Adding a front bimini...

fiddlebick

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We decided to add an additional front bimini on the 2005 2575rfs. Some days we could really use the extra shade. First, I am very disappointed in the price the dealer gave me to purchase the OEM front bimini. The quote was right at $1,500.00 ! Now I understand that accessories are pricey from a dealer, but you can buy 8 ft. bimini kits all day long for under 600 bucks online, so I'm not paying nearly three times that much for one. Having said that, the one I bought will need a few frame mods to make it fit up right. Two years ago I bought a ski bar from the dealer for my boat...at a cost of 600 dollars and me mounting it myself. I was ashamed for having paid that much for what was a very generic looking bar. There wasn't a hundred bucks of material in that setup. I wish bennington would appreciate there customers a little more. ugh.
 
BOAT=Bust Out Another Thousand. So take your $600, and add a grand. Makes sense to me.

In all serious though, you are having to take time to modify the current one which has some cost, and I'm betting it's not the same size material, anodized etc. I could sell a $200 bimini setup but it would be a piece of junk. I like OEM so that is the route I'd take but I understand the frustration.
 
I'm guessing you don't buy much in aftermarket parts for "high end" vehicles?
I'm not sure I'd agree with your statement.
Your perception of cost vs. value vs. Bennington appreciating their customer???
Your unit is 14 years old .... I'm surprised they even quoted you a replacement for that age .... yes parts design may have changed since then ... check greatlakesskipper.com and see if they may have something.
 
Its quality material, sunbrella top, 1 1/4 anodized, fluted aluminum, although different quick connects still nice. Now I DO understand replacement parts are marked up substantially for boats, bikes, high end vehicles as you say, but I'm no fool. The kit I bought for under 600 dollars is likely marked up 50% at least. There is nothing to them but fabric and a couple hundred dollars of aluminum, bent and cut to fit....and you know they are making a profit at that price. Soooo, yeah bennington and/or the dealer is cleaning up on a OEM front bimini, which by the way, is only a partial frame without rear strut supports, since it zippers into the rear bimini, gaining support from that frame. A thousand would still be high, but much more reasonable to keep the customer interested in obtaining the factory match...and my mod to make this one fit will still bring me in below eight hundred dollars, and thats paying the top shop to install and fab a zippered transition piece. And thats my two cents worth of opinion.
 
No different than car dealer markup, Harley dealer markup, etc... I lifted my previous Jeeps with parts, wheels, and tires for under $2500. Dealer = $5k+. Just part of the business.
 
OK, my aftermarket front bimini is finally done so I thouht I'd do a little follow up on the details. I recieved the frame and canvas as a kit and took it to my local trim shop to install. The new frame mounted was almost a foot shorter than my Benny rear frame, sooo I ordered enough aluminum bar to lengthen it so they would be a match. Then the color difference was too stark for me so I paid the trim shop to sew a new top (380 bucks) and boot, (another 80 bucks), and sew in a transition piece for a continous top canvas. I eat the cost of the canvas that came with the kit, so I left it with the trim shop to attempt to sell it for me. I also had paid them to modify the mooring cover to accept the new frames legs. In the end, I had 550 in the kit, and with the custom work and install, I came in at about 1,100 dollars. Still cheaper than the Bennington front bimini, but a little ugly with the frame needing the extensions. The aluminum tubing is a little thinner than the bennington frame, and I'm not a fan of the way the support struts quick attach works...still its pretty nice and looking forward to the added shade this summer.
 
Thanks for the follow up fiddleback. If we end up bringing our Bennington to Florida I know I will want to add a front bimini
 
Got pics of the final product???
 
Sorry folks, I don't visit the forums regularly, so I just now saw the pics request. Yes I'll post a few when I get home from work. With all the rain in the midwest this year, I've only been out once on Memorial day weekend. Sad, but my prayers go to the farmers facing bankruptcy over all the flooding.
 
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