I’m seriously considering fitting a Bimini to my Mull F28. Due to my location on the Chesapeake I’m more concerned with shade and air flow so will likely not add a dodger. I’d like to cover as much of the cockpit as possible but to go below the boom means a frame height of only about 62”. If I keep the frame to fit behind the boom, I can only cover half the cockpit. Any thoughts or advice from those who might have been down this road a time or two? Thanks!
The bimini on my F28 extends just a few inches past the outhaul on the boom…not enough to provide any significant added coverage, but enough to be a constant annoyance as I need to adjust the lazy jacks or run the main halyard to the outhaul so the boom is kept high enough to not wear against the bimini. Despite that it’s had to be repaired and reinforced at least once.
I have found that by unzipping the windows on the front of the dodger, I get enough airflow through the cockpit (at least here in New England). And at anchor on a hot sunny day, using a zippered connector piece between the dodger and the bimini, which then covers the entire cockpit, cools everything down and makes the environment in the cockpit much more enjoyable.
Thank you Walter! Exactly the advice I was hoping to get. The boom interference is something I want to avoid. If you did it over again would you move it back a couple of inches? Do you have a photo of the Bimini-dodger connector in place? Your boat looks wonderfully well done from your photo!
Hi Mark,
Yes I would move the forward support on the bimini back enough so that it would clear the end of the boom. It wouldn’t take much, just a few inches. I wouldn’t go any lower on the bimini as you would lose headroom while standing at the helm.
I can’t find a photo with the connector attached, although I can take one in a few weeks. One other thing I added is a flexible solar panel which attaches to the bimini with heavy-duty velcro. A 100w flexible panel fits nicely on there. You can see the junction box for the solar panel cables at the aft end of the port cockpit seat.
Feel free to PM me if you’d like copies of the specs and receipts for the bimini, dodger, and connector.
Walter
Thanks again Walter! PM sent.
seeking plans patterns for dodger F 28 CK thanks!