Quick Question on Bimini Top

[Devildog]

I searched for some troubleshooting ideas with my bimini top, but could not find any.

I tried to put my bimini top up for the very first time yesterday, but was not able to because it did not seem to stretch enough. I don't have an arch. I was afraid to pull on it too much in fear of ripping the top or breaking the arms. I had the back and middle poles attached and tried to attach the front small poles, but the space between the pole and the bracket was a lot. I was not courageous enough to give it a good yank.

Maybe I just need to stretch it since this is the first time that this bimini top has been opened fully. Before I gave it an extra stretch today, thought I would check in with you guys and see if you had a similar issue when using it for the first time. Thx.

 

[tdonoughue]

Not sure on your year, but on my year those front poles on the top have a little button on them that you can press and extend the pole a notch. You want the bimini nice and taught, but you are right to be a little cautious. Pulling too much will pull your stitches apart. That said, it does take more pulling than I thought originally. So see if you have those adjustment buttons and you can extend the pole another 2" or so.

 

[2nazt]

Have any pictures for us to see. I second looking for the extension buttons too.

 

[Gym]

If I understand this correctly, your front poles take the place of my front straps that hook to brackets just ahead of the windshield on either side. If I have this correct, what I do is reach up overhead and grab the top front corner of the bimini with one hand and pull it down so the strap, or in your case the pole, reaches the bracket. You would have to do this on each side.

 

[Devildog]

Thanks All. Well I found the little button which is great and definitely gave me some room to attach. So thanks for that.

Here is the problem. The bracket that is attached to the boat and the small Bimini arm are not aligned. In other words, the bracket on the boat and the end of the small arm are not flat against each other to tighten the screw. So when I try to screw it in, it does not go in straight. It tightens just a smidge and then it won't go any further. I may be able to unscrew the small arm at the top and see if I can reposition it so that it aligns at the bottom.

When I bought the boat a couple of months ago, I did not bother asking the dealer to set it up. Oh well, should woulda coulda.

Any other thoughts on how I can reposition the bottom of the small arm would be appreciated. Because right now, my bimini is out of order.

 

[2nazt]

My bottom arm spins to screw the wing nut into but mine is different and older.

 

[Devildog]

My bottom arm spins to screw the wing nut into but mine is different and older.

Thanks. Yeah, mine spins as well, but it is still not flush against the bracket in order for the screw to go in straight.

 

[tdonoughue]

Not sure I understand which screw it is that does not go in straight. Pic?

(sorry for the delayed reply--on "vacation" moving the MIL...)

 

[Zeus2013]

Thanks All. Well I found the little button which is great and definitely gave me some room to attach. So thanks for that.

Here is the problem. The bracket that is attached to the boat and the small Bimini arm are not aligned. In other words, the bracket on the boat and the end of the small arm are not flat against each other to tighten the screw. So when I try to screw it in, it does not go in straight. It tightens just a smidge and then it won't go any further. I may be able to unscrew the small arm at the top and see if I can reposition it so that it aligns at the bottom.

When I bought the boat a couple of months ago, I did not bother asking the dealer to set it up. Oh well, should woulda coulda.

Any other thoughts on how I can reposition the bottom of the small arm would be appreciated. Because right now, my bimini is out of order.

So here is the sad truth. I had the same issue. The bracket on the windshield was at a different angle then the front pole. I tried to take the pole off the Bimini using the push pin, attach to the windshield and the connect to the Bimini. It stressed the wing bolt and still was not straight.

In the end I had the entire helm windshield replaced. They even changed the entire Bimini as the tight fit began to stretch the threads and fabric.

Here is a picture of the alignment issue.

 

[Devildog]

So here is the sad truth. I had the same issue. The bracket on the windshield was at a different angle then the front pole. I tried to take the pole off the Bimini using the push pin, attach to the windshield and the connect to the Bimini. It stressed the wing bolt and still was not straight.

In the end I had the entire helm windshield replaced. They even changed the entire Bimini as the tight fit began to stretch the threads and fabric.

Here is a picture of the alignment issue.

Thanks Zeus. Was that covered under your warranty?

 

[Zeus2013]

Thanks Zeus. Was that covered under your warranty?

Yes. no questions asked. I spoke to Yamaha as my dealer did not push as much as I wanted them to. Yamaha said they never had any previous issues.

Unfortunately, I did the same thing at my pick up of the boat. Let this be a reminder to all to check everything on the boat before you sign. Assume nothing is as it should be.

 

[Devildog]

Perfect. I will discuss this with my dealer. The good thing is that the Bimini does stay up without the front arms attached while at anchor. We don't use the Bimini very much, but it will work in the short term.

 

[Zeus2013]

Are both your front brackets out of alignment? I had only one pole with this problem.

If Yamaha gives you any grief, I would be happy to remind them of my issue and resolution for you.

 

[Devildog]

Yes, both arms are not aligned. One screw goes in a little further than the other, but still not good. Thanks for the offer and will keep in the holster if I need it. I can't imagine that they wouldn't fix it after seeing the problem. It is a brand new boat for crying out loud .

 

[Zeus2013]

hope they resolve this quickly for you.

 

[Steven Small]

Im having the exact same issue. The lower front poles do not meet at the same angle. I was told by dealer that Yamaha knows about it. What their fix is who knows. We have been disconnecting front adjustment poles from each other, attaching the bottom pole to the biat with the thumb screws, then put the upper pole into the lower pole. This is total bs. Yamaha knows about it. 2016 yamaha Limited

 

[Zeus2013]

Im having the exact same issue. The lower front poles do not meet at the same angle. I was told by dealer that Yamaha knows about it. What their fix is who knows. We have been disconnecting front adjustment poles from each other, attaching the bottom pole to the biat with the thumb screws, then put the upper pole into the lower pole. This is total bs. Yamaha knows about it. 2016 yamaha Limited

Windshield replacement was my fix.

 

[Steven Small]

Windshield replacement was my fix.

Thanks for the info.