Canvas

[driftaway]

Canvas

Just bought a 2003 28 engine box with Y315, love it… Ran it down from LI last week, in preparation for running her to her permanent home in Ft. Lauderdale…

This one has the normal “pilot house bulkhead” canvas and a standard “storage cover” (sloping from cabin to cockpit rail all round). I will be adding a second “bulkhead” canvas made of screen, screens for the two rear sliding windows, a screen for the opening front window and ultimately turning the forward hatch around and adding a “dodger” for it (great stuff when anchored in rain).

I want to procure a removable sun/rain cover for the rear deck area. Ideally it should be useable at anchor or underway, easy to completely remove, small to store out of the way and have a simple way to attach a “low sun” panel. I would like to be able to use it when the “bulkhead” screen is in place.

Having seen several approaches to canvas on the 28s I thought to take advantage of thoughts, observations and experience from the group. I apologize if there is a discussion of this elsewhere. If so please just redirect me. I am still learning my way around.

Thanks,

Kelly
Currently Magothy River, Ches Bay

[joe.baar]

Driftaway,
The "search" function on this site will pull up 36 matches for the word "Bimini" if you start from the Board Index page. Many of these posts have photos of the installations and you'll get some idea of the wide variety of solutions for this problem. I've been chewing on this for about three years but so far about all I know is, a Bimini will fold up out of the way or remove entirely with relative ease, it will provide great sun and rain shelter, these boats are really too large for an off-the-shelf solution - 96" wide x 72" - 96" long is pretty big, side curtains can be attached, and canvas fabricators in my area (Seattle) want around $1,800 for the simplest setup.

There's one photo of an aluminum or stainless frame mounted to the radar arch with a smallish, stretched canvas laced to it but I think that's too minimalist and I can't find it at the moment. Here's one from the Bahamas I thought was pretty creative, although it looks more permanent than what I'd like:

BahamasAlbinBimini.jpg

Good luck in your search.

[DougSea]

Kelly,

Here's a post I did a while back on my Bimini:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=795&p=4745&hilit=+bimini#p4745

I'm probably going to modify it this summer by replacing the rear straps with support poles so it can be stored upright. The bottom of the primary posts have a quick release pin so it is removable - but it's pretty heavy and a bit difficult to manouver it anywhere to store it off the boat.

Hope this helps.

Doug

[SeaJAlbin28]

When we bought our boat, also an Albin 28 TE it had a pretty-well-used-up folding bimini that was functional but not very attractive. Last summer, we approached our local canvas expert, and created a permanent tower made out of 2 inch anodized aluminum, with a stamoid lace-on top, that follows the roof line perfectly and gives us way more than adequate shade. We incorporated a slide all around, and have a mesh shade that we can place on either side, or at the stern.

Our primary use of the SeaJ is for cruising, but I am also an avid fisherman and have found that this setup works whether trolling or bottom fishing...here's a pic

[SeaJAlbin28]

Here is the port side view, with side sun shade in place.