Covered Slip / Bimini Removal

[tobyfrommo]

My wife and I just purchase our first Yamaha...a 2020 242 Limited SE.

The boat has the hard top/ratcheting style bimini. The boat will sit in a covered slip and will get used just about every weekend during the late spring/summer/early fall.

My question is do I leave the bimini on from week to week or remove...maybe remove it every 2-3 weeks for cleaning? I'm not sure what to do here. My concern is the collecting of dust/dirt & spider/bird poop eventually ruining the top. The bimini on my former boat folded and had a cover...it still looked new, however, the boat cover showed it's age as it has some staining that was no longer removeable due to sitting out in the conditions.

I realize I'll have to make my own decision based on my conditions but I was wondering what methods others may be using.

Thanks for any & all help!

 

[tdonoughue]

First, congratulations on the purchase! Fun times ahead.

I think this is another situation where it would be helpful to know at least approximately where you are. Generally in a covered slip I would say leave it on for the season. But, if you are coastal or in high wind area or ... something else I haven't thought of yet, maybe a different recommendation.

 

[tobyfrommo]

We are in the midwest. No high winds except for midwest thunder storms. Lots of pollen in the spring/early summer. The pollen will turn the black cover and/or bimini completely yellow. We fight bird/spider poop all summer. With our previous boat I'd spread the cover out over the ground and give the cover a good scrub each spring and maybe 1-2 lighter scrubs during boating season, while the cover was on the boat, in the slip.

I realize the bimini is not much different...but is slightly harder to see/reach when still on the boat.

 

[tdonoughue]

Yeah, I guess in that situation I would probably leave it on. It is a matter of how much time you want to spend taking it up and putting it down versus cleaning it, in the end. I am not an extreme neat freak on my boat (a little dirt is ok... a lot must be cleaned), so that is probably the reason for my answer.