Bimini Mystery ,Screen frame mount or not ?????????

[alpinewake]

Hi having Bimini Mounting dilemmas ,hope somebody can help . Can anybody please tell me if they have mounted a 3 bow bimini direct to the windscreen frame .do not want to over stress the frame ???We have a wakeboard tower but it does not seem to line up ,either too far forward or backward .Thanks once again .Andy

[seapuppy]

andy
I don't think you want to mount it directly to the frame...that much stress will certainly pop the glass...
I'd look at mounting it to the fiberglass...inside the window frame....in all the yrs I've been on these boats..that's how they are mounted....

first ..tape off the place your going to drill into...use a smallish drill bit....smaller than the final screws.......then drill into the fiberglass....up size the bit and do it again...once you have the size of the screw...chamfer the hole about 1/8 of an inch to prevent the gelcoat from splitting...then remove the tape...install the fitting and screws...be sure to use 4200 sealant to protect from water intrusion...your done!!


SP

[alpinewake]

Hi ,Thanks once again ,do you know anybody out there with a SS200 Ski Max ?, Andy

[shrew]

I have seen every variiety of boat rigged with canvas. Maybe a picture might help clarigy this for everyone. AFter all, you are standing in or on the boat with frame in hand and are having trouble figuring it out. imagine what it would be like if you only had a question in text to work with. LOL. It sounds like the issue is where to afix the mounts for the frame itself. The mounts are usually inside of the windshield along to the port and starboard sides. They are attached the fiberglass gunnels, not the windshield itself. The canvas or isinglass (if there is any, is usually attached directly to the windshield, which is why the mounts are installed inside of the windshield itself.

this isn't enough to help, but maybe it's enough to get more info. and some pics to help you move in the right direction.

[TBarCYa]

What I noticed on one other 1800MX when I bought mine was that the bimini used rigid poles for the front and rear and didn't use any nylon straps like so many tops do. The main legs and rear supports were attached to the fiberglass gunwales while the front poles were attached to the windshield frame using a ball and socket type hinge with a pin that secures the ball in the socket. I've found that Taco makes the stainless ball and socket joints with a concave base for affixing to the windshield frame.

I'd take pics, but mine came with the convertible top and not the factory bimini.