color fabric for bimini

[lipets]

I had white but it was kinda overpowering with the sun shine glare.

Was thinking dk blue to match the hull, but that may get too hot?
Should cut down glare, I see hardtops that use blue on the underside

What's your opinion?

 

[Comodave]

I always went with Sunbrella Cadet Gray. It doesn’t get as dirty looking as white and cuts down on the glare but isn’t too hot. We just did new canvas on our boat and went with Cloud Gray Stamoid this time. Stamoid is actually waterproof without any coatings. It is smooth so it is easier to clean than the woven Sunbrella.

 

[Art]

Few months ago I sold our 1975 Crestliner tow behind. Was a cherry original with original soft top. Do not know the material type of the bimini soft top...

But... will say that after 47 years it had not a rip in it or bad spot on it. Boat ws covered whenever not in use.

 

[markpierce]

Most boaters option for blue. Having no flybridge and no need for a bimini, had the pilothouse roof painted bright yellow so third parties can readily recognize.

 

[SIBERNUT]

You can see all the Sunbrella colors at www.manart-hirsch.com. They won't sell to anybody but businesses though. I use Stamoid and like it, but warranty is only 5 yrs vs 10 for Sunbrella. Whites tend to "burn" after that but it is waterproof. So is Sunbrella Seamark, vinyl coated inside & colors are more "inspiring" than Stamoid. If you get Stamoid, consider "heavy", it is coated inside as well as out to make cleaning easy, but spiders never get inside, right? I'm a canvas fabricator in Baltimore area, I'll help with any questions.

 

[Bacchus]

I've done some canvas fab for others and really prefer the look of the Sunbrella "tweeds ". They are available in several different colors... gray, blue, tan.
IMO they add a classy look and show spotting, wear, etc less than the comparable solid colors.

 

[mvweebles]

A few thoughts:

1. I see you have a Florida zip code listed in your profile. For my tastes, Dark Blue might look good, but would be a heat-sink in summer. Could easily be uncomfortable to be beneath. A lighter color would be my choice. However.....
2. Complimentary color to Blue is in the yellow/orange spectrum. You could go off-white or champagne colored.
3. Also have to decide if you seek protection from sun, rain, or both. In general, three choices - Stamoid/vinyl is and will remain waterproof. Acrylic (Sunbrella) begins life fairl waterproof but it wears-out over time (albeit a long time). Textaline/Pfifertex mesh - used as the fabric in sling-chair outdoor furniture - gives filtered sun shade and only modest rain protection. Acrylic/Sunbrella is a good happy-medium for most.
4. Acrylic/Sunbrella comes in different grades - and not all colors are available in all grades. You are looking for 9-ounce fabric (Awning) vs 6-ounce.
5. Stitching demises long before the fabric. There are lifetime threads for stitching, but they are damn expensive ($75 for a small cone). But it will prevent having to re-stitch the top in 5-7 years (guesstimate for Florida).

Personally, I would stick with white or off-white; or maybe even Cadet Grey (HERE) as Comodave suggests (it's a very light grey), or perhaps Silver (HERE). Cadet Grey has some taupe-like hues that may not coordinate well with your hull - definitely get samples of each, and order a yard of your final choice before committing. I would not go with solid vinyl such as Stamoid because in my experience, it can mold a bit on the underside. It is very long lived and of course very waterproof. That said, Sunbrella has a relatively new fabric "SeaMark"(Cadet Grey HERE) where they bond a PVC layer on the underside of their acrylic fabric to make it waterproof - this might be the perfect combination of Sunbrella fabric appearance yet long-term waterproofness. Or it could delaminate in 5-years. I don't know, but it looks intriguing to me.

Good luck - plenty of pictures please.....

Peter

 

[Mambo42]

Ours is blue and no problem with the temperature at all. On the bow deck and on the dinghy deck we have a beige sun screen and it provides great shade. Most important factor is that you need a bit of wind to take the heat from under the sun screens. As soon as there is a breeze the temperature is perfect, no matter how strong the sun may be.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

When I first bought my Albin I hated the green. It had green canvas, green accent stripes and green dock lines.

I guess it grows on you, I like it just fine now.

pete

 

[mvweebles]

Ours is blue and no problem with the temperature at all. On the bow deck and on the dinghy deck we have a beige sun screen and it provides great shade. Most important factor is that you need a bit of wind to take the heat from under the sun screens. As soon as there is a breeze the temperature is perfect, no matter how strong the sun may be.

I moved to Florida 17-years ago. The intensity of the mid-summer Florida sun is truly stunning - the humidity really intensifies the effect. Assuming you are comparing to your listed home-port ofCorfu Greece, the OP's latitude is 600 nms south of Corfu. Or said another way, Corfu's latitude is similar to Wilmington NC. Yes, a breeze would whisk-away the heat quickly. But summers tend to be pretty calm even on the water in Florida.

Peter

 

[Art]

I'm a boy who likes Blue! My wife likes it too...

Blue Sunbrella Biminis work well and look good on boats we have or had!

 

[Comodave]

Whatever color or brand of fabric you choose ABSOLUTELY use Tenara thread. Sailrite sells their brand of comparable thread. Do not let the fabricator use poly thread, if they insist on poly find a different fabricator. Tenara thread is guaranteed for the life of the fabric and it will last that long. The cost to restitch canvas is very high in comparison to paying the small extra up front. And a spool does cost about $120 but is is money well spent.

 

[Jorgeinseal]

We went with Mediterranean Blue which had faint black lines and stitching

 

[DennisB1]

I have a dark blue tweed sunbrella on my flybridge. The flybridge is enclosed and the interior gets quite warm under the canvas in the PNW in the summer. If the windows are off no problem with heat under the canvas. The dark color provides good shade.

 

[SIBERNUT]

I've done some canvas fab for others and really prefer the look of the Sunbrella "tweeds ". They are available in several different colors... gray, blue, tan.
IMO they add a classy look and show spotting, wear, etc less than the comparable solid colors.

Tweeds are nice. But i am anal about all the little lines going the same way, like on clear window panels. Uses more material. I think Sunbrella Seamark is avail in several tweeds.

 

[Bmarler]

I’m not a fan of the seamark material. With the woven topsides, and the coating on the bottom it tends to lock in the dirt that falls into the weave.
That’s my experience with it anyway. I went back to standard sunbrella.
Color is so subjective, I couldn’t recommend one.

 

[SIBERNUT]

The other downside to Seamark is that you can't throw it in the washer.

 

[Old Sea Dog]

Our GB 36 came with an aged bimini that had a fairly new, albeit, homemade enclosure. Both were a royal blue, with the bimini very faded. It was all drum tight, but the bimini leaked when it rained. The fabric was very thin. Of course the labor to make a new bimini to match to existing side enclosure curtains is tedious to say the least. We contracted a Crisfield canvas shop for a new bimini and enclosure in white sunbella, which may eventually age to cadet gray on down the line.
Previous owner had also fabricated a bimini under the large solar panel, above the aft cabin, that shades the aft deck and companion way. It appears to have been the previous small bimini from the flybridge. The boom had been removed when the solar was installed.

 

[Comodave]

That is one of the nice things about Stamoid is that it is truly waterproof. The only place you get leaks is the stitching but as dirt, etc gets on the top it teads to seal up the stitching and it stops leaking. It is also smooth so it doesn’t trap dirt on the surface as easily as woven Sunbrella.

 

[Caballero II]

We switched to "Sky Blue", a sunbrella fabric. It's a much lighter shade of blue, but might compliment your dark blue hull. See what you think. I personally don't like white or near white fabrics. They don't "pop" or contrast.

 

[NWboater2]

Another timely thread— hope I’m not derailing it. New to us 05 GB 42 has sunbrella Bimini, whatever you call the fly bridge wall things (what are those called?!) and covers etc, all in sand? Tan? Toast? Opened the Bimini this weekend and one of the seams (threads, not fabric) stated to rip. Already knew the fly ridge wall things were tired —all appears original— so….
I think the navy (or darker) looks snappier, although later gbs seem to have favored the beige-ish colors. Have read the darker colors resist uv light better and obviously show less dirt. At least dark dirt. )Seagull crap is bad even on white.) navy maybe warmer but maybe that’s okay up here.

Anyway- I’ve got enough on my plate to accept patching or resewing the existing canvas for now. New canvas all around is on the list, but not at the top
Any advice on a good local outfit to repair the existing? Puget sound area.

I have read the do it yourself with a good sewing machine threads and it is intriguing, for sure. Think I could do that before I could re wire the boat. For now I’m learning about electricity and propane and mechanical stuff … sometimes feel kinda overwhelmed! Like to get thru the next year or so with existing canvas, like to get it repaired professionally if that is economically feasible. Thoughts?
Sorry if too far off course, and thanks.

 

[SIBERNUT]

Canvas

Im not close enough to help. If the enclosure and top is in decent shape, have a shop look at it. Check the seams on the outsside of the bimini. If there are many of the stitches missing, get it restitched. Sunbrella can go in the washing machine, but get the restitch done FIRST or it will be a basket case. Pm me with an email address & I'll send you a care/cleaning guide. Offer good for anyone else too.

 

[Bmarler]

We’ve hand stitched those in situ before. Then you can go through the existing holes.
All new canvas is a pretty big investment, think it through so you get what you want. I thought there was a canvas shop on marine view drive. No experience with them, but local to you maybe?

 

[mvweebles]

Bears repeating, if you go the re-stitch route (and it's likely the best route), make sure a UV tolerant thread is used such as PTFE thread. It's expensive but will outlast Sunbrella.

Peter.

 

[Shrew]

We find dark colors very hot. Under our friend's beige canvas is not bad, our dark blue and another friends black seem very, very hot.

 

[NWboater2]

The boat top shop on marine view, run by Jeff. They do good work but their pricing seems variable based on mood. Kinda told myself I’d go somewhere else last time. He did a subset of cushions for prior boat in wrong color, offered to do the others to match “at cost”. Was like $100 less. They looked good tho