I had always wondered if I could build a bimini for Praxis. Then stumbling through the "bargain cave" at Cabelas one afternoon I found a 67-72 inch 3 bow bimini top and cover clearanced for under $40. I figured even if the top was too big, the fabric alone was worth the price; and I could always cut it down to the right size if need be. Turns out, the cover was the correct size - all I needed was to build a frame and install it on the boat.
The design credit for the frame I built (and the fabric top discussed below) belongs to Jim Hall, who built a "budget bimini" for his Windrose 19 and was kind enough to post the design plans to the TrailerSailor website back in 2006. Unfortunately, Jim's website is no longer active, but the images below were produced by him.
The budget bimini plans call for 3/4" EMT (electrical conduit); I built my frame out of 1/2" EMT, otherwise, the design is identical (though the frame measurements are different.) Here are the design instructions for the frame:
In Jim's design, one builds the frame to fit the boat first, and then fabricates the top to fit the frame (more on fabricating the top below). My situation was a bit more complicated - I had a top that fit the boat, and needed to build the frame to fit the top and the boat. Plus I had to learn how to use the bender :) The good news is that EMT is cheap and readily available, so I didn't worry about having to make a couple of frames before I got one right (I had to make two, plus a couple of additional bends for practice.) Figuring the measurements can be a bit tricky - in the end my bows measured 69" wide for the aft bow and 66.5" wide for the forward and center bows. I put the additional arch in the bows by gently bending them over my knee. Length of the legs will depend on where you anchor the bimini and the drop on the end of each bow. Instead of permanently connecting the legs to the bows with EMT couplings, I permanently attached the upper coupling to the bow and attach each leg to the its bow coupling with removable quick release pins. This allows me to remove the legs and more easily store the bimini inside the cabin when we're not using it.
Unlike Jim's installation, I chose to anchor my bimini to the deck. As luck would have it, I had pad-eyes already installed on the deck just outside the cockpit coamings that were in the perfect location for this bimini. After sailing two seasons that way, I replaced the pad-eyes with the appropriate bimini hardware (the grey gunk oozing out from under the hardware is the butyle tape I used for bedding - evidently I didn't take a photo after I had cleaned that up). As the following photos show, the bimini can be used while under sail - it does not interfere with the boom or end-boom sheeting. When not in use, the bimini folds forward onto the cabin hatch and is secured to the handrails with a couple of ball-bungies. This past season I replaced the fixed gooseneck with an adjustable gooseneck to allow the boom a bit more clearance than you see in the photos below - this was necessary given the additional height of the bimini deck hardware.
In order to build the bimini top, you first build a frame that fits your boat, then mock up a pattern for the top out of painter's plastic. Drape the plastic over the bow and, looking from the side, mark the location of the forward and aft bows under the plastic and the length of the overhand you want on each side. Add 1/2" outside these marks to allow for the seam, then cut out the pattern.
Although it took a couple of attempts to get the frame sized correctly, this is a project that was well worth my time, and I would do it again even if I had to make the bimini top as well as the frame. Two weeks after finishing this project, my family took a week long sailing/camping trip on the Missouri River. While temperatures regularly hit 95-100 degrees, my bimini transformed what would have otherwise been miserably hot and uncomfortable (or completely avoided) day-sails into enjoyable, comfortable family sailing outings. While I don't always use it, I never leave home without it! You won't either once you have one ;)
