A Bimini Top For Kayaks?
Check It Out, It Is A neat Idea!
The folks at Surf To Summit sent this kayak bimini top to try out. It is a neat idea, especially for kayak fishermen. If you find a hot fishing spot you can fish in the shade. How does it work? Well we got it rigged up and took it out for a trial run. We didn't have much time to spare so we did not try to fish. A PVC tee on one side was damaged in shipping so I need to repair that before we go out again, but we managed to get it rigged up and took it for a test run. This rig is extremely well made as most Surf to Summit gear is. It is also easy to rig up. It was designed to use with one of the tallback fishing seats. I have one, but apparently I have loaned it to my son as I couldn't find it. So I used my fishing crate. Worked great. It will also work with the mounts for our kayak outriggers. So that is 3 different mounting systems you can use, you may think of more.
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Bimini For Your Fishing Kayak
You can see that the right side doesn't fit square due to the damaged stiffener on that side. It is very sturdy, and will be even more so once I make that minor repair.
It does not restrict paddling. It was dead calm when we arrived at our put in point and launched our kayaks. However after a few minutes we got a mild breeze.
I had wondered what kind of problems the wind would create. I discovered that going directly into the wind was no problem. The wind tended to try to steer me off to one side going down wind, not too bad really. |
Can you buy one?
Not just yet, as a bit of field testing is still under way. I don't know how many other people are testing the kayak bimini besides me, but it will be thoroughly tested, you can be sure. We are going to go fishing once we make the needed repairs and see how it works. I think it is going to be neat. The top is narrow so you are going to have to position yourself so you have some shade. I think an anchor trolley may allow you to anchor for the maximum benefit. I have some close up details shot in the back of my trusty rusty fishing truck.
Mounting Details:
I attached brass clips to all of the straps and they just clip onto the accessory eylets of my Scupper Pro. The center strap slips under the aft strap of the bow hatch. All of the straps have handy plastic buckles on them so they can be disconnected easily. After I got home I wondered if this rig can be easily taken down if the wind starts howling? I am going to check that out on the next trip, and I may see if I can rig it up easily in the water. I think all of that will work OK but I will test it out and report on that too.
The whole thing is easily assembled and disassembled, and rolls into a self contained package about 4" in diameter and 4 feet long. I was wondering how I could carry it if I decided to rig it up on the water, or had to disassemble it in the water. I think it will strap to my fishing crate with a bungee cord.
So, what do I think? I am not sure yet, but I think I like it. It will help reduce your exposure to the sun, which is important to folks who have already been over exposed. Also it will be nice to have a nice shade while you fish. I love the outdoors, but I don't have anything against creature comforts either. We are going fishing in a couple of days and we will put this rig to the test.
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