Thanks for the bartlett sails website. That should answer all my questions. Last time I tried to get into a Facebook my computer melted;-} On Fri, Mar 22, 2013 at 8:37 AM, mack warner <mackwarner007@gmail.com>wrote:
Hate to say it but this site is hard to use. Tried to send pics, videos etc too big etc etc Here's my letter. If you want to see the pics sign up and go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/330782353662726/ Ok let me try this. First of all, if you get a face book account, you will see a lot of the same people here on it plus pictures and stories on the other side. The cost isn't too bad. I have a hard time reading this format because it just goes on and on. But then I am still on it. Enough rant. First, The Bimini was made by John Bartlett from Austin, Tx on Lake Travis. http://www.bartlettsails.com/html/loft.php He does excellent work. Besides a regular boat he also sails a Moth, a skateboard with a big f... sail on it.
The sunbrella is heavy duty, uv thread and uv meshing. The meshing is great. Does not leak like an open hole, only when it is really raining. You will get wetting from the side. He bends his own railing etc. In other words, all made it house.
If you race, you would not do this, but I did it on my Ranger. I raised the boom up 15 inches to have more head room and easier to get out of the bimini. John cut my sail down at the foot to fit the new boom height. He made a loose foot main. Which I do like now. I have the same on my Beneteau. Easy to raise the boom. Fill the old holes with pop rivets and tap new treads for ss bolts. If you are going to spend the money for a bimini, make it as large as you can. My traveler is in front of the cabin entrance and is the full length of the inside beam. You already have to step over the main sheet traveler to get around the floor, might as well have a better one and still have to walk over it. Plus when not in use, it is off to the side and you don't have to walk around it. Hope the pic shows this. If you need better pics just let me know and I will email better pics. If I find them.
The bimini: First the bimini is connected to the toe rail, so the lines are out of the way. The bimini rails are heavy duty and look great. I would not have a bimini without mesh. I can look up and see the sail, spar fly like the bimini was not there, yet I still have shade etc. John came out to the boat, measured, made it, put it up in a heart beat. By the way, there is a M17 on Lake Travis that he could use for the measurements. But then you are in Texas so you could bring your boat up. Where in Texas? The Ranger had the traveler forward, so you can see what it looks like.
I can not find the pics that I put on Facebook. Sign up and you can see them. I will continue to look for them and post them if I find them.