Powered Bimini Top

[garygve]

Does anyone have a powered Bimini top on their pontoon?
How far down does it retract, also is it sturdy enough to go 35 mph when its up?

[crookedlaker]

i just installed a power arm on my 2014 harris cruiser 200
The power arm sits a little lower than the standard oem binimi
you may be able to lower the rear by cutting the stow legs a little, i was going to play with it this weekend but too busy. i have a low bridge to go under and with the rain we have had, it is getting a little tight, had to remove my windshield and the binimi clears by about 3".
The top is very stable on my boat at 27 mph or so I think you would be good at 35 depending on the wind, the factory claims that they have tested up to 60 mph or so.
My neighbor has a new harris with factory installed power arm and harris included the front binimi arms and told him to use them when underway at high speeds or if parked and it is windy.
i forgot to get photos this weekend i will try to remember and will get you a measurement of the stowed height.
I really like the power arm, works well and very heavy duty. i will have one on my next boat.
one additional item, my dealer told me that if you hit the top on a bridge, you will damage your side panels because the top is so heavy duty it will transfer the force to the side panels, on a standard oem binimi the top will bend first.

mike

[garygve]

Let me know what you find out when you get a chance to play with lowering the stow leg, and also the measurement from the railing to the stowed height. Thanks

[crookedlaker]

will do
probably be a week before i can go back up to lake. i will take photos of install.

mike

[Seon]

Cool, I'd be interested in seeing pics of your install and info on where you bought it. .

[garygve]

Mike, You mentioned your neighbor has a Harris with the factory installed power top, on the Harris website they show it as a 12' power bimini top. Can you find out if his factory one is 12', the Power Arm one is 10'.
Thanks

[Gonefishing]

I also have the power arm top. Installed it last year and love it. I was out this past fourth with winds at 10 + and running about average 25 had no problems. I love it I took the top that came with my toon and moved it to the front, installed the power arm in the rear so I now have a full Bimini on the boat. As for when it is lowered it has about a three inch bracket that rest on the rail. I would guess the total from rail to top of top when folded down is about 8 to 12 inches.

[ToonGuy]

If you leave the stands off it will retract all the way until it hits something...either the top of your rails or your rear seating or sundeck. Additionally, the further you move the stands rearward the lower it will retract. As mentioned, you could even cut them to find an happy medium. Nothing is set in stone, you have infinite adjustment because it's a universal product.

[crookedlaker]

Toonguy, that is good to know, i plan on cutting about 2 inches off mine to allow to stow low as i have a low bridge to go under and it is raining as i type this.
My neighbors harris is identical to mine which is 10' I did not know they made a 12'. i found out it was a dealer installed top that was purchased from harris, it is different in a couple of ways
it has snaps at each corner to keep the canvas material centered, on mine, if it was windy the canvas would move around as it was opening and you had to manually straighten it, i used a couple of pieces of self adhesive Velcro on each corner and that solved the problem.
Harris also includes front bars for added stability when going fast or on windy days ( i don't have that problem with my 90) but my neighbor has a 150 hp.
lastly my installation looks better, i took my time and did a better job running the wires in the rails.

will send photos later

I bought mine from pontoon stuff with discount code on top
you get 10% off, free shipping and the remote control
check out the video on u tube they made, very good

Mike

[crookedlaker]

Here are the photos of the power arm
The top is 14" off the rear rail when lowered
I am planning on cutting about 2" off the arms that should lower to about 10" or so
I also attached a photo of my lift setup ( i know how you all like photos) I took the canopy off my old deck boat lift and
installed with augers and placed a center lift pontoon lift under it.
One other thing is that you will have to have your cover modified for the larger power arm actuators.

mike

[crookedlaker]

i finally got around to cutting up the back legs
i cut off 1.75 inches and it lowered the top from 14" to 11"
another note is that you will have to modify your cover to clear the actuators

Mike

[garygve]

Mike, Thanks for posting that, the guy from Harris emailed me that their power top is 12' long and they get them from Power Arm. So either he is wrong on the size or they are using Power Arm actuators and installing their own frame to make it 12'.
I'm going to buy the Power Arm and see if I can adapt my existing 12' frame to the actuator, I will post some pictures if its doable.

[ToonGuy]

The folks that manufacture the PWR Arm sell directly to OEM, and it is not uncommon to have specific models or options that are not available to the general public.

If you do decide to go that route, let me advise you that the frame on the PWR Arm is more than twice the thickness of a normal bimini frame. This is because when opened, there are no support posts. The pressure of the electric actuator is what keeps the top open, tight and upright. It is possible the power of the actuators may actually buckle your existing frame.

[crookedlaker]

The tubes on my 10 foot harris top are pretty heavy duty but not near as Heavy duty as the Power Arm tubes.
i would contact Pontoon stuff or power arm directly and see if they can get the 12' canopy
also harris does keep the front arms that you can latch for windy days or high speed. (not really a problem with my 90)

mike

[garygve]

From the pictures I'm seeing on line of the Harris factory installed power tops, I think the guy from Harris that said they are 12' long is wrong.
I'm going to order the Power Arm and install it as it comes based on ToonGuy and Crookedlaker comments about the frames being stronger.
Here is my pontoon with the 12' top and a factory installed power top I can see that the factory installed is is 10' long not 12'.