Topless Babe

My brother in law just had a baby and his wife isn't going to let the baby on the boat this summer without a bimini top for shade. Our dealer quoted us $650 for a bimini. I am sure that the good people on Wakeworld can help me to find a better deal. We have an 02'(old style)X-Star.

check overtons seen some there for 400 bucks

Check this link out and give them a call before you buy anything. Their prices are insane. They are great to work with over the phone. They will tell you how and where to measure and have fast shipping. I have not purchased mine yet, but have talked to them many times to get the correct measurements and will be ordering in the spring. The price simply can't be beat. Quality looks great too. http://www.biminitop.net/boat/biminitops/action.models/manufacturer.Mastercraft.html

Bimini tops vary a LOT, which makes it hard to base a decision on price alone.

There are several factors that I look for in a bimini:

1) Coverage: how much fore and aft the bimini covers. The higher up (more head room) the bimini is, the more important it is that it be extra long. Otherwise the shade won't be where you want it except maybe at high noon.

2) Ease of setup: A good bimini can be set up by one person, and does not involve stretching anything into place while trying to thread in a bolt! You shouldn't have to drop the tower to get the bimini up.

3) reasonable folded up position: It's nice when the bimini folds up tight agaist the tower.

4) Sturdy construction: Someone eventually is going to use the bimini poles as a handle, fender tie or cleat. The stronger the frame is, the more likely it will survive. In addition, stiffer poles will keep the bimini from flexing in the high wind.

Rod

Matt,
You get what you pay for. My Boss was expensive. $650 ain't bad. And a bimini is like perfect pass. Once you have one, you'll wonder how you lived without it.

Find a new dealer, we got ours (same boat btw) for $400 from Copes in Rocklin.

I think we want a factory bimini because it is made to fit the boat & tower. Does anyone have any comments regarding the fit, finish, or construction of their Mastercraft bimini.
Shawn - I am going to call around to a few other dealers and compare prices. Is there anyone at Copes that I should ask for that might be able to hook me up with a good price.

I feel cheated and deceived by the title of this thead

Check out towerbiminis.com. They make a great bimini that is solid and very large.

that is a good title to get a lot of attention, it worked on me

Sorry for tricking you guys but I need my nephew to be on the boat this summer if he is ever going to grow up to be the next Parks or Murray.
Maybe Monster Tower can help you guys out with a few almost topless babes.

Hey Matt, The exact same situation for me. While I purchased the top from a Nautique dealer I wanted the bimini for Mastercrafts. I think I paid like $600 for it. I have a '95 Maristar, though if the beam is right, it should work for you. I used it probably 10-15 times one season before I got my tower and had to get a different bimini.

It's just sitting in my basement. I'll let it go for $250 if your interested. Drop me an e-mail at btyancey@gapac.com.

Best of luck.

Nobody mentioned construction materials which I feel are important to a good top. A good top will have stainless hardware and poles. Not plastic/aluminum. This will greatly impact price. I think as a rule of thumb, you can get a plastic/alum version in the 300+- range but a stainless model will be more like 500+-. The BOSS and the factory MC tops are very high quality and all stainless.