Bimini top for Chris Craft Runabout
 

Ok, this boat is small potatoes for a lot of you, but one of my neighbors just
bought a really nice little 1983 17' C-Craft Scorpion 168, the boat is in 8+
shape but no bimini top. so he calls a couple Chris Craft dealers in Fl. and
and finds out that the boat is "obsolete" and the origional top and bracing is
NLA.

SO..... after seeing a sales pic of the boat in '83 with its sexy rag top, he
starts to search the internet and all he finds is generic ones that look like
something off of some horse buggy! Not cool.

a canvas shop could make him a duplicate if he could get some pattern, and the
bracing wouldn't be hard to do either.

But he's just as soon find an origional if possible.

any advice on what to do is welcomed.

THANKS!
Tim

"BSCHNAUTZ" wrote in message
...

a canvas shop could make him a duplicate if he could get some pattern, and
the
bracing wouldn't be hard to do either.

There are lots of canvas shops that can make a bimini top. Does it need to
match the original? If we were talking about a '50s vintage wooden classic
I could see keeping things as close to original as possible, but a 1983
should just be a fairly generic boat.

I would suggest establishing what features in a bimini top is desired and
then go visit a bunch of shops until he finds one that can build what he
wants.

Some issues on a bimini top:

1) Tube diameter and material. Small aluminum poles flex quite a lot.
Larger stainless poles are much more rigid. This will greatly impact how the
bimini reacts at speed and in high wind situations. It can also avert a
disaster when guest uses the bimini as a handhold moving about the boat.

2) Coverage: The sun isn't directly overhead for much of the day, if at
all. If the bimini doesn't extend forward and aft of the seats then it won't
be providing shade for most of the day. It can also be a bummer if only two
seats in the boat get shade.

3) Head room: How tall the bimini is will impact how easy it is to move
about the boat with the bimini up. A higher bimini will also be cooler.

4) Ease of setup: Some biminis require four people to set up, and/or nimble
fingers to avoid dropping hardware overboard. Better arrangements can be
setup with one person and use push pins instead of thumb screws.

5) Compact folding: You won't always want the bimini up, so how it folds up
and stows when not in use is very important.

6) How it attaches: I advise against making any connection to the
windshield frame. Brackets to the deck with through bolts and backing
plates are the way to go. Eventually someone will tie a line to the bimini
poles, or a ski line will catch it, or a "helping hand" will fend off by
pushing on it, or you simply mess up and crash into something bimini first.
A bimini is not too hard to replace or repair, a windshield can be a real
bitch.

7) keep in mind how you board the boat from the dock. I have seen bimini
tops that put straps/poles in the obvious place to board, forcing passengers
to climb across rear seats or make an otherwise awkward entry.


If you want cheap ordering a generic from a catalog is the way to go. If
you want quality, fit and function custom is the best bet. It might cost you
twice as much but you will get a lot more out of it.

Rod

Thanks Rod, thats a stack of great advice.

Tim



"If you want cheap ordering a generic from a catalog is the way to go. If you
want quality, fit and function custom is the best bet. It might cost you twice
as much but you will get a lot more out of it."

Rod