Bimini Top for 1979 Starcraft 16 feet

[marcusknight]

Summertime is approaching and I am again considering a Bimini Top for my boat. I have the average 1979 16 foot StarCraft. I could really use some more people to weigh on a couple pieces of information.

For starters, for those of you who have this exact boat and have installed a Bimini yourself. What measurements did you find to work best. Height, length, etc. I think I would prefer the height to be 6 feet high from the floor.

Also, what company would you find best for this type of Bimini?

Finally, how hard is it to install the mounting hardware on top of the gunnel? I think it would be a pain in the butt with all the flotation foam I would have to go through. Thoughts?

 

[roscoe]

Re: Bimini Top for 1979 Starcraft 16 feet

I had one a few years ago, 1975 vintage.

Mine was 8' long, 4' above gunnels, so 5'8 above the floor.
Had it mounted so it extended over the front of the windshield by about 18".
People thought it was a nutty idea, but it worked out well and provided better shade for the driver.
Didn't use it a ton, as we had a couple cooler summers and I sold the boat after 2 seasons.

On mine, all the flotation was under the floor.
Did they start putting flotation foam up under the gunnels in later years?

Mounting was easy. Measure it up, drill the holes, reach up under the gunnel with a 3x4x1 backing board, and secure it with either screws or 1/8" bolts.

I bought mine from a local shop, it was older, on the clearance table, don't recall brand but it had all metal hardware.