claustralia
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 61
- Reaction score
- 104
thats a bummer -- does your front bimini have the locking pins? If so, what happened to those?
front bimini flew off
- Thread starter Gemmill82
- Start date
Jack M
Moderator
NOTICE TO ALL MEMBERS
A fresh post on “acceptable” posts is in order. Short and sweet. This forum has zero tolerance for political discussion, debate, memes, photos, etc ... Anything directly/indirectly political gets: 1st offense- warning 2nd offense- 7 day ban 3rd offense -14 day ban 4th offense - Permanent ban...
club.benningtonmarine.com
Jack M
Moderator
Please reread the terms and rules ,that were agreed to at sign up.Thank You.
boblehmann
Member
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 7
I need to amend my earlier post. My front bimini flew off last fall when I was hurrying to get home in front of an oncoming thunderstorm.
I was moving around 25 mph and a wind gust hit me (around 20 mph). The front bimini totally unclasped and flew to the rear of the boat. It would have totally flown off except for being zipped to the rear bimini. The pins were installed correctly but the plastic clip bent open and slipped around them. I didn't think it was possible but it is. I think it's a poor design on Bennington's part to make these clips plastic.
I'm currently traveling slower and will lower the front bimini if the wind picks up, but I'm going to install the cables in the future. I think that's the only sure way to be safe.
Potomacbassin’
Well-Known Member
In fairness to Bennington they have been pretty painfully clear (at least on my boat) that the bimini cannot handle speeds over 15-20mph. Yes the plastic clips can deform, but they're not designed to handle high speed runs or additional wind gusts. At some point the owner has to accept their own responsibility with operating the vessel within manufacturers guidelines or we risk bad things happening.
Biminis aren't structural members, they're attachments meant to provide shade.
Biminis aren't structural members, they're attachments meant to provide shade.
boblehmann
Member
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 7
My previous boat was a Hurricane deck boat and I routinely went 35 mph with the bimini up.
15 mph is pretty slow for a boat with a 200 HP+ motor and it's hard to predict when a wind gust might pop up.
In Tennessee we have pop-up thunderstorms all summer and if I want to ensure I'd never encounter more than a 15 mph wind I could never have my bimini up. I stand by my earlier statement that it's a poor design. I love every other feature of my boat.
15 mph is pretty slow for a boat with a 200 HP+ motor and it's hard to predict when a wind gust might pop up.
In Tennessee we have pop-up thunderstorms all summer and if I want to ensure I'd never encounter more than a 15 mph wind I could never have my bimini up. I stand by my earlier statement that it's a poor design. I love every other feature of my boat.
Potomacbassin’
Well-Known Member
You're gonna have to do your own homework on your boat. My last bimini had a sticker on it indicating max speed. Not sure what the new one says but I'm pretty sure it has clear instructions on safe operation.
Potomacbassin’
Well-Known Member
Just looked, my new one is 30mph. Maybe they uprated it with different hardware. Who knows, point is I think manufacturers generally are pretty good about making sure their customers operate safely if for any other reason than to avoid poor customer retention and lawsuits. If you want a bimini that is able to withstand top speed runs and gusty winds then that would probably require heavier duty materials including tubing, clips, fabric and snaps which all would drive up costs.
If there's any critique it's maybe Bennington can divulge speed ratings during the boat build process and offer heavier duty options.
bimini manufacturers don't make tops using heavier duty tubing than the 1.250 they use now. they could use heavier wall maybe, but that's not what is failing on our tops. for me to replace my torn canvas and mangled frame is over 2k . bennington told my dealer this operator error and not covered. this happened at 20-22 mph when a wind gust ripped it off.
Attachments
Last edited:
Potomacbassin’
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't say that those C clips are faced in the wrong direction without definitively knowing from a load/force standpoint what is actually going on. The bimini is pulling up from the wind so the force applied is straight up the arm, not backwards. I think what happens is two fold - 1) beyond a certain wind speed the force deforms the plastic clip and it slips out, or 2) a bouncing boat and vibrating bimini is just shakes that connection loose.
The pin mod that many of us have done solves the problem as does the cable stay now offered by Bennington. Safe to say it's offered in part because of the experiences of their owners.
Sorry that this happened to your boat, I get the frustration. Same happened to me. Hopefully your dealer will work with you to get it resolved, mine had it replaced free of charge.
The pin mod that many of us have done solves the problem as does the cable stay now offered by Bennington. Safe to say it's offered in part because of the experiences of their owners.
Sorry that this happened to your boat, I get the frustration. Same happened to me. Hopefully your dealer will work with you to get it resolved, mine had it replaced free of charge.
LaurencetheAdventurer
Well-Known Member
Cable Stays - for speeds over 30mph, per Bennington Website. With that said, I have also had a clip fail, though it was in the rear and at low speed. In my case, it appeared to be sun / heat damage (white/dried out coloring - more investigating to do) that weakened clip and it snapped. I ordered two replacements from Amazon and will check with the dealer during annual maintenance. Amazon search for "Pontoon Bimini Top Latch Connector Bracket Plastic Replacement for 002957" had 3 results.
