New boat /boat owner - can I /should i get a bimini?

My wife and I just picked up a 1999 Tracker Grizzly 1648 40 HP Yamaha boat. We took her out this past Saturday on lake Wylie SC and had a blast (well some struggles during launch/recovery due to operator error/inexperience.. motor doesn't like low idle.. may have water in it or fuel filter needs cleaning).

We were both wearing sunscreen and still ended up with minor sunburns.

We were talking about how hot it gets sometimes in direct sun and discussed adding a bimini. My thought is that it's potentially a bad idea on a fishing boat because it gets in the way. On the other hand it's not even full summer yet and already it can get hot.

Thoughts/guidance welcome. In the meantime (it's going to take a while to save up for any major additions) I wear a hat and am considering wearing long/light/loose leg pants and shirt. I may switch from a ballcap to a boonie hat or something with a large brim..

I have other questions as well but I'll post them as separate posts.
Thanks in advance.

Jerry

SPF 50 put on before you leave the house and refresh several times throughout the day, large brim hat like boonie or lifeguard hat, long sleeve shirt and long pants if you can stand it. Bimini is very nice but on a low gunnel boat with decks you will fight it all day. An umbrella mount for your seat will likely be more user friendly. Try and stay in shaded ares while on the water as well if possible. And drink plenty of water or gatoraide.

Everything Huntinslab's said. Best thing on your boat is going to be umbrellas. Over here most of us use the Sunbrella 6 ft. Put some of the cheaper patio brellas in about 5 ft work pretty good. If your seats are on 3/4 pin posts pretty easy to build a PVC mount that slips over post to set brella in. I have had to have several spots cut and burned off my face and ears. I wear overalls and long sleeve shirts all the time also hat or cap with sun shield for ears and neck. Drink more water than you think you need. I promise you some good clothing and umbrella are way cheaper than a Dr visit. Also get you both some fingerless fishing gloves to cover back of hands and wrist even if you have to buy cheap brown jersey gloves and cut the fingers off.

I have a walleye boat that Bimini tops are designed for and I wouldn't get one. They just get in the way more than they are worth for me. I too use a sun umbrella. Bought mine at Sam's club. It has a soft plastic point in the end that is made to go in the sand at the beach. The two metal poles come apart and the hole thing is stored in a bag that is less than the diameter of a soda can. I have a walk through windshield and I open mine up and stick it right in the middle. I simply use a Velcro strap and mount it to a windshield strut. Works great and allows air to get in while blocking out the sun. It can also be tilted to one side or the other.

We just ordered a bimini for our boat. We have used the Sunbrella in the past and it has worked well, but if it's windy, it can be difficult to deal with. Also, we can safely run up to 35 mph without putting the bimini top down. Unless you're just trolling, you can't leave the umbrella up. We're fishing more in the summer, so we bit the bullet for the bimini. Also, it will allow Charlie to go out with us a little more often and not get so hot with that black fur!

sound advice all around and I thank you. Sounds like SPF and coverup will be my route. I will try to find an umbrella that fits so I can get out of it a bit. I'm on call this week until next monday..but after that I'm going to try and get out for a few hours after work and see what I can find with the fish finder.
The first few times out the plan is to get familiar with the water and find where the cover is. If I have success then maybe by the weekend I can run some minnows through a school or two.
Thank you very much for your advice.
Jer

I use to have a center console with a bimini and it worked out very well. If you go that route just be sure its high enough to stand under without stooping. I used these 22"-44" Adjustable Brace Kit (Alum) - ENDURATop 62014 - iboats.com so the top wouldn't be in the way when stored and made it a lot easier to open up.

I have a center console boat with a bimini. Its useless if I'm sitting in the bow where I need to be when running the trolling motor.
And the supports are always in the way if I'm trying to fish from the helm seat with long jig rods. So I removed mine and would
advise trying umbrellas which could easily be stashed when moving at higher speeds. For trolling, you could use the bimini but it
can still be a pita to work around. The best way to deal with the sun is to cover up and go early or in the evening.

I'm thinking about the umbrella seat mounts. just not sure if it will get in the way.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pomoxis

I'm thinking about the umbrella seat mounts. just not sure if it will get in the way.

---

Made a couple L shaped PVC mounts for an umbrella, for use on my 16' Procraft. There's a T at the base end for slipping over the seat pole, then a T at the horizontal/vertical connection. The bottom umbrella rod sits down into the vertical PVC pipe and is held there by a cotter pin ... and the upper umbrella rod is pushed down into that. It isn't glued together at the horz/vert connection point, so it can be dismantled & stored in the rod box. I use it on a offset style pedestal with a certain amount of difficulty when re-positioning the PVC mount ... but, it's worth the trouble to me.

The mount made for the rear seat is glued together, and so it cannot be stored in the rod box. It's mounted on a straight pedestal, so re-positioning is not a big deal.

So far they have not "gotten in the way" to the point where fishing had to be ceased ... whether casting or using rod holders/long rods. You just have to adjust "how" you fish, considering their presence. Being without them could/would mean "calling it a day" a lot sooner ... so I put up with any inconveniences they present.