Bimini and side clears on a 4.4m - windage?

[spelchek]

After opinions/advice concerning getting a bimini and side clears made for my 4.4m seajay sideconsole. The main reason for the clears is I'm sick of getting soaked in chop plus front quarter wind. Would be nice to arrive at a spot without needing to change when i get there. A concern has been raised to me with regard to the size of the boat, and the windage the sides would add.


Anyone got a similar configuration? Have the clears made windage a problem?

Slightly related - anyone with side console spray solution that is 'different' I'd like to hear from as well.

Thanks in advance!

[Darren Mc]

Would getting a good water proof jacket or raincoat be an option? Bimini's can be a real pain if you do a lot of fishing with rods.

[spelchek]

Tried that. Full Ronstan wet weather gear. Problem is, sitting at the side console makes water pool where it finds its way through even the best wet gears zips etc. after an hour of drenching. I'll be taking it [bimini] off for solo river triops and lure casting days - but don;t think it will be too much trouble for bait fishing at anchor (ie SOP for me at a reef). Also want to make family day trips more comfy.

[Darren Edwards]

Tried that. Full Ronstan wet weather gear. Problem is, sitting at the side console makes water pool where it finds its way through even the best wet gears zips etc. after an hour of drenching. I'll be taking it [bimini] off for solo river triops and lure casting days - but don;t think it will be too much trouble for bait fishing at anchor (ie SOP for me at a reef). Also want to make family day trips more comfy.

Get a Kapten Boat Collar. I had a very wet 4.8m side console and the Collar made an amazing difference improving ride comfort and reducing spray dramatically.

[stevej]

yes it will affect windage with just a bimini alone , clears just make it worse
every boat suffers from windage irrespective of size and weight

[spelchek]

Yes, Steve - no argument here. That;s why I was asking people with comparable boats to mine to comment on how much it effects theirs, and if this was a problem.

Darren - I have considered a boat collar in the past. Did you get the boatcollar people to fit yours - and if so did they do a good job - was it (fitting) expensive? If you did the fitting yourself - how hard was it? Did you have to pull floors up?

[sowden1942]

Hi Spelchek. I have just had a Kapten boat collar fitted to my 4.5mtr brooker safari centre console and I have found a vast improvement on the performance and dryness of the boat. If you put Kapten boat collar in on the internet you will get all the explanations you required and pictures of the fitting, or being able to contact Paul himself for any questions or advice. I n my case the collar was fitted without lifting the floor. I am on the Gold Coast if you want to have a look or go for a run to check it out give us a call on 0412332675.

[spelchek]

Hi Sowden - thanks. I've checked out their website but couldn't get any info on fitting costs from there. I'll contact them soon.

Thanks very much for the offer of a run/look at yours. I may take you up on that in a few weeks time. I'd do it this weekend but off to Bundy then out Lady Musgrave (fingers crossed for weather) and pancake crk. When I get closer to pulling the pin on whichever option I go with, I'll give you a call. Thanks again for the offer.

[GBC]

fri 011.jpg

The previous owner went to a fair effort to have a 'cabin' built for our last centre console. I used it once. Not what you buy a centre console for. Yes, windage was bad and the whole thing rattled and slammed.

[sowden1942]

Hi. Spelchek. No worries give us a call when your ready. Also fitting by them is around 500 dollars, mainly time factor, but if your savvy enough the instructions are easy to follow, when you buy the kit it comes with everything bar glue or epoxy.

[spelchek]

Thanks for the feedback GBC. The boat collar is looking a much better option - no windage, pus the stability and ride improvements (that I've read of over the last 24 hrs) are added bonuses to the spray reduction. One more question if I may - was the 'whole thing rattled and slammed' due to the clears? Was using the bimini alone better or same in the rattle/slam department?

Sowden- thanks again. I'll be in touch. A $500 fitting option is pretty attractive to my time-poor point of view.

As an aside - from looking at the Kapten website - those 'mono-cat' hulls he's working on look very interesting. An obvious evolution of the boat collar concept which seems to work so well. That blue thing looked solid as a rock (bad analogy for a boat? ) in those bar crossing vids.

[Darren Edwards]

Yes, Steve - no argument here. That;s why I was asking people with comparable boats to mine to comment on how much it effects theirs, and if this was a problem.

Darren - I have considered a boat collar in the past. Did you get the boatcollar people to fit yours - and if so did they do a good job - was it (fitting) expensive? If you did the fitting yourself - how hard was it? Did you have to pull floors up?

Yes it was fitted by them and they did a great job. I wouldn't even attempt it by myself but my boat was 4.8 metres and needed to be secured with screws. I never had a problem with it, it made my boat perform like a much bigger boat. More stability, softer ride, a lot drier and virtually unsinkable. I took it 30kms offshore without any worries or concerns. My floors were pulled up but it wasn't that hard in the end and I got a good look under the floor at the same time. I can't remember the fitting cost but it wasn't an option as I wouldn't consider doing it myself!

[GBC]

Thanks for the feedback GBC. The boat collar is looking a much better option - no windage, pus the stability and ride improvements (that I've read of over the last 24 hrs) are added bonuses to the spray reduction. One more question if I may - was the 'whole thing rattled and slammed' due to the clears? Was using the bimini alone better or same in the rattle/slam department?

Sowden- thanks again. I'll be in touch. A $500 fitting option is pretty attractive to my time-poor point of view.

As an aside - from looking at the Kapten website - those 'mono-cat' hulls he's working on look very interesting. An obvious evolution of the boat collar concept which seems to work so well. That blue thing looked solid as a rock (bad analogy for a boat? ) in those bar crossing vids.

The clears increase windage no end. The Bimini was a staino job which folded and had rocket launchers so weighed quite a bit and had plenty of movement underway which caused it to slam against the fixings and braces. As you can see from the pics it wasn't a cheaply made thing. It was fine for rivers and bays but slamming through decent chop found it out. I haven't seen a lot of biminis that are any different.