVERYTHING for our first of the season boat ride except for sunscreen.... Now I want to add a top to our 212 Islander but I want to make sure it looks like it was made for the boat..... any suggestions other than a custom shop???
BTW, I looked real quick in my Overtons catalog.... If I went that route it would be Sunbrella product for sure..... I'm just not sure of how it'll store while not in use on our boat.... Any ideas, photos maybe???
Thanks

[Baja Daze]

A bimini top is one option and can be custom made or ordered from many different sources locally, but another option you may be interested in is a product called "Anchor Shade."

It may be less intrusive than a bimini and a lot lighter...It's also not permanent so no mods have to be made to the boat.

It's basically a center post rectangular umbrella that ties down to 4 cleats.

I have found two varieties(varied price, too) listed below.
Check them out:
www.skilimited.com/produc...&intPgNo=3 (http://www.skilimited.com/product.ASP?wc=true&clickpath=79~&base_no=AN-AS&str_base_no=BC,CC,UC,X2ER-SBC,VE-216,TM-845,TM-835,RP-189,VE-240,RP-818,VE-239,TM-809,VE-238,TM-847,RP-857,OP-48,XAC-1842,AN-AS,XPW-77720,BM-401,&header_title=&page_name=prod_list_display&search_type=L0~79&ShowImages=yes&sq=16&cont=1&intPgNo=3)

lostbwana.com/bimini2.htm (http://lostbwana.com/bimini2.htm)

[MissBehave1]

Will the anchor shade stay in place on the boat while under power.... lets say 30-40mph???

[steelware]

No the anchor shade is only for use while anchored or docked. It is not strong enough to use underway.

[MissBehave1]

Ahhh so that's why it's called "Anchor" shade..... :o sorry for the stupidity guys.... :rolleyes

[jal4sas]

Baja Daze,
Do you become an ultra premier member when you hit 600?0]

[GottaHaveIt]

I'd love to have some shade on my 25 Outlaw but I hate adding more hardware to my boat. So I bring lots of liquid shade! SPF 30 or so does fine. :D

-----------
Knockin' on 500 posts! (Soon)

[pwam1]

Anchor shade is the only way to go. A breeze to put up and take down. Can't run at much more than idle speed though.
In a little breeze, on a smaller boat, if your anchor isn't grabbed good, it can act like a sail, and drag your anchor

[Baja Daze]

Right guys...It's no good under power, if that's what is desired you are forced to go with a bimini, but personally, I find a bimini so intrusive and silly-looking on a performance boat. I'm not a fan of drilling any additional holes in my boat and having hardware susceptible to damage.

The anchor shades are great while partying and anchored out, they go up and down in about a minute and you can still maintain that clean look to your boat...

[Baja340SF]

Im with Daze on this one.

A bimini doesnt look so good on a performance boat. Go with the anchor shade and get yourself some SUNSCREEN as well as acouple of hats. And while your buying the sunscreen buy extra and leave it on the boat so you never run out. Nothing worse than ending up like a lobster the first time of the season!

[Baja Daze]

jal4sas,
Almost there...:D
We shall see.

Chris is knocking on 500 as well! :hat

[kamakazi]

I disagree with the look of a bimini top. I installed one on mine and love the fact that I have it when I need it. It only goes up when were in a cove or parked. When its down with the cover on it looks good so long as you get the color to match your boat. Another thing I did was installed the quick disconnect SS mounts on the gunwale, Its has a spring loaded Q/D and takes less than a few seconds to remove it and the sleek look of the SS mount looks like part of the boat. I guess its a matter of taste but do agree on the drilling part. Be very careful when you drill into the gunwale, the gelcoat cracks very easily!!! even after countersinking the hole. To avoid this, (already happened to me) drill the hole size within a hairs size smaller than the fastener and add 3M 5200 sealant into the hole and on the threads of the fasteners. When I drilled mine, I went with the instructions and drilled one complete size down from the fastener diameter and even though I C/S the hole, the gelcoat still cracked. My solution was to get the cracks out as much as possible and then added 5200 sealant in its place and it worked. I learned a valuable lesson that day!

[DCH1]

Sad to say, but I get burned even with the bimini fullyt deployed! So I MUST pack the 30 SPF! A word to the wise, unless you have naturally olive or darker skin, don't rely just on the bimini to prevent sunburn!

I agree with Kamakazi on looks. Mine is easily "booted", is safe from harm that way, and looks fine. The boat is white with blue stripes and the bimini is the same blue. All the glass inserts and canvas was part of my deal.

Running with the bimini deployed over 40 MPH WILL weaken and tear at the stitching over time, so I rarely do any "runs" with the top open. It appears to suffer no harm from high-speeds when you begin doing it, but over time the harm will show.

My mounts were factory as far as I know. No gelcoat cracks. There are small white rubber-like pieces between the gelcoat and the metal. The screws are not visible from the top, and apparently they have washers and nuts holding them from underneath.


Kamakazi:

What are the "SS mounts" you described? Sounds really neat! Where can I see these on the web?

[Baja Boss]

Just move to North Carolina, we haven't seen sunshine in weeks.:rollin

[DCH1]

Sorry to hear that Mark. We've at least had some sun on some weekends - and LOTS of sun during the work week. Now I know why the mountains there look so GREEN whenever I visit NC!

DCH

[kamakazi]

DCH, I believe it was Overtons.com where I purchased them. Here is a pic of what they look like.
http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/May/20035238062249708107875.jpg