From the very beginning we thought the Bimini supplied with the Shearwater by the factory was not sufficient for our needs. We wanted better sun, wind and rain protection for the cockpit. And we wanted to be able to enclose the cockpit area so we could enjoy dinner outside in the summer without the bugs and to seal out the wind, rain and the cold in inclement weather.

It was a long hard struggle working with marine crafts men to come up with a plan. Many were willing to take on the job. But to find someone who could grasp the concept and execute it was the challenge. We finally found John Tanis of Tanis Towers. He was able to take our existing Bimini and cut off, add some additional materials and refasten the frame to the walkway which goes from front to back over the cockpit. Pictures say it so much better than words.  John's creativity and ability to execute our ideas in stainless was flawless.  The welding was generally not as finished looking as that done in Capetown. 

The resultant frame reused the Voyage-supplied steel by cutting it down the middle (forward to aft) and welding it to the walkway.  The walkway was raised 6" in the front by creating a second step in the ladder using the same coach roof holes as original.  The aft end of the walkway was unaltered but the support posts were raised about 8".  The handgrip in the middle of the old bimini was cut off, reused as a salon handgrip on the underside of the walkway bolts, and a new handgrip was fabricated 22" longer and 10" lower to reuse the old handgrip weld points and make the lower edge of the handgrip the same height off the sole as the original handgrip.

We investigated several ways to cover the new bimini.  Our two cats would severely shorten the life of Sunbrella™ so we looked for a material with better resistance to cat claws.  We also wanted to match the look and color of the Shearwater as closely as possible since we had been able to match her lines closely with the new frame.

We selected Pro-Trim , a bendable vinyl material that is guaranteed against failure or fading for 10 years.  It is waterproof and reflects heat, and makes our cockpit cool and dry.  Unfortunately, the contractor we selected to install the material was unfamiliar with both Pro-Trim and stainless steel.  The result was a wavy top on the Bimini, dozens of poorly drilled holes in the stainless that neither lined up, nor were the correct placement or size.  Fortunately, Mr. Carl Anderson, the inventor of Pro-Trim gave us his direct phone number and talked us through the correction process to fix the contractor's mistakes. 

In addition to the Pro-Trim, we selected clear polycarbonate, similar to Lexan, for the front of the Bimini.  The section between the ladder will be flexible screening that can be closed in severe weather but will admit a breeze when we need it.  The windows are installed and are quite satisfactory in heavy wind and rain.

We retained the concept of a top opening that Voyage implemented with zippered Sunbrella.  To implement our top, we had two sliding hatches, 27.5" by 36", made, each with two 54" Starboard™ tracks.  The hatches slide open and closed easily, are dry in all weather encountered so far, and stay where placed.  Please look at the photos below and reread this - it will probably be clear the second time.

Extended Grip A new handgrip was built 22" longer, reattached to the original handgrip's weldpoints, and trimmed to be the original height off the cockpit sole.	Opening Openings were created above the helman's chair and trimmer's position.	Handgrip Another view of the handgrip. We find it comfortable as located for folks of our height (5'4" and 5'9").	Lexan Windows	View from Salon
Control Lines Sheets and Haylard openings were drilled through the Lexan by sighting through the sail stops. Holes were drilled with wood drill and polished with 80 grit sandpaper. The jib sheet sailstop handles had to be trimmed to clear the Lexan.