How to Make a 3 Bow Bimini Top

[@terrymcclure5325]

I cannot tell you how good these guys are. I had no experience sewing Bought a sail rite machine and started working. I now have a new Bimini, cockpit cushions and best of all a sail pack.

[@SailriteDIY]

Our pleasure!

[@deleted_why]

I have been an upholsterer for 40 years. I wish I had made the jump to Boat Canvas 20 years ago... Now, I wish i could find crafty people with industrial sewing experience to hire for canvas and boat upholstery with me here in Chattanooga. Your videos are a BIG BOOST!

[@SailriteDIY]

Wow, thanks for the kind comments!

[@deleted_why]

@@SailriteDIY I was chairman pro-temp of National Guild of Master Upholsterers in the 1980's. It was our goal to alert upholstery suppliers that they needed to do what you are doing, in order to support the industry that they depended upon... but alas, there was no Internet, no KZbin and precious few suppliers, like Sailrite that "got it" and stepped up for their own sake and for the individual producers. You guys "get it" and you are making the boat canvas industry thrive... much to your credit... in fact, any upholsterer (many of the new ones are women) who has the building block of talents needed, can make better money and do more interesting work, by making the switch. Thank you for leading the way!

[@amberbeaudoin2206]

Your videos are impressive. My husband has been in the upholstery business for more than 30 years and this is the summer that I am learning how to make full enclosures. Your tutorials have cleared up a lot of the small questions that I had to make this learning process more smooth. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@SailriteDIY]

Thank you for the positive comment! Hope the enclosure goes well, and let us know if you have any questions.

[@michellezevenaar]

This is very useful! I'm making a shade cover for my cargobike and it has a similar frame for its rain cover.

[@ritaparsons277]

Thank you for the great video tutorial, I just completed my Bimini and felt accomplished after having had two professionals compliment my project.

[@SailriteDIY]

That is excellent news! Good job.

[@brianluck84]

Out of curiosity how many hours would you say it took you? Also did you use a sailrite Machine or a home use machine

[@SailriteDIY]

@@brianluck84 If you are a fabricator making cushions and canvas projects use this handy chart from the “Marine Fabricator” for calculating labor costs. Here is a link to the MFA Time Standards Manual: marinefabricatormag.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2018/02/timeline-standards.pdf We sewed this bimini with the Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1 Sewing Machine.

[@pilotarix]

Hi all, this is an excellent video on how to make a bimini top. I used this video and a Sailrite sewing machine to make a new bimini top for our Beneteau Oceanis 40. The old one was destroyed by hurricane Isaias a couple of week ago. It was relatively easy to follow the process even without any prior experience with sewing machines and sewing at all. However, our project was on a slightly bigger scale then the project in the video and it became difficult to handle on an sewing machine that size. Not impossible but a little bit challengin for the beginner. In addition, the process of inserting a zipper for the backstay is very well descirbed in that video but our boat has two backstay on the side so you cannot use only zippers, you have to use a combination of a zipper that ends into a wider reinforced slit. Anyhow, the attention to detail in this video and many of the other Sailrite videos is outstanding in our days. I am wondering if there is a video out there showing something like mention above to accomodate a backstay on either side of the bimini top.

[@SailriteDIY]

Thanks for your kind comments! I don't think we have a video or tutorial showing a backstay slit like yours. However, can you email me a photo of your backstay slit area for better evaluation or even a possible future video? Email it to [e-mail]

[@strikegoldshave]

Completely lost after watching this videos 😅

[@Vandan9166]

Great video, thank you so much for all the detail and information.

[@rubenmorales5894]

Castellano

[@enobishop1419]

@@rubenmorales5894 mm Yc zhey p vI

[@rubenmorales5894]

En castellano te contesto nosotros somos mejores en tapar embarcación

[@melissahart5394]

Any tips for patterning around the back stays when patterning on the boat? I had to make a slit in the dura skrim to get it around the back stay, but then couldn't get the patterning material to pull nicely and eliminate wrinkles once the cut was there

[@javacup912]

I have to build a new bimini, and was planning on removing the stitching from the old one, which it's old, but still intact, and then use the panels to cut new ones. How much material would I need to allow for canvas stretch? I have a year old Sailrite LZ1 machine, and hopefully could do it soon. The video, and all your videos, are great. Thanks.

[@shinyvarnish]

Generally speaking you want to make new patterns as the old canvas may have shrunk in unpredictable ways, and sewing up a thousand dollars worth of fabric and zippers is quite expensive compared to templating and doing it right. However the best way that I know of is to measure each corner and the centerline of your bimini and note how much it has stretched from the original dimensions very accurately, you will often find the corners have shrunk by 2-3 inches and the center my around 1/2" so you rip up the seams and add that much extra fabric on each corner and less in the centers, this will work for a bimini but then you will need to check your curtain windows fabric against the NEW bimini shape, as it will be different than the old shrunken one. Hope this helps, but i highly reccomend that you just order some template material and do it that way. Then save the templates for when you need to sew again.

[@hakankalakar3719]

Thanks

[@1pcmedic]

Question: If I have a bimini top that is starting to go bad, can I just measure off it to make a pattern or do I have to cut the stitching off all of the panels and use them as a pattern for each piece?

[@SailriteDIY]

We have had many customers that use the old bimini top fabric to make a new bimini and they do come out looking great! If the old bimini fit well, it can be used as a pattern, just be sure to remove the stitches so you have the included seam allowance.

[@danielross59]

How many yards of material should I order for a 3 hoop frame on a 14ft runabout?

[@octuberlibra]

I can make a Bimini top like a drum 🥁... I been on this business for a while... The best marinas of the world... No jokes my friend... B

[@blackdrumfishermanmarshall7460]

Do you use a hang down tail if installing future windows on enclosures

[@SailriteDIY]

Yes, that is correct.

[@blackdrumfishermanmarshall7460]

Thank you,wasn't sure if a hang down or a tuck down was needed

[@cassimadam164]

Please can you show me how to cut shirt

[@tomaszszypowicz16]

Hi Grant, I have a question. At 1:22:30 you are marking where zipper should be sown. But why you did not leave a space for a bow in the pocket? In other films as I remember you back the line for have of inch or so. The only reason for that in my opinion is to stretch the roof. Am I correct? Thomas

[@SailriteDIY]

We found that leaving the pocket flat along the forward and aft edges of the Bimini makes for a tighter fitting top. We do accommodate for the curve/bend of the tubing at the corners when we created the pocket (that is shown at about 27 minutes). Now when it comes to the intermediate pocket we do back the zipper back to accommodate for the tubing, because we do not want that pocket to interfere with the shape of the top.

[@tomaszszypowicz16]

Thank you all clear :)

[@rubenmorales5894]

En argentina somos buenos loneria Morales

[@davidcrinall3870]

On the 2 bow bimini you apply the 5/8" release point adjustment to the sleeve zipper location on the bimini. On the 3 bow bimini you apply the 5/8" release point adjustment to the sleeve shape. What is the reason for the difference?

[@SailriteDIY]

We changed the technique we used on the 3 bow bimini because we thought it worked better.

[@bespecialbymikevanessen9360]

Good day. My 7 leggs bimbini is 10 cm too high for our local bridge. How can I make it lower? I'm scared it won't fit anymore

[@SailriteDIY]

It might be possible to cut the leg length of the primary bows down reducing the height. It depends on the configuration of the bimini.

[@bespecialbymikevanessen9360]

@@SailriteDIY thank you very much

[@thomasrobinette3227]

Ballast....

[@joshokc]

Nobody has the patience for this. 😂 I’m building it out of barn metal!

[@jeremiahgoldsmith2922]

Go Packers!

[@micheleberg3662]

Most of this video is very helpful, but the section on the back stay slit was not very helpful for those of us who have the boat in the water, not indoors. I had to cut a slit for the backstay to check the bimini fitting so I had work hard to adapt your directions. My guess is that more sailors are working ON the boat, not moving the frame indoors. Could you add a chapter on this?

[@michaelmcelroy6678]

I'm confused. How can the center of the bimini not be in line with the backstay? Aren't they both supposed to be along the centerline of the boat? The video shows them offset.

[@SailriteDIY]

The backstay can be off center, it often is not centered. It just depends on where the manufacture installed it on the boat.

[@petermcadam2802]

bon boulash

[@captainkrunch6372]

I'm lost 😕 😞 😔

[@jkutyna]

Drinking game. Take a drink everytime they say DURASKRIM PATTERNING MATERIAL. You won't make it 5 minutes into the video.

[@itsjojo4]

Nothing but commercials commercials commercials commercials commercials these commercials make your videos absolutely worthless

[@Andrico77]

Watch tv then. Or get KZbin premium.

[@deleted_why]

The "time-stamps" you have included in the Description, helps a person get right to the spot they need to see again That is a big help. I had to laugh... there are commercials on TV, always have been... the the KZbin Premium subscription removes all commercials. Anyhow, the commercials are the second best part... they help pay for this instruction!😁