Bimini Done: Canvas Work Tougher Than It Looks

The new bimini and the connector canvas zips to the dodger to cover the entire cockpit. The fabric is Sunbrella and the color is toast.

Virginia finished the bimini and it looks great. Although it was easier than the dodger, sewing it was much tougher than she anticipated. She had the Sailrite video and followed it step by step, but it was still difficult. The bimini video is somewhat confusing and was not as good as the Sailrite dodger or enclosure videos.

The canvas connector piece easily zips on and off even with about 10 knots of wind.

In addition to the bimini she also finished the piece that zips to the dodger and the bimini to connect them covering all 10 feet of Oceanus's cockpit.

The clear vinyl window is the perfect size and in the perfect place to give the helmsman  a view of the masthead.

The bimini features a clear vinyl window so the helmsman can see the masthead wind indicator. The patterning material Virginia used was not clear enough to see through, so marking the window was a bit of a guess, but it turned out perfect. Standing behind the wheel, when I look up the masthead is right in the center of the window.

The bimini has about $70 of zippers.

After she finished sewing the bimini, but before we put it on, Virginia sewed the zippers along the back and sides that will attach the side curtains for a full enclosure.

The bimini frame was our Christmas present to each other. Notice there are no straps to get in the way.

Virginia started sewing in junior high. Over the years she's sewn several boat canvas projects, including to full covers for two of our smaller sailboats. But the dodger and bimini were very complicated and difficult to get a tight fit.

She used a hot knife to cut out all of the pieces so there was no chance that they would fray but she didn't like the look of the raw edges, so where ever they showed, she sewed binding tape over them. It makes for a very elegant looking bimini.

Two keystone projects in the head

The soaking tub in Oceanus.

I am finally giving some attention to the boat's head. Since we started working on the boat 18 months ago we have used the space that will become the head for storage. My excuse for not working on it last year was that it was dark; no natural light at all. That changed this summer when I installed a new opening hatch. Now I'm left without excuse.

So, after much head scratching (no pun intended), I figured out how to proceed on the two keystone projects that will determine the interior design of the head: the shower/soaking tub and the hanging cabinet.

First, let me acknowledge all you sailboat purists that say a soaking tub has no place on an ocean-going sailboat. You may be right, but hear me out. A space for a dedicated shower stall was always in the plans since revising Oceanus's interior. The tub/shower takes up no more useable space than the dedicated shower would. Since the the space where the shower will be is in a part of the boat that doesn't have enough headroom for me to stand up straight, a place to sit is a good thing. The tub will also be a great place to hang wet foulweather gear. My wife says she can use it to wash clothes on days too cold to do it in the cockpit. It could also be handy when the boat's really rocking and rolling and you need a secure place to quickly stash the stuff that's just crashed to the cabin sole until things quiet down a little.

Finally, and maybe most important, my wife really likes to soak in the tub. While tied up at the dock with unlimited water and electricity, why not? Even if this only happens a couple times a year, may I say again, why not? The shower part of the equation has lost none of its utility and you have an appealing option you can exercise when conditions permit.

In my marina, heck, in every marina, there are boats whose owners paid thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars for and they use them only once or twice a year. These are fabulous boats that the owners really love, but they sit idle most of the time. I have a theory about this. I think many owners bought their boats as much for the dream of sailing as the actual experience of sailing. The guy sitting at home a hundred miles inland from his boat experiences some vicarious enjoyment just knowing that he owns an ocean-going sailboat that he could sail to distant ports. (Most likely a fair bit of guilt too for tying up so much of his resources for almost no actual use; but that's another story.) I'm sure that we will experience some vicarious enjoyment of the tub just knowing that we could take a long, hot soak.

After a little searching on the internet, I found what I needed: an RV step tub. They are designed for the space just in front of or just behind a wheel well with a seat over the wheel. This arrangement works well for the space I have because the seat will go over the curve in the hull. With shipping, it came to just under $200. I was happy with the general appearance and sturdiness of the tub. The sides oil-canned a little, but I had a plan for fixing that.

Since this is terra incognita for me, I called on my friend Doryman to help. He built a similar tub in his large sailing dory and he has a great brain for fitting things.

We modified the tub slightly by cutting off half of the front ledge and ground some of the surfaces to which we later epoxied fiberglass cloth. Once we cut down the rudimentary cabinet to make room for the tub, we lined the space with pink foam insulation, set the tub in place and used waterproof construction adhesive and a couple of temporary screws to hold it in place. I also sprayed in some expanding foam to fill any voids.

Insulation around the tub.

... and more insulation.

The next day I removed the screws and added more foam board and expanding foam so the entire tub has at least two inches of foam. I built up the sides of the tub in the front. I glued more pink foam board to the bare fiberglass hull.

Two braces hold in place a wooden frame at the edge of the enclosure while the epoxy kicks. Three layers of fiberglass cloth cover the foam against the side of the hull.

It took several sessions with Doryman and I fiberglassing the enclosure, but I'm really happy with the result. The backrest is especially comfortable and has a nice angle. The whole thing is insulated better than most iceboxes. Part of this is to avoid any dead spaces with no access, but mostly it's to keep things comfortable. I hate cold surfaces when I'm wet and naked.

There is still a lot of sanding and fairing yet to do before Virginia paints. I think we will use the same white paint we use on the outside of the boat (Brightsides). That should be plenty durable.

The other project is a cabinet that will surround the hanging knee to which the chainplate for the port shroud is bolted. I wanted plenty of space to get at the chainplate for inspection and maintenance. It also ties the hanging knee more securely into the hull.

A brace presses foam insulation in one compartment of the cabinet, which is fiberglassed to the sides of the hull and the overhead. The large compartment, which will hold towels, will also be insulated with foam. The foam will be covered with fiberglass cloth. I don't want condensation to make our towels damp.

Virginia plans to put towels in the big space forward of the chainplate. The two smaller compartments will most likely hold big toiletry items.

With the shower and the cabinet in place, I can design the medicine cabinet, which will have a mirror in the door. I can also build the countertop and install the sink and faucet for manual foot pump.

Virginia sewing the new bimini.

Other project updates: Virginia is sewing the finishing touches on the bimini. We did a trial fitting over the weekend and it looks great. One of the things we checked was the position of the window to make sure we can see the masthead. Expect a full post on that soon.

Pillow art made by Joi Hess.

Our great friend Joi Hess, presented us with more pillows. These are empty with zippers in them so we can store bedding, winter coats and other soft items. As with her other three throw pillows, these are truly works of art.

Wrapping up old projects, starting new ones on Oceanus

The ceiling in the forepeak got two full-strength coats of varnish along with the rest of the interior brightwork.

Yesterday we took a big step and ordered frames for a bimini for Oceanus. Dean, our local canvas guy, came by the boat and spent an hour discussing the pros and cons of bimini design. Before we met him a few weeks ago I considered trying to bend the frames myself, but I'm glad he's doing it; there's a lot to the design and getting everything to fit and look right. If he has all the parts he might install it this week. If not, he'll get it done after Thanksgiving.

Eventually, I want to do is install solar panels on top of the bimini. Its a good place because most of the time it is out of the shade of the mast and sails. Dean assured me that the dodger frame will be strong enough to support two or three solar panels.

Virginia is eager to start sewing the bimini. She likes big projects. She already received the fabric from Sailrite and the how-to video on bimini construction. The bimini will be simpler than the dodger she made.

Speaking of solar panels, our daughter and son-in-law will be here for Thanksgiving followed by a couple of days spent wiring the boat. Tony, a marine electrician, is a great help with this project.

Before the final varnishing, I installed the bookshelf above our double bunk. The fiddle for the shelf is ripped from the same board as most of the ceiling strips.

Last week and the week before we spent doing final varnishing on all the interior wood. It really looks nice. It has a deep shine that seems to open up the inside of the boat and make it feel bigger.

Virginia was pleased with the way it turned out. She was excited by what a big difference it made in the appearance of the boat. She had complained that all the hard work we did this summer stripping old paint off the deck didn't seem to make a difference. That represented much harder labor, but did nothing to make the boat look better. A shipwright friend of mine says that's the way with boat projects: you work and work and it seems like you don't make any progress at all. Then, all of a sudden, it seems to come together.

I also spent some time with Henry, a diesel mechanic that has a boat on B Dock. He helped me design a fuel system for Oceanus and offered to rebuild the engine's raw water pump that's leaking.

Speaking of leaking, (do you like my stream-of-consciousness transitions?) I think we can declare, if not total victory, a cease fire in the war on deck leaks. We recently had 10 days of rain and the boat's interior stayed dry, dry, dry! The toilet wax seal trick is working perfectly on the mast and so are the rebedded chainplates. In the chain locker we stanched the flow of water when I filled the holes for the old bow roller with epoxy. I then I installed a new bow roller with lots of butyl rubber bedding. So far so good.


The new (old) bow roller looks pretty good after four hours of polishing. It is now installed on the bow of Oceanus.

Virginia sewed a beautiful cover for the ship's helm. It covers the wheel, compass and the teak cockpit table that I installed. The table was a find at Columbia Marine Exchange, a Portland reseller of used marine equipment. It's beautiful and cost about what I would have to spend to buy the lumber and hardware to build one. Score!

Virginia made a new cover for the helm out of the same fabric as the dodger.

Well, that's the news from Oceanus, where all the crew is strong, the boat is good looking and all the workmanship is above average.

The ceiling and woodwork in the stateroom got two coats of varnish.