We are looking for ways to expand the usability of our new
Bentley Cruise 200 pontoon. One thing we
wanted was more shade to hide under on those really hot summer Iowa days. Being a 20 foot ‘toon doesn’t really offer enough
space for another full size front mounted bimini (maybe it would, but I also
was being cheap and wanted to save a few bucks), so after shopping around for
new ideas (umbrellas, Bimini’s, tarps, etc.) I bought a Taylormade Gazebo for
the pontoon.
I have a bad habit of not wanting to drill holes in my boats
so I started a search for alternate ways to mount the brackets that the gazebo
poles fit into. And what if I want to trade the ‘toon for a bigger
and faster ‘toon… then I have to buy the brackets again. But if I had a clamp system it could just
move the gazebo to whatever boat I needed it on. Don’t worry Jeanne; I am not thinking of
trading!
So instead I bought four “quick clamps” from The Bimini
Buddy (www.TheBiminibuddy.com). Okay, I could have bought the Bimini Buddy and
skipped the Gazebo, but I was trying to cut costs this time around and Overtones
(
www.overtons.com) had a great deal on
the Gazebo. If you haven’t shopped Overton’s they have great prices, quick service
and free shipping!
I bought four “Quick Clamps” from The Bimini Buddy and used
them for the install. I may have to buy
a few more, these clamps are great. They are designed to fit over the 1 ¼ railing
and tighten with a flip of the lever. They
are a very cool clamp, good quality and fast shipping.
Anyway, I spent Sunday afternoon working on different attachment
methods for the fittings to the clamps. After three or four trips to the
hardware store, I finally ended up installing them in the simplest way possible
by just screwing the bracket directly to the quick clamp. Duh!
Should have tried that first and saved me all the time, but
if you have ever tried to make a special bracket, you know you have to go
through the difficult trial and error process and exhaust a few ideas before the
easy solution shows up.
Now I need some time and good weather to install the clamps and Taylormade Gazebo
and see if it all works as advertised. If so, I will have shade for the front
of the ‘toon, for less than 200 bucks. That is a pretty good deal.
Labels: bimini buddy, biminis, boat projects, boating, boating service, Encore bentley pontoons, overton's marine, Pontoon boat, pontoon life, recreational boats, Taylormade
