Biminis while trailering. Now: under deck ladder

[Wishing]

I've done some searching and seen most people put their biminis completely down to trailer any real distance.

Is there something I'm missing? It looks like to do that I have to remove screws and then re-assemble at the destination. It's doable, but quite a task by myself, when we'll always be towing to the late.

Thanks for the help. The more I look at the boat, the more questions I have.

[HandymanHerb]

You can leave it in the radar arch position with the cover on, the lower arms should have quick release pins so you can fold it all the way down to reduce drag while towing

[CampCharlie]

If you do leave it up, pay attention to how tall you are. I'm at 7' from the ground to the highest point on my boat when the bimini is down. It would be quite a bit higher with it up.

[Wishing]

You can leave it in the radar arch position with the cover on, the lower arms should have quick release pins so you can fold it all the way down to reduce drag while towing

Thanks, are the pins where the bimini supports attach to the rails, or are they higher up on the support? Ours was missing the hardware, so we attached it to the rails with stainless screws. Our closest lake is an hour away, but we'll be driving 4.5 hours in a couple weeks with the boat.

[zoom650]

How fast do you tow? If it is faster than your boat's fastest speed, I'd think you want to secure your bimini for the road.

My boat won't run 65 or 70, so I lower my biminis and put the cover on.

[Wishing]

If you do leave it up, pay attention to how tall you are. I'm at 7' from the ground to the highest point on my boat when the bimini is down. It would be quite a bit higher with it up.

Looking at a picture, I would say they are minimum 10' up there.

[HandymanHerb]

The pins should be at the rails, that will allow the arms to fold together and lay all the way down, mine are a pin with a D shaped spring wire that fits over the end of the pin to hold it in place

[Bamaman]

I just use a couple of bungee cords to tie mine to the rear fencing on my boat--all the way down--if going out of town. If I happen to trailer locally, I just clip in the little short arm and put the cover on the bimini.

[Wishing]

The pins should be at the rails, that will allow the arms to fold together and lay all the way down, mine are a pin with a D shaped spring wire that fits over the end of the pin to hold it in place

I am having a hard time finding boat hardware. Where could one find these? I didn't see them at West Marine, though I could have missed them.

Thanks.

And yeah, our little 40 hp definitely can't reach highway speeds!!

[HandymanHerb]

The internet will save , here's what I found quick

http://www.amazon.com/Koch-4021411-Roun ... cking+pins

[TonyTwoToons]

I go a short distance to my normal launch so up or down doesn't matter much. When I go a bit farther, height isn't my top concern. It's wind. I secure the open ends of my boot with small bungie cords. It stops the air from getting in there, inflating the boot, and creating drag. It saves a lot of wear and tear on the boot and reduces stress on the Bimini top connection points (no scientific basis for that last statement). When I go to the Red River I'll probably be up. When I go up to Caddo Lake to meet up with Roland, I'll probably be down.

Cheers,

Tony

[Heatman]

The pic below show the position of my bimini when I tow. Anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hrs. 10 years never a problem.

[Wishing]

Thanks guys. I will definitely be ordering the quick release hardware once I can figure out or get my husband to tell me what size I need.

Your bimini looks pretty sound! My boat is (I think) a bit older and the biminis took some abuse before I got them. The more I think about it, the more I think I shouldn't be going 70 mph with them up. They are not as solid as I would like them to be.

[Wishing]

How about those under deck front ladders? Anyone have one? Thoughts? I want one, but am not 100% sure. Wondering how much harder it will be to get up without handrails.
http://www.amazon.com/PONTOON-BOAT-STOR ... ont+ladder

[tadams]

Hi Wishing, I put an under deck ladder on my 'toon & we absolutely love it! I got mine from pontoonstuff.com with the 10% discount you get for being a member on this site. It didn't come with enough bolts for me so I bought some extra SS hardware & bolted it everywhere it crossed a floor joist. I then sanded all the rough & sharp edges so no one would get cut. Not having hand rails is not really an issue on these ladders. You use the uprights of the ladder. My says this is the best thing that I've added to the boat