Shade for Mainship 400 Sundeck

[Bay Retriever]

Wondering how other Mainship owners have gone about creating a shaded area for their sundecks. I’d really like something that’s easy to put up quickly and stow when not needed. I’m thinking there’s got to be a few good designs out there. Not ready to call the canvass makers just yet.

 

[rgano]

By far, the simplest idea would be to add more bows aft of the flying bridge bimini with a zipper between the aft part of the original bimini and the forward part of the sundeck section. When not in use, the sundeck section bows fold back onto one another with the bow farthest aft supported permanently in place by struts fixed to the handrail back there. Then a boot is zipped into place to protect the canvas while giving the stowed section a neat look. My brother did this on his GB42.

 

[Bay Retriever]

Sounds interesting. Hopefully someone will post some pics. BTW, could use some help with some of your definitions: what is a bow and what is a boot?

 

[rslifkin]

Bows are the arched stainless tubes that support a bimini. A boot is basically a cover to wrap the folded bimini into to keep things neat. Kinda like a sail cover.

 

[rgano]

Ah, I see a bit of education was in order before I launched. My MS 30 Pilot II bimini over the cockpit is the reverse of what you might want on a 400, but the principles I described are shown with my bimini both opened and stowed. See the stainless tubing slanting to the right over the shoulder of the grandson in the blue shirt? Following up to the aft end of the boat's hardtop you can see the tan-colored boot covering the canvas of the bimini. The second photo shows the bimini fully deployed. When I deploy from stowed, I unzip and remove the boot and then connect the half of the zipper on the forward end of the bimini canvas to the other half of the zipper sewed to a bit of canvas fitted into a aluminum slot running across the back of the hardtop.

 

[Nepidae]

Well, if you aren't ready to call the canvas people yet, why?
Do you think other materials will be less expensive?
Are you trying to cover the cockpit of a Mainship, or do you have a true sundeck? (see my picture)

Our boat came with a sundeck cover, and we put a hard top on the flybridge.
Depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

 

[gwbullis]

Anne has made all sorts of shades. ("Because the sun eats things") On the flybridge, our 390 regular bimini top has a permanent bimini awning that goes back to the radar post (about 3-4 feet). From there, ... she made a sun shade that secures to that awning and is supported by adjustable poles secured to the stantion rails all around the open part of the flybridge - see attached pic. Quick to set up / take down and stores very easily.

 

[SAFE HAVEN]

Wondering how other Mainship owners have gone about creating a shaded area for their sundecks. I’d really like something that’s easy to put up quickly and stow when not needed. I’m thinking there’s got to be a few good designs out there. Not ready to call the canvass makers just yet.

Here’s the simplest solution I found. 11y/o Grand daughter puts it up and down by herself.

 

[johnma]

if your not using it underway, just use a beach umbrella. thats what we do on our 390. mostly in the cockpit when the sun is shining in there i put the umbrella in a rod holder. on the flybridge i mounted a rod holder to the rails near the port and starboard aft corners and just move it as needed. We have green canvass and i bought a green umbrella to match

 

[Heap]

TMack: I saw one 400 down in Florida where they continued the canvas enclosure all the way aft to the rails. It looked really weird and just un-natural. After seeing that, we decided that the aft deck was exactly that; a sun deck. We have shade under the main enclosure and down in the aft cockpit. We have added a drop clothe to provide shade in the late afternoon in the cockpit, but have left the upper deck alone.