On Jan 4, 9:31*am, John H wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:01:56 -0500, Jim wrote:
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!

We need to reduce or eliminate the sway.
What is the frame made of?
Show a picture of the frame, set up with the canvas on it.

I don't have any pictures with the bimini up. I think it's ugly. The frame
is stainless steel.

I could reduce the sway by using some bungee cords or straps *across* the
boat, or to the center console. I've thought of that, but the straps would
be in the way of walking around. As a last resort, that's what I'll do.

I'm thinking there must be some mounting brackets *made* to allow side to
side motion. I've just got to find them!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Not sure but I would look into Sailboat hardware... Lot's of moving
joints there, one might suit your needs..

wrote:
On Jan 4, 9:31 am, John H wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:01:56 -0500, Jim wrote:
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!
We need to reduce or eliminate the sway.
What is the frame made of?
Show a picture of the frame, set up with the canvas on it.
I don't have any pictures with the bimini up. I think it's ugly. The frame
is stainless steel.

I could reduce the sway by using some bungee cords or straps *across* the
boat, or to the center console. I've thought of that, but the straps would
be in the way of walking around. As a last resort, that's what I'll do.

I'm thinking there must be some mounting brackets *made* to allow side to
side motion. I've just got to find them!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Not sure but I would look into Sailboat hardware... Lot's of moving
joints there, one might suit your needs..

Boom to mast hardware comes to mind. I don't think it's what he should
be thinking about though.

"Jim" wrote in message
...
wrote:
On Jan 4, 9:31 am, John H wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:01:56 -0500, Jim wrote:
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!
We need to reduce or eliminate the sway.
What is the frame made of?
Show a picture of the frame, set up with the canvas on it.
I don't have any pictures with the bimini up. I think it's ugly. The
frame
is stainless steel.

I could reduce the sway by using some bungee cords or straps *across*
the
boat, or to the center console. I've thought of that, but the straps
would
be in the way of walking around. As a last resort, that's what I'll do.

I'm thinking there must be some mounting brackets *made* to allow side
to
side motion. I've just got to find them!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Not sure but I would look into Sailboat hardware... Lot's of moving
joints there, one might suit your needs..

Boom to mast hardware comes to mind. I don't think it's what he should be
thinking about though.

You talkin' about a 'gooseneck' fitting?
fitting retracted for roller furling...
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v2...t=Hpim0167.jpg
fitting inserted for normal sailing.....
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v2...t=Hpim0168.jpg

John H wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:01:56 -0500, Jim wrote:

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!

We need to reduce or eliminate the sway.
What is the frame made of?
Show a picture of the frame, set up with the canvas on it.

I don't have any pictures with the bimini up. I think it's ugly. The frame
is stainless steel.

I could reduce the sway by using some bungee cords or straps *across* the
boat, or to the center console. I've thought of that, but the straps would
be in the way of walking around. As a last resort, that's what I'll do.

I'm thinking there must be some mounting brackets *made* to allow side to
side motion. I've just got to find them!

Doesn't that swaying drive you crazy?

You might find the side to side sway is reduced if you tighten the straps
more. I adjust them to be pretty tight and don't have much side to side
sway. I run them about as tight as I can and still be able to pull them to
the eyes.

"John H" wrote in message
...
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!

On Sun, 4 Jan 2009 09:45:37 -0500, "jamesgangnc" wrote:

You might find the side to side sway is reduced if you tighten the straps
more. I adjust them to be pretty tight and don't have much side to side
sway. I run them about as tight as I can and still be able to pull them to
the eyes.

I keep them pretty tight.

I may have found a solution or at least something along the lines of what I
was thinking.

http://tinyurl.com/9bpxs7

The ball and socket top caps and the deck hinge look like they'd do what I
wanted. Now I've got to go look at them.

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

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:04:29 -0500, 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.

What I'm hoping to find is a mounting bracket which allows the side to side
motion without transmitting any stress. Actually, if the mounting bracket
that is there ( http://tinyurl.com/9ozwsy ) were turned 90 degrees, the
bimini could sway all it wanted with no stress on the screws. The only
problem then is that I'd have to disconnect it whenever I wanted to stow
it.

John H wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:04:29 -0500, 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.

What I'm hoping to find is a mounting bracket which allows the side to side
motion without transmitting any stress. Actually, if the mounting bracket
that is there ( http://tinyurl.com/9ozwsy ) were turned 90 degrees, the
bimini could sway all it wanted with no stress on the screws. The only
problem then is that I'd have to disconnect it whenever I wanted to stow
it.

Tom has the right idea. We need to see your setup to determine how to
place the braces.

On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:49:15 -0500, Jim wrote:

John H wrote:
On Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:04:29 -0500, 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.

What I'm hoping to find is a mounting bracket which allows the side to side
motion without transmitting any stress. Actually, if the mounting bracket
that is there ( http://tinyurl.com/9ozwsy ) were turned 90 degrees, the
bimini could sway all it wanted with no stress on the screws. The only
problem then is that I'd have to disconnect it whenever I wanted to stow
it.

Tom has the right idea. We need to see your setup to determine how to
place the braces.

Yes, to *stop* or minimize the lateral swaying, I need to brace the bimini
with straps, cords or what have you. Heavier uprights wouldn't help at all.
It would just be more weight swaying back and forth.

I want a way to allow the swaying of the bimini, but in a way that does not
stress the screws holding the brackets to the gunwale.

I'm thinking these may work. This piece would go into the bottom of the
stainless steel upright:

http://tacomarine.com/item--Top-Caps...set+screw.html

And the ball would go into this piece, screwed or through-bolted to the
gunwale.

http://tacomarine.com/item--Deck-Hinge--F13-0301.html

This *looks* like it would allow a good deal of lateral swaying before any
stress would be placed on the mounting screws.

That's *my* story.