We cruise on our Gulfstar Auxillary 41 centre cockpit. Our bimini is now
old and will need replacing this season. I have been thinking of replacing
with a hard bimini that will last longer than a sunbrella one, allow the
mounting of solar panels, water collection & other cockpit ammenities.

I am considering building one myself. Some folks at the boat-yard suggested
building one out of some kind of foam, that can be cut & fit & when the
desired shape is reached, painted with resin to harden and so on.

Anyone built a hard bimini? Advise? Used this foam stuff?
Advise?...what's the stuff called & where can it be aquired? Advise on
bimini for a cruising boat?

Thanks all!

Glenn.
s/v Seawing

On Sep 26, 8:21 pm, "Glenn \(s/v Seawing\)"
wrote:
We cruise on our Gulfstar Auxillary 41 centre cockpit. Our bimini is now
old and will need replacing this season. I have been thinking of replacing
with a hard bimini that will last longer than a sunbrella one, allow the
mounting of solar panels, water collection & other cockpit ammenities.

I am considering building one myself. Some folks at the boat-yard suggested
building one out of some kind of foam, that can be cut & fit & when the
desired shape is reached, painted with resin to harden and so on.

Anyone built a hard bimini? Advise? Used this foam stuff?
Advise?...what's the stuff called & where can it be aquired? Advise on
bimini for a cruising boat?

Thanks all!

Glenn.
s/v Seawing

Use marine ply and cover with cloth..You can use just about anything
as a core I guess including foam, bimini's leak..wear out...and all
around are a pain in the ass.

I buildt a hard top after 2 bimini's.... best thing I ever did for the
boat.

http://sports.webshots.com/photo/272...63212926LiUcvQ

I guess with the proper foam and resin you could build lighter and
stronger.

Joe

I made a hard bimini out of Deckolite (maybe Dekolite ?) that worked well.
It is end grain balsa between skins of "glass. Stuff's rather expensive
though.

"Glenn (s/v Seawing)" wrote in message
news:jADKi.764$x%6.264@pd7urf2no...
We cruise on our Gulfstar Auxillary 41 centre cockpit. Our bimini is now
old and will need replacing this season. I have been thinking of
replacing
with a hard bimini that will last longer than a sunbrella one, allow the
mounting of solar panels, water collection & other cockpit ammenities.

I am considering building one myself. Some folks at the boat-yard
suggested
building one out of some kind of foam, that can be cut & fit & when the
desired shape is reached, painted with resin to harden and so on.

Anyone built a hard bimini? Advise? Used this foam stuff?
Advise?...what's the stuff called & where can it be aquired? Advise on
bimini for a cruising boat?

Thanks all!

Glenn.
s/v Seawing

On Sep 26, 8:02 pm, "Garland Gray II" wrote:
I made a hard bimini out of Deckolite (maybe Dekolite ?) that worked well.
It is end grain balsa between skins of "glass. Stuff's rather expensive
though.

"Glenn (s/v Seawing)" wrote in messagenews:jADKi.764$x%6.264@pd7urf2no...

We cruise on our Gulfstar Auxillary 41 centre cockpit. Our bimini is now
old and will need replacing this season. I have been thinking of
replacing
with a hard bimini that will last longer than a sunbrella one, allow the
mounting of solar panels, water collection & other cockpit ammenities.

I am considering building one myself. Some folks at the boat-yard
suggested
building one out of some kind of foam, that can be cut & fit & when the
desired shape is reached, painted with resin to harden and so on.

Anyone built a hard bimini? Advise? Used this foam stuff?
Advise?...what's the stuff called & where can it be aquired? Advise on
bimini for a cruising boat?

Thanks all!

Glenn.
s/v Seawing

I built a hard top dodger. I used Ply and fiberglass and expoy. I
think that now I have looked around I have become interested in
Origami boat design. I think that using the origami method you could
shape a flat aluminum sheet into a curve to proper shape for a
bimini. With my next boat I am going to use the origami technology
build both my hard dodger and maybe a bimini.

Joel
Fat Tuesday

A few years back, a fellow built a hard dodger using starboard
material. He ordered a 4 x 8 sheet of 1/2" and formed it over his
existing bimini frame. He used a heat gun to warm the material to
pull it down on the sides. Turned out really nice.

In article .com,
Joe wrote:

On Sep 26, 8:21 pm, "Glenn \(s/v Seawing\)"
wrote:
We cruise on our Gulfstar Auxillary 41 centre cockpit. Our bimini is now
old and will need replacing this season. I have been thinking of replacing
with a hard bimini that will last longer than a sunbrella one, allow the
mounting of solar panels, water collection & other cockpit ammenities.

I am considering building one myself. Some folks at the boat-yard suggested
building one out of some kind of foam, that can be cut & fit & when the
desired shape is reached, painted with resin to harden and so on.

Anyone built a hard bimini? Advise? Used this foam stuff?
Advise?...what's the stuff called & where can it be aquired? Advise on
bimini for a cruising boat?

Thanks all!

Glenn.
s/v Seawing

Use marine ply and cover with cloth..You can use just about anything
as a core I guess including foam, bimini's leak..wear out...and all
around are a pain in the ass.

I buildt a hard top after 2 bimini's.... best thing I ever did for the
boat.

http://sports.webshots.com/photo/272...63212926LiUcvQ

I guess with the proper foam and resin you could build lighter and
stronger.

Joe

I keep thinking that an old van roof might do as either a template, or,
with a bit of ingenuity, the real thing! When was the last time you saw
a van with a rusty roof?

:-)

--
Molesworth

On Sep 27, 7:16 pm, Molesworth wrote:
In article .com,





Joe wrote:
On Sep 26, 8:21 pm, "Glenn \(s/v Seawing\)"
wrote:
We cruise on our Gulfstar Auxillary 41 centre cockpit. Our bimini is now
old and will need replacing this season. I have been thinking of replacing
with a hard bimini that will last longer than a sunbrella one, allow the
mounting of solar panels, water collection & other cockpit ammenities.

I am considering building one myself. Some folks at the boat-yard suggested
building one out of some kind of foam, that can be cut & fit & when the
desired shape is reached, painted with resin to harden and so on.

Anyone built a hard bimini? Advise? Used this foam stuff?
Advise?...what's the stuff called & where can it be aquired? Advise on
bimini for a cruising boat?

Thanks all!

Glenn.
s/v Seawing

Use marine ply and cover with cloth..You can use just about anything
as a core I guess including foam, bimini's leak..wear out...and all
around are a pain in the ass.

I buildt a hard top after 2 bimini's.... best thing I ever did for the
boat.

http://sports.webshots.com/photo/272...63212926LiUcvQ

I guess with the proper foam and resin you could build lighter and
stronger.

Joe

I keep thinking that an old van roof might do as either a template, or,
with a bit of ingenuity, the real thing! When was the last time you saw
a van with a rusty roof?

:-)

--
Molesworth- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I was thinking on the line of an Airsteam camper chopped..or carbon
fiber if I re-do mine.

Joe

Subject

Building a male mold for a bimini is very straight forward.

A basic 4x8 sheet of 3ply, 1/2" plywood is about 42 lbs.

Divinycell foam is about 6 lbs/ft3.

Trying to fabricate a bimini using plywood will end up being a top
heavy slug and totally change the sailing characterstics.

You simply don't want to go there.

Lew

That's a great looking bimini Joe. You didn't happen to keep a photo-record
of the construction did you? Any advise on construction?

Glenn.

"Joe" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Sep 26, 8:21 pm, "Glenn \(s/v Seawing\)"
wrote:
We cruise on our Gulfstar Auxillary 41 centre cockpit. Our bimini is now
old and will need replacing this season. I have been thinking of
replacing
with a hard bimini that will last longer than a sunbrella one, allow the
mounting of solar panels, water collection & other cockpit ammenities.

I am considering building one myself. Some folks at the boat-yard
suggested
building one out of some kind of foam, that can be cut & fit & when the
desired shape is reached, painted with resin to harden and so on.

Anyone built a hard bimini? Advise? Used this foam stuff?
Advise?...what's the stuff called & where can it be aquired? Advise on
bimini for a cruising boat?

Thanks all!

Glenn.
s/v Seawing

Use marine ply and cover with cloth..You can use just about anything
as a core I guess including foam, bimini's leak..wear out...and all
around are a pain in the ass.

I buildt a hard top after 2 bimini's.... best thing I ever did for the
boat.

http://sports.webshots.com/photo/272...63212926LiUcvQ

I guess with the proper foam and resin you could build lighter and
stronger.

Joe

Now, you see that? Ingenuity...it's one of the things I love about cruising
sailors! :-). Van with a rusty roof...make me laugh...might just make a
great template or mould too.

Glenn.

"Molesworth" wrote in message
...
In article .com,
Joe wrote:

On Sep 26, 8:21 pm, "Glenn \(s/v Seawing\)"
wrote:
We cruise on our Gulfstar Auxillary 41 centre cockpit. Our bimini is
now
old and will need replacing this season. I have been thinking of
replacing
with a hard bimini that will last longer than a sunbrella one, allow
the
mounting of solar panels, water collection & other cockpit ammenities.

I am considering building one myself. Some folks at the boat-yard
suggested
building one out of some kind of foam, that can be cut & fit & when the
desired shape is reached, painted with resin to harden and so on.

Anyone built a hard bimini? Advise? Used this foam stuff?
Advise?...what's the stuff called & where can it be aquired? Advise on
bimini for a cruising boat?

Thanks all!

Glenn.
s/v Seawing

Use marine ply and cover with cloth..You can use just about anything
as a core I guess including foam, bimini's leak..wear out...and all
around are a pain in the ass.

I buildt a hard top after 2 bimini's.... best thing I ever did for the
boat.

http://sports.webshots.com/photo/272...63212926LiUcvQ

I guess with the proper foam and resin you could build lighter and
stronger.

Joe

I keep thinking that an old van roof might do as either a template, or,
with a bit of ingenuity, the real thing! When was the last time you saw
a van with a rusty roof?

:-)

--
Molesworth