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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Boom-tent vs. Bimini

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Randall
Navigator

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123 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/02/2002 : 07:18:22

Given the expense and disadvantages of a bimini on C25's, wouldn't a well designed boom tent be a good alternative? Just slather on a little extra sunblocker and deal with the heat & sun while sailing, then put up a boom tent at the docks or while motoring in light airs or in higher winds when sailing under the jenny.

We have been using a cheap plastic 6' X 8' tarp which has worked reasonably well. I would think that a 6'6" X 10' Sunbrella boom tent would provide shade and rain protection for the entire cabin & most of the cockpit. I use the topping lift to keep the boom hoisted up a full six feet to allow safe, comfortable movement around the boat when at anchor.

I see ads for expensive one-size-fits-all pre-fabbed boom tents, but I'll bet several of you have devised cheaper do it yourself alternatives like sunbrella with pvc pipe ribs. What's the skinny?

Randall

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Gary B.
Admiral

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USA
969 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2002 : 10:02:51

I think you are right! I am not a big fan of the appearance of a poptop, either, and have stopped using mine for aesthetic reasons. I am so fortunate as to have sold my C25 some years ago to friends who replaced all the canvas on Encore! and added a beautiful custom-made boom tent made of sunbrella. Libby, the wife, did all the sewing herself, with leather patches in stress places, etc. It is so professional. I wish I could send photos, but don't have a digital, nor a scanner.

The boom tent for my boat goes from the shrouds, around the bulk of sail behind the mast to the stern rail. Libby made it so it wraps around the back stay and topping lift, with snaps and a zipper. She also added zippers on both sides that go from the stanchion that ends the lifelines (where the pelican hook connects, near the end of the cabin top) to aid boarding the boat when it's up. There are nylon strips with snaps that go around the lifelines, or the stern pulpit, all the way around. It's quite weather tight, and makes the whole cockpit a dry spot when the weather is bad.

Since I'm in Washington State, I don't often need it for sun protection, but when the weather gets bad, we can be as snug as a bug. I then have my protected "standing head room" in just the area of the cabin where the sliding hatch can be then left slid forward. It works well for me.

This boom tent has been admired by a lot of sailboaters!

Gary B.
Encore! #685

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John G-
Admiral

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793 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2002 : 10:50:42

Randal - Search the "cheap shade" thread for a discussion on this.

I wrote;"
Tim,
I have a 10’ X 10’ camping tarp. It’s blue coated nylon. I picked up a couple used mooring wands (the ¼” fiberglass rods used to pick up your mooring) that were thrown out by the yard and cut them off at 7’. The rods fit in the hem around the tarp. I added some grommets and have a shade that covers the entire cockpit. The rods bend so the shade looks like a Conestoga wagon. Very slick all for $10. I rig it under the boom and with the poptop up. It definitely is a big plus in the August doldrums.
Of course I cannot sail with it. But I really don’t want a bimini or dodger on Peregrine. Maybe if I sailed in the south I would feel different, but the sun shade is great while hanging on the mooring or at anchor."

[url="http://www.peregrinefund.org/"]<img src="http://www.peregrinefund.org/images/intro_mid_image.GIF" border=0>[/url]
 John G- "PEREGRINE" C25-#4762 FK

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Randall
Navigator

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123 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2002 : 11:11:11

I was also thinking about a tent that would span the raised poptop and the bimini to provide full rain protection & not be dependent on the boom at all, so that sailing would still be feasable. Roll down bug screening would be nifty, too. Anyone tried this?

These ideas may sound extreme to some, but we live three hours from our boat, so when we go to the lake we need to be able to live aboard comfortably to keep the trip fun and cheap. We had a Starwind 19 which was too small to weekend aboard, especially during hot Texas summers. We wound up staying in hotels and eating in restaurants, which made our junkets prohibitively expensive.

Randall

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jellyfish
Navigator

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USA
171 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2002 : 15:10:48

I ran across some 6X8 tarpes at Big Lots for 99cents each. I bought ten of them and they work great anytime except when the main is up. wish I had bought 20 of them. of course our boat looks like the Beverly Hillbillies when pulling into dock with our cheap tarps, bicycles, and all the other crap we cruise with. LOL I dont much care, we pull right in and anchor with the best of them!

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Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1775 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2002 : 16:21:31

... our boat looks like the Beverly Hillbillies when pulling into dock with our cheap tarps, bicycles, and all the other crap we cruise with. LOL I dont much care, we pull right in and anchor with the best of them! - Jellyfish

Good for you! <img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>

I'm no fan of snobbery, and it sounds like you aren't either. Having fun with family and friends is the name of the game!

Buzz Maring, C-25 SK/SR #68, "Freya"

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2002 : 17:03:05

Yup--a blue poly tarp over the sail cover, bungeed to whatever will hold it in the best position, makes great shade and even some weather protection for the companionway--fully adjustable to the conditions. Let the folks in the big Sabre with their suede-trimmed matching canvas snicker... <img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>

Dave Bristle - 1985 C-25 #5032 SR-FK-Dinette-Honda "Passage" in SW CT

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MattL
Admiral

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USA
990 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2002 : 18:02:01

Jellyfish,
Your my kind of sailor<img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>

Matt/Brigitte Loeffler
E.C. Rider
Cat 25 86'
FK/SR _/)

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ssteakley
Captain

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USA
467 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2002 : 21:14:09

Randall,
When I first bought "Moon Chaser" I was desperate for relief from the hot Central Texas Sun so my first purchase was a Gray 8X12' canvas tarp from Academy Surplus for about $15. I added some stainless snap clips at the corner Grommets to make it simple to put up and take down (avoiding using bungee cords wherever possible). This is the best $ I have spent. I have since added an expensive Bimini for the Cockpit but I use both of them when at anchor or at the dock. I have complete shade and protection from the rain from the mast all the way aft. Do not waste money on a cheaper inexpensive Bimini made of small gauge aluminum. Every single boat at our marina that did not have a stainless steel bimini was recently bent badly during the storms that flooded Canyon Lake. You can use cheaper materials and look good too!

Steve Steakley

<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2ce23b3127cce908e53c7543a0000001410" border=0>

Edited by - ssteakley on 10/02/2002 21:32:32

Edited by - on

ronrryan
Admiral

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USA
561 Posts

Response Posted - 10/02/2002 : 21:55:50

I have a suspicion that the issue of bimini v/s dodger v/s tarp, boomtent, or awning has to do with location. In NY and New England when I sailed there, dodgers came first, and an awning at anchor or dock came next. In Chesapeake one begins to see more biminis added, due to hot, muggyb summers. In Fla, where I am now, it is a very, very rare boat that has no bimini, and very often these are elaborate, split-bow biminis that cover the entire cockpit especially if the vessel has mid-boom sheeting. The sun here in the summer is a fearful factor, and shade is essential. I am currently fooling around with various stuff to get cheap and effective shade and if I ever get it worked out will find a way to put photos on tech tips. I have carried a cheap nylon tarp as an awning from boat to boat for over twenty yeqars now, discovered it almost by accident. I set it over the boom when at rest, covering the hatchway and a portion of the cockpit. It is set with shock cord at every grommet, and with the natural flexibility of the nylon, plus shock cord, has stood up to some fearsome winds and rain, can be deployed and removed in minutes, but of course one cannot sail with it up except under jib alone, which we have done on many occasions. Just a thought, ron sr sk Orion 2343 in Venice, FL

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dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 10/03/2002 : 02:09:33

"I have a suspicion that the issue of bimini v/s dodger v/s tarp, boomtent, or awning has to do with location." - Ron on Orion

I think you're onto something here. Up in my neck of the woods,..er lake,...it appears that biminis are the cover of choice. Here the prevailing type of sailing is daysailing. People get to their boats, fire the engines up, head to open water and sail. Then they return to port before the sun goes down, button up the boat, and go home. Not much time is spent just sitting on the boat at the dock so there aren't many boats with tent/awning/tarp setups. There isn't a lot of dodgers here either since most daysailers only go out in fair weather. I installed an inexpensive($139.00) off-the-shelf bimini made of aluminum tubing and vinyl and it is relatively sturdy. This past summer I got caught in a squall that had sustained 50+ mph winds and the aluminum bimini frame didn't even flinch. If you are considering a less expensive aluminum bimini make sure you buy the kind that can be left up when "under power"(stink pot speeds) and not the "at anchor or drifting only" bimini. The "under power" biminis are sturdier because they are designed for powerboat apparent wind speeds. If you install the "at anchor" bimini you take the chance of having a badly bent frame, like Steve Steakley described, if the wind kicks up.

Don Lucier, North Star
C25 SR/FK

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jellyfish
Navigator

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USA
171 Posts

Response Posted - 10/03/2002 : 15:03:55

thanks guys, we like to think we are in it for the sailing and love of the water. when we are on a beam reach in a nice steady breeze it is one of those things that money just cant buy, for everything else there is MasterCard!<img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 10/03/2002 : 20:06:38

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
...for everything else there is MasterCard!<img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote>
Oh no--another advertiser in disguise! <img src=icon_smile_angry.gif border=0 align=middle>

<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Dave Bristle - 1985 C-25 #5032 SR-FK-Dinette-Honda "Passage" in SW CT

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