Highway towing with Bimini

[Cbass953]

Hey guys if you have a longer trip where your driving on the highway for a while do you remove the Bimini from you tower? It just looks like it’s catch a ton or air. Especially at higher speeds. Thanks

 

[Sean R]

I wrap mine up against the tower with the biminii cover. It can't be good for biminii or gas mileage.

 

[Chevyguy2021]

I recommend you do not tow with it up and highway speeds. Not worth the risk

 

[grywlfbg]

Never go over 55mph w/ the Bimini deployed. It will fit in the ski locker while you're driving. After some practice you can R&R it in a few minutes (unless it's really cold out).

 

[Dean P]

Not worth it and should be removed. It is not meant for highway speeds.

If traveling at highway speeds you should travel with you're boat covered. This will keep it clean, dry (from rain) and prevent your seats from lifting and flying away.

 

[Cbass953]

Yeah I didn't think it was a good idea. Although the dealer said it should be fine.

 

[n_ikkon]

My dealer told me the same, so I was doing it. I actually stopped doing it as I just did not feel right doing it.

 

[ShesCrafty]

Yeah I didn't think it was a good idea. Although the dealer said it should be fine.

For real? Some of these salespeople just don’t use their heads. ALWAYS stow the bimini canvas when trailering. For your safety, and more so for the safety of other motorists.

 

[dnicholas47]

After my boot ripped I started taking the whole thing off and laying it on the floor. I trailer with the cover on so that way I don’t have to worry about anything. Only adds a minute to the prep when we get where we are going, and the new boot was around $130 so I figure it’s worth the time.

 

[AZMark]

Not worth it and should be removed. It is not meant for highway speeds.

If traveling at highway speeds you should travel with you're boat covered. This will keep it clean, dry (from rain) and prevent your seats from lifting and flying away.

I towed with the cover when I first got the boat but noticed that the Yamaha mooring cover was scuffing up my windshield frame pretty badly so I stopped doing it. It was nice to keep the bugs off the boat but I don't want to damage the windshield frame any more or scuff the gelcoat.

 

[Sean R]

Just make sure your seats are secured.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I towed with the cover when I first got the boat but noticed that the Yamaha mooring cover was scuffing up my windshield frame pretty badly so I stopped doing it. It was nice to keep the bugs off the boat but I don't want to damage the windshield frame any more or scuff the gelcoat.

Pool Noodles on window frame

 

[Betik]

You cannot trust the dealer. A dealer told me that I can tow 22 foot camper with Honda Pilot.

 

[PeterB]

We stow the Bimini on the deck when towing.
Once before we started doing that the wind opened the zipper on the cover and part of the Bimini flapped itself to death - an expensive lesson and of course at the start of a very hot weekend

 

[AmesJainchill]

Pool Noodles on window frame

I like that idea! Do you just go with one across the front of the windshield frame? Or do you go with maybe three and cover the top of the frame on both sides as well? Any issues with color bleed, do you suspect, from the pool noodles to a white frame on my 242? I don't trailer a bunch, mostly from the marina to the launch (Harley Ensign) about a mile at 20 mph with the cover off, but I will be taking it with the shipping cover to the dealer about 50+ miles for indoor winter storage and the seemingly usual warranty punchlist sometime in Oct - and maybe on a vaca up north next year.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I got the idea from someone else on the forum and have done it all summer, works fantastic.

I cut the pool noodles like a hotdog bun. I use them on the frame of the window all the way around. No bleed and work great.

We launch at Harley ensign all the time. Which dealer do you use?

 

[ShesCrafty]

Pool noodle mod was originally conceived to protect the mooring/trailering cover from the window-stop nub on your center walkthrough, preventing wear/tearing in that spot. Only place it’s really needed - center of windshield. Get one of the jumbo noodles so as to fit over that black stopper and make sure the noodle stays in place as you pull the mooring cover on.

 

[Julian]

Hey guys if you have a longer trip where your driving on the highway for a while do you remove the Bimini from you tower? It just looks like it’s catch a ton or air. Especially at higher speeds. Thanks

I always remove the bimini cover on the huge "batwing" style biminis. Just too much fabric there!

 

[AmesJainchill]

I got the idea from someone else on the forum and have done it all summer, works fantastic.

I cut the pool noodles like a hotdog bun. I use them on the frame of the window all the way around. No bleed and work great.

We launch at Harley ensign all the time. Which dealer do you use?

Cool, I'll grab a few and give it a try! Thanks for the info!

Yeah, pretty much use Harley all the time as well. The 18 ramps are helpful when the flotilla of sparkle rockets come back (luckily BassMasters was at Metro a week or so ago, lol). Saw you out there a few weeks ago and said a quick Hi when I was grabbing the truck! It was crazy busy at the launch - another fishing tournament - but I was like "hey that boat is named Hang Outdoors, pretty sure he's on jb.net!"

I bought in Dec 2018 from Wonderland Marine West at their satellite location in Waterford, so I wind up getting service/warranty and indoor cold storage at their main facility out in Howell. Kinda limited around here for dealers. Only other option really is Grand Pointe, but I'd have to haul all the way to Lansing and since I didn't wind up buying from them, they aren't as accomodating

 

[Ronnie]

I learned the hard expensive way a few weeks ago to either tow the boat with the Bimini stowed in its boot and secured to the tower or with the Bimini removed from the tower.

the Bimini, what’s left of it anyway, in the pics is about two years old, I had it custom made in black. The zipper on the custom made boot failed on the way to my last camping trip. Instead of removing the bimini for the tower I used bungee cords to keep the Bimini in the damaged boot. 30 miles into a 100 road trip home I noticed the shadow of the Bimini fluttering in the wind. I pulled over immediately but the top itself was shredded. $600 lesson. To add insult to injury I can find the original Bimini top or the extension I had made for it, so the only shade is that proved by the tower with what’s left of the custom bikini and extension covered by the original custom boot (see the third/final pic).