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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Max Bimini Height (Coaming Mount, SR)

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C25OBrien
1st Mate

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USA
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Initially Posted - 07/21/2011 : 09:28:29

Hi All- I have looked through all the bimini related posts I could find in order to avoid beating a dead horse however I can't find the answer. I intend to install a bimini up on the coaming on my standard rig. CD suggests 36" height for this application. How much clearance does that leave between the boom and the bimini top while under sail? I am 6'2" so if I can install one that is a little higher it would be nice. Also, how does the bimini height line up with the pop-top up while at port? Thanks!

-Chris OB
Cool Yer Heels
1980 C-25 SR/FK L-Dinette
Sag Harbor, NY

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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Response Posted - 07/21/2011 : 09:37:48

FWIW, the distance between the gooseneck pin and the deck on a SR is 36".

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dmpilc
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Response Posted - 07/21/2011 : 12:42:23

I have a TR and a 36" high bimini installed on the deck outside the cockpit coaming. It just barely fits, and under certain sailing conditions, read that light to no air, it is slightly too tall.
Now, my boom rides a foot lower than a SR boom. Subtract the height of the coaming, in front of the winch islands, say 6-8", and you might be able to fit a 40" high bimini. you'll be safe with a 36" high bimini, but you could go slightly figher and be prepared to trim off an inch or two.
If your main sail has both cunningham and flattening reef grommets, you could could go to 40-42" and reef to those points without losing much sail area.
Fully hoisted, our boom stops just below the gate, so if I want to reef and raise the boom any, I have to push it above the gate and move a sail stop up under it.

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C25OBrien
1st Mate

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Response Posted - 07/21/2011 : 12:53:37

I went with the 6'L x (73"-78")W x36"H Navy Blue Westland Sharkskin from iBoats.com. Good prices over there on these. Free shipping, no tax, and a free boot cover. $252 total (aluminum 3 bow, not stainless). Should be here next week, thanks for the input!

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islander
Master Marine Consultant

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Response Posted - 07/21/2011 : 13:41:44

Mine is also a Westland that is mounted on top of the coamings in sliders. I used a 36" high. 61-66" wide. I had to cut the bottom of the bows to clear the boom by an inch or two. If your boom slides up or down on the mast and you have the room to hoist your main up a little you may not have to cut the bows. On later year C25s the boom is fixed to the mast like mine is. I'm 6'3" and as you can see you will need a bigger boat and not the Bimini to stand up under it but you can stand up behind it or easily see your sails if you are sitting 2/3 back. I can also walk around it. Love MY Bimini!

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C25OBrien
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Response Posted - 07/21/2011 : 14:53:20

Hi Scott- Thanks for the advice, however now I am a bit concerned. You say you ordered the 61-66" frame whereas I ordered the wider one. I was trying to match the specs on the Catalina direct website as the boat is 75 miles away at the moment. Would you say that yours is installed closer to 61" or 66"? Looks great btw, some good sailing near us last weekend!

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dmpilc
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Response Posted - 07/21/2011 : 15:46:03

The bimini I bought for our C-22, measures 36" H, 72" L, and 73-78" W. We had to mount the deck connectors on the deck of the C-25, outside of the coaming. If you ordered 73-78" wide and want to mount yours on the coaming, you MUST change the order to a shorter width.
OR, go wider, like 82", and get the jib track cars from Catalina Direct to mount the bimini on the jib fairlead tracks. Personally, I'd go shorter and mount it on the coaming. Order the slider tracks, too, that Scott bought.
As I may have stated, I mounted ours outside the coaming because i already had the bimini and didn't want to buy another one.

Edited by - dmpilc on 07/21/2011 15:51:11

islander
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Response Posted - 07/21/2011 : 16:31:34

The bows are flexible that is why they give you the 5-6" spread. I'm sure you can spread them a few more inches or compress them also but if I remember right I spread mine. I have the part number, 3663A3SSRB-X Westland Industries. I bought mine in 2008.I did a search on it just now and I'm guessing it is no longer available in all stainless like mine is. They have it in Aluminum with stainless fittings but I wanted the strength of the all stainless because it will become a handhold when going forward and holds up in salt water better than aluminum. The RB in the part # is for Royal Blue Sunbrella. SS = Stainless Steel. 3= 3 bows. 63= 63" wide. 36=36" height. I think the specs on CD's Bimini is for outside the coaming to be mounted on the deck or the track. Last weekend was good on Fri. eve. Terrible on Sat. (no wind until after 5:30pm) and Sun. was great all day. We broke through the 400 nautical mile mark so far this year.

I will be at the boat tomorrow (Fri) and will measure the exact distance between the two mounting points if you can wait but I'm thinking you are too wide for mounting on the coamings. Chris, My boat is in Glen Cove, If this is anywere near you and you would like to look at the Bimini set up to get a feel for it and see what you like or don't like let me know. Cell # 516- six,eight,zero,seven,three,five,seven.

Edited by - islander on 07/21/2011 17:08:24

Boomeroo
Navigator

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Australia
129 Posts

Response Posted - 07/21/2011 : 19:33:49

Hi Scott . Loved the Photo,s . I am about to order a Bimini ready for next summer. Cold and raining down here ( 3 in in 3 days ) ...
Questions
1 How do you go for'ard . thru' or around or fold up.?? I,m 63 not 6'3.
2 Why the track ?
3 Is it SS or Al, and does it allow a little bit of personal balance support.. ignore just saw your latest post
4 Do you store it on the cabin top or ? I was thinking of storing it on the back stay with a snap shackle on the main sheet.to allow it to be easily in front of it in stored position .
5 Does it flap much in 15 knot winds

Your and others thoughts on fitting to the sidedeck ???

Photos are great

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dmpilc
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Response Posted - 07/21/2011 : 19:50:35

You can see in this picture where I mounted the bimini deck connectors, just about in the middle of the side decks outside the coaming. I thought it would require bending the bows too much to mount on the coaming or go out to the jib tracks. This placement covers the companionway and the forward 2/3 of the cockpit very nicely, but it does make going forward more difficult, which is why I would advise against getting the 73-78" width.

Sorry I didn't get more of the bimini in the pic, it was taken for another thread.

Here you can see it in the stowed position on the cabintop:

If I had bought a new one, mounted on tracks on the coaming, it might be possible to stow it up against the backstay behind the mainsheet. You would also want some kind of quick release on the mainsheet.

Edited by - dmpilc on 07/21/2011 19:59:12

DaveR
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Response Posted - 07/22/2011 : 06:35:36

(With all due) I think I'd find Scott's config too restraining. Looks like you can't stand under it or easily go forward. Although (using my noggin a bit) I guess that's what the tracks are for

Move it back just a litle and going forward isn't a problem. My PO installed mine like this and except that it's not on tracks I love the seup.

Edited by - DaveR on 07/22/2011 06:40:36

C25OBrien
1st Mate

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Response Posted - 07/22/2011 : 07:02:36

I just changed my order to the 63" version and I am going to copy Scott's set up exactly. I like having the ability to walk on the side rail near the bimini and will sacrifice some shade. I'm on a mooring and have to climb up/down from the zodiac through the side life lines. I also think it looks easier to go forward for the crew to set the spinnaker. Thanks for all the advice, now the price got knocked down to $240. Its not stainless but for that price I'll give it a shot!

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DaveR
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Response Posted - 07/22/2011 : 09:00:07

And yeah, really Scott has a great setup, the tracks are the way to go, What I meant is that I like a little more height.

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dmpilc
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Response Posted - 07/22/2011 : 10:46:57

$240 sounds very good. I paid $259 for ours, in 2004!
Just watch your placement with respect to handling the jib/genoa sheets and the boom vang.

Edited by - dmpilc on 07/22/2011 10:49:39

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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Response Posted - 07/22/2011 : 14:01:06

Dave, we have the same boat My Bimini sits 1 inch under the boom so it has to be the same height as yours unless you moved the boom or are sailing with the boom pulled up on the topping lift which would make for a very baggy sail. Going forward through is easy for me and at 60 I'm no spring chicken. The tracks add some adjustment. Forward will cover all of the companionway if you encounter a shower. No need to close the hatch. Back to give the cockpit as much shade as possible. Mine folds onto the cabin roof but I have only done that once in the past three years just to see how it works but other than then I never take it down during the season. Never had a reason to. I didn't want to have it fold back supported on tubes for a few reasons, It would be something I would have to duck under or bang my head into and I didn't want to block off the side lifeline gates with the support tubes or at best have to step over them when boarding. (Trip hazard). The forward straps hook to the boat on small eye straps mounted just above the windows but below the snaps for the poptop cover. This way you don't have to unhook them if you want to use the cover. The rear straps I slid down the tubes to the hinge for the bow and connects to the boat with another eye strap that is just above the coaming box so they aren't in the way when going around the Bimini or boarding.
Boomaroo, It doesn't make any noise, You do have to put a twist in the straps so they won't hum.

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DaveR
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Response Posted - 07/22/2011 : 14:14:58

Scott, I have a fixed gooseneck, maybe the PO raised it a little. I'll have to measure the distance and see but it sounds like yours is up as far as mine so......

But at 5'7" I can stand under mine. Maybe because yours is larger from front to back it looks lower.

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islander
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Response Posted - 07/22/2011 : 16:00:48

Dave, Honestly looking at you picture your boom does look higher, I wonder if your PO did raise the boom and had a shorter sail made. Next time your at your boat ,Can you measure from the deck (bottom of your mast) to the bottom of the boom ? We will get to the bottom of this yet!

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OJ
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Response Posted - 07/23/2011 : 14:04:09

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by islander
 . . . Next time your at your boat ,Can you measure from the deck (bottom of your mast) to the bottom of the boom . . .
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Scott, see post #2

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DaveR
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Response Posted - 07/23/2011 : 14:11:32

Last time I bought a sail it was for a standard rig C-25 Scott, no modifications. Maybe it looks taller because the picture was taken from a PWC.? I'll measure it next time I go down

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islander
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Response Posted - 07/23/2011 : 16:20:43

Chris, I was down on the boat today and the measurement between the two mounting points on the coamings is.....(Drum role please) 66"
OJ, I measured my boom from the deck to the goose neck pin at the mast and it is 28" . I have the standard Catalina mainsail and when hoisted runs up to the top of the mast. I have a fixed goose neck that I'm sure hasn't been moved or there would be holes in the mast where the original screws were. I don't know where the 36" is coming from. I'm a bit puzzled on that point.

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OJ
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Response Posted - 07/23/2011 : 19:40:45

Scott, we have a tall rig - but when we were pulling specs together to have a new mainsail made, we wanted it cut shorter so we could have a (future) bimini fit under the boom. I'm pretty sure it was DaveR that gave us the 36" inch measurement which made perfect sense, i.e., tall rig mast being 2' longer and the mainsail luff being 3' longer. Our gooseneck pin was (then) 24" above the deck with a fixed gooseneck (FWIW we have since changed to a sliding gooseneck to accomodate the new/shorter mainsail.)

I'm not sure where the variation is coming either.

Edited by - OJ on 07/23/2011 19:44:40

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 07/23/2011 : 20:25:11

Chris: Be careful about some of these replies from TR owners--their boom is a foot lower than yours. Also, you can trim a few inches of the bottom of the main bow, so order it at what seems to be maximum height and trim to fit your situation--I did that. If you have any questions about how much can be trimmed, ask the maker--the answer is based on where the secondary bow attaches to the main bow. (The middle bow attaches to the secondary.)

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av8rOC
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Response Posted - 05/07/2012 : 06:26:08

Bumping an old thread here..

Scott: It looks like your slider track is stainless as well, if so where did you find that? I only see aluminum online. Also how long are your tracks?

Edited by - av8rOC on 05/07/2012 06:42:14

islander
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Response Posted - 05/07/2012 : 15:46:25

The tracks are aluminum, Just look like stainless because they were new in the photo, They still look good now 3 yrs later. The length of the tracks are either 18" or 24" but if you measure from the front of the coaming back to where the coaming widens out before the winch you will have the measurement. You can cut the tracks if they are too long. Any longer is just a waste because you can't slide the Bimini back any farther before it hits the back stay. Man Sean, New Bimini too? You will love it if you do. One of the best improvements I did and it changes the whole look of the boat. It's only money!

Edited by - islander on 05/07/2012 16:03:40

av8rOC
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Response Posted - 05/07/2012 : 17:05:47

My last name begins with O' so shade is a valuable thing to me sometimes :). I love the look of your Bimini Scott and I like the idea of a bit narrower setup to allow access to the bow. I'm going to copy it but instead of fully stainless go with stainless hardware. The best price on a full stainless setup I've found is $800! Ouch!

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islander
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Response Posted - 05/08/2012 : 12:42:46

Sean I got a great deal on mine something like $385 back in 2008. I got it from Go2marine.com the product # was 3663A3SSRB-X. made by Westland. I just looked and they don't even offer all stainless anymore and the product # doesn't exist. It is Sunbrella Royal Blue the same as all my canvas. The only thing I wish it had would be zippers so you could unzip it and take it off the frame. When it wears out I'll take it over to the Canvas Shop in Huntington and have a new top put on the frame with zippers. They're nice people there.

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