Bimini top brackets
 

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:18:38 -0500, wrote:

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:38:24 -0500, John H
wrote:

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 12:03:49 -0500, wrote:

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 08:43:17 -0500, John H
wrote:

The bimini top on my Key West uses a mounting like this"

http://tinyurl.com/9ozwsy

This bracket allows the frame member mounted therein to rotate from front
to back without placing undue stress on the mounting screws. Note, I said
screws, not through bolts.

However when underway, even slowly, or just at anchor with a small amount
of ripple in the water, the bimini top sways from side to side. The side to
side motion gets transmitted directly to the screws in the brackets, and
causes them to loosen. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they
strip or worse.

I'm wondering if there aren't some fittings made that would have a ball
socket or some such to allow complete forward and back movement *and* some
degree of lateral movement.

Anyone know of such a thing? Help!

You need some diagonal bracing to stop the side to side. I see folks
with straps from the top corner to the opposite gunnel.

Yeah, that's one solution, but then walking around gets to be a big PITA.

You don't have to cross buck all 4 corners. Try one in a place you
don't walk all the time, maybe even going aft a ways. You are just
trying to interrupt the resonant effect..

I'll start with one from the top of the CC frame to the port bimini frame.
It'll be OK. I usually only walk around the starboard side anyway.

Thanks.

Bimini top brackets
 

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:11:43 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:54:32 -0600, Vic Smith wrote:


But then don't you get mad about the missing strawberries? That's why I
gave up fondling ball bearings. Made me think about the strawberries.

Ball bearings? Damn, all these years, I thought they were Ben Wa
balls. ;-)

Who is Ben Wa?

Ben Dover's Chinese brother.

--

"Do what you can, with what you
have, where you are."

Theodore Roosevelt.

Bimini top brackets
 

Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:11:43 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:54:32 -0600, Vic Smith wrote:


But then don't you get mad about the missing strawberries? That's why I
gave up fondling ball bearings. Made me think about the strawberries.
Ball bearings? Damn, all these years, I thought they were Ben Wa
balls. ;-)
Who is Ben Wa?

Ben Dover's Chinese brother.

--

"Do what you can, with what you
have, where you are."

Theodore Roosevelt.

Ohhhh, but why did he ask me to turn my head and cough?

Bimini top brackets
 

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:18:08 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:11:43 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:54:32 -0600, Vic Smith wrote:


But then don't you get mad about the missing strawberries? That's why I
gave up fondling ball bearings. Made me think about the strawberries.
Ball bearings? Damn, all these years, I thought they were Ben Wa
balls. ;-)
Who is Ben Wa?

Ben Dover's Chinese brother.

Ohhhh, but why did he ask me to turn my head and cough?

I have no idea.

--

"An idealist is one who, on noticing that
a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes
that it will also make better soup."

H.L. Mencken

Bimini top brackets
 

On Jan 4, 6:34*pm, Tom Francis - SWSports
wrote:
On Sun, 4 Jan 2009 18:15:26 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:

I don't care if they are ball and socket, pinned or magnetically attached.

Magnets.

KEWL!!!

I got one of these for Christmas in my Santa Stocking.

http://www.theneocube.com/

I can't stop playing with it when I'm bored.

--

"Do what you can, with what you
have, where you are."

Theodore Roosevelt.

Oh, man, I've GOT to have one.....

Bimini top brackets
 

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:04:56 -0600, wrote:

Ball bearings? Damn, all these years, I thought they were Ben Wa
balls. ;-)

Bearing balls. A ball bearing has, at minimum, two races and at least
five balls.

Casady

Bimini top brackets
 

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:11:43 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:54:32 -0600, Vic Smith wrote:


But then don't you get mad about the missing strawberries? That's why I
gave up fondling ball bearings. Made me think about the strawberries.

Ball bearings? Damn, all these years, I thought they were Ben Wa
balls. ;-)

Who is Ben Wa?

You know Yo Yo Ma, plays the cello? He has a cousin who is a no talent
drummer for a garage band.

Casady

Bimini top brackets
 

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:52:30 -0500, HK wrote:

Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 08:43:17 -0500, John H
wrote:

The bimini top on my Key West uses a mounting like this"

http://tinyurl.com/9ozwsy

This bracket allows the frame member mounted therein to rotate from front
to back without placing undue stress on the mounting screws. Note, I said
screws, not through bolts.

However when underway, even slowly, or just at anchor with a small amount
of ripple in the water, the bimini top sways from side to side. The side to
side motion gets transmitted directly to the screws in the brackets, and
causes them to loosen. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they
strip or worse.

I'm wondering if there aren't some fittings made that would have a ball
socket or some such to allow complete forward and back movement *and* some
degree of lateral movement.

Anyone know of such a thing? Help!

The only way you are going to stop it is to make the stainless tubing
fairly rigid - it's not so much the movement in the mount as it is the
length of the tubing that is causing your problem. And the only way
to stop that is to use heavier wall tubing - it's the wall flex that's
the problem, not the mount. Cheap T-tops have the same problem - not
enough wall strength in the tubes to make it rigid so they cross brace
the hell out of them. Even in custom made, heavy T-tops like mine
move without cross bracing.

This T-top is very similar to mine - mine is a little taller, made
from thicker tubing and is a slightly different design, but the point
is that it's cross braced to keep the sway down.

http://www.rangerboats.com/flash/gal...id=5511&gid=38

This is mine.

http://www.swsports.org/images/Pictu...g%20Boat02.jpg

With your current setup, the only way to make it stop is to cross
brace the tubing with some sort of cording - maybe bungee cord or
similar.

What I would do is brace the cornors of the top where the tubing
bends. You might be able to do it with bungee cord, but that defeats
the purpose - it would cut down on the sway though.

--

"An idealist is one who, on noticing that
a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes
that it will also make better soup."

H.L. Mencken


Buy a better top with heavier tubes and connectors.

I would take that advice myself, but this is Iowa, and good dealers
are scarce, to say the least. Aluminum boats last forever in fresh
water, and mine was built in 79. Good luck finding anything made
specifically for it. Custom made mail order is about it. Maybe I will
take it down the Mississippi and search the ICW for marine canvas
shops.

Casady

Bimini top brackets
 

"Tom Francis - SWSports" wrote in
message ...
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:18:08 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:11:43 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:

wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:54:32 -0600, Vic Smith wrote:


But then don't you get mad about the missing strawberries? That's why
I
gave up fondling ball bearings. Made me think about the strawberries.
Ball bearings? Damn, all these years, I thought they were Ben Wa
balls. ;-)
Who is Ben Wa?

Ben Dover's Chinese brother.

Ohhhh, but why did he ask me to turn my head and cough?

I have no idea.

--

"An idealist is one who, on noticing that
a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes
that it will also make better soup."

H.L. Mencken

Bad breath?

Bimini top brackets
 

On Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:36:43 GMT, (Richard
Casady) wrote:

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:52:30 -0500, HK wrote:

Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 08:43:17 -0500, John H
wrote:

The bimini top on my Key West uses a mounting like this"

http://tinyurl.com/9ozwsy

This bracket allows the frame member mounted therein to rotate from front
to back without placing undue stress on the mounting screws. Note, I said
screws, not through bolts.

However when underway, even slowly, or just at anchor with a small amount
of ripple in the water, the bimini top sways from side to side. The side to
side motion gets transmitted directly to the screws in the brackets, and
causes them to loosen. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they
strip or worse.

I'm wondering if there aren't some fittings made that would have a ball
socket or some such to allow complete forward and back movement *and* some
degree of lateral movement.

Anyone know of such a thing? Help!

The only way you are going to stop it is to make the stainless tubing
fairly rigid - it's not so much the movement in the mount as it is the
length of the tubing that is causing your problem. And the only way
to stop that is to use heavier wall tubing - it's the wall flex that's
the problem, not the mount. Cheap T-tops have the same problem - not
enough wall strength in the tubes to make it rigid so they cross brace
the hell out of them. Even in custom made, heavy T-tops like mine
move without cross bracing.

This T-top is very similar to mine - mine is a little taller, made
from thicker tubing and is a slightly different design, but the point
is that it's cross braced to keep the sway down.

http://www.rangerboats.com/flash/gal...id=5511&gid=38

This is mine.

http://www.swsports.org/images/Pictu...g%20Boat02.jpg

With your current setup, the only way to make it stop is to cross
brace the tubing with some sort of cording - maybe bungee cord or
similar.

What I would do is brace the cornors of the top where the tubing
bends. You might be able to do it with bungee cord, but that defeats
the purpose - it would cut down on the sway though.

--

"An idealist is one who, on noticing that
a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes
that it will also make better soup."

H.L. Mencken


Buy a better top with heavier tubes and connectors.

I would take that advice myself, but this is Iowa, and good dealers
are scarce, to say the least. Aluminum boats last forever in fresh
water, and mine was built in 79. Good luck finding anything made
specifically for it. Custom made mail order is about it. Maybe I will
take it down the Mississippi and search the ICW for marine canvas
shops.

Casady

I've no idea where the 'buy a better top with heavier tubes, etc.' comes
from. The problem was in the swaying of the existing top and the stress put
on the mounting brackets. A heavier top would simply increase the torque on
the bracket.