What size / type of bimini?

[Blue Heron]

Hi gang,

It has been hotter than blazes this summer, and the Blue Heron needs some shade!

Does anyone know of a pre-fabbed bimini that will would work well on the P-323?

I've seen other boats with rather small bimini tops mounted on the stern rail, but they don't look like they would provide much coverage...any thoughts or experience with those?

I've also looked at those "Anchor Shade" temporary type shades...looks like a pretty good size, but obviously cannot be used when under sail. then again, I usually only wish for a bimini when its hot and there is little to no wind, so maybe they would be ideal...thoughts?

Thanks!

Chet

[Captain Bri]

We are in the same boat (so to speak) here in NC with the heat of the summer.  We have an aftermarket aluminum 3-bow frame and it is too tall and quite fragile, having been bent in the front by the boom and the canvas has long since shredded.The maiin bow mounts on the stern pulpit and a brace goes down to the boat. With the backstay position it can't be folded down. We are thinking of modifying the frame to shorten it and if we can fine tune the designwe may replace it with an SS frame which would be much sturdier. We are looking for sources to bend the parts to our specs.

[Dolce_Vita]

Ours is an on-the-rail mounted one.  It extends forward to just behind and below the boom end, and extends aft with several inches of overhang past the cockpit.

We were VERY glad to have it this summer.  It works great for the helmsman,  but it does often leave the forward portion of the cockpit unshaded.