Bimini straps slipping.

[blufish]

Hi All

The straps on the bimini are loosening and I'm not sure if they are threaded the right way. They are flat straps going through a buckle . Any clues on the right way to thread them.
Cheers
Brad

[Roughasguts]

The strap may be to thin for the buckle, just tie a knot at the end.

Or replace with ratchet straps, nice bit of over kill there.

Maybe get rid of the straps all together, and put in a extra tube each side with end fittings that keeps the canopy open.

That be how mine is done.

[peterbo3]

Brad,
These are at the back of the bimini & are designed to keep the whole thing nice & tight? They always seem to slip. Get rid of them & replace with 3mm VB woven cord & tighten em with a truckies hitch.

[MobileBoatCanopies]

I am guessing they have steel hooks and saddles at the end? If so the easiest and possibly cheapest way to fix the problem is to replace the hooks and saddles with a D buckle and deck hook. That will give you two buckles to hold the tension.

Also if the straps are made of webbing they will slip moreso then straps made by folding the hooding material into a strap. Some of the nylon buckles will hold better then some of the s/steel or nickel/brass fittings. If it is a cheaper top then the fittings will probably be nickel plated brass and will have to be replaced eventually due to corrosion or straightening of the hooks.

You could also go for a set of staybars and eliminate the straps altogether. This also frees up one end of the bimini. If however you need to get the top out of the way quick they can be a bit of a pain.

My personal setup is a strap at the front and a solid stay at the rear as well as a sock to fold it all into. The rear stays have press buttons in them to get the top even further out of the way when it is not in use.

Cheers
Terry