I was out at the boat today and laced on the side panels. The only thing I have left is to install some snaps. My new snap tool was waiting for me when I got home today, so I should be an able to wrap it up next week. I am close enough to done that I can offer some overall thoughts.
I am very happy with the way it it turning out. The only part that I feel like I could have done better on is the outside edge of the side panels. On the front panel I doubled up the fabric 6" back from the leading edge. I figured it needed the stiffness as it extends slightly past the frame and forms a little hat brim hopefully protecting the lacing from drips and uv. On the sides the leading edge is vertical pointing down, instead of horizontal on the front. I figured since I have gravity on my side there was no need to stiffen up the edge with a double layer. What I didn't see coming was the tension caused by setting all the grommets, that made the outside edge less strait than I would like it. It's not super bad, but if I had it to do over I would double up that edge like I did the front.
The project cost me about $3,400.00. About $1500 for the solar panels, $1,200 for stainless steel, and about $650 from Sailrite for fabric and all the other stuff I needed. But only about $2000 of that went on the boat as explained below.
I way over order on Stainless steel as my original plan was to build a much more elaborate frame to hold the panels that I later decided was way more than necessary, and would just be a bunch of extra weight up high where I don't want it on the boat. I only used about $200 worth of the $1200 of SS I bought. I have a bunch left for future projects. I also only used about $300.00 of the $650 is spent at sailrite on the actual bimini. The rest was for stuff I will have for the next project like Gromit punch, and setting tool, extra grommets, snap setting tool, extra snaps, Huge roll of PTFE thread, etc.
I have no idea what it would have cost to have someone build all this for me, but I wouldn't be surprised by $15-20K. I definitely saved money doing it myself.
The old, failed system, I took off (10 flexible panels, mounted on a sunbrella Bimini) Was a very complicated bit of fabrication. I would estimate it would have cost me twice as much in material, and at least twice the labor hours to try and recreate what was there. I am hopeful that the system I built will also last 2-3x as long as the old one did.
In general I think this is a really good way to add hard solar panels to a Bimini that was previously Canvas. Using the panels themselves for most of waterproof surface saves a lot of weight and expense compared to adding a hard top, then mounting the panels on top of that. I am also hopeful that it will be very low maintenance, for a very long time.
