370 express bimini frame '91 - '94

[Boca_Vincent]

Hello all,
I am wondering if anyone would know who might have the template for the bimini frame work for the forward canvas. I have been going in circles for a while now.
My issue is that I have the front and side panels (4 of them) that make up the surround eisinglass windows - they are in perfect condition! But I have no frame and no top canvas that connects it all to the arch. I tried a couple of local shops already and they are saying to ditch what I have and start from scratch. Of course this means engineering something entirely new which is outrageously expensive! I did find another vessel for sale locally that has the setup that I am looking for. Here is a link to the pictures so you can see.
https://picasaweb.google.com/marina...er41500?feat=embedwebsite#5567274344192241282
My model is a '91 express with the same dimensions and layout.
Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[Larry&Leisa]

I think the picture you provided was a custom job... All the originals I have seen are like in my photo where the canvas does not have the front 'glass' but merely comes down to the windshield and attaches. It also does not connect to the arch but to the frame only.

 

[PlayDate]

No question the photos show a custom canvas job. Our boats came the way Larry described.

Vince, where did you get the panels from?

-John

 

[sbw1]

I think the picture you provided was a custom job... All the originals I have seen are like in my photo where the canvas does not have the front 'glass' but merely comes down to the windshield and attaches. It also does not connect to the arch but to the frame only.

Yes. That is the way this boat came from the factory. I owned a new 93 and the canvas was attached to the windshield frame and did not touch the arch. The pic is a custom mod that was done to improve visibility.

 

[Boca_Vincent]

I found the panels shoved into one of the storage lockers when I first started cleaning up the boat. I also have the slant back section which comes from the arch aft to the transom (no frame req'd). After laying them out and comparing them to the ones I came across on that boat in the pics, they look to be exactly the same dimensions, even down to where the cuts are done for the grab rails. That's what led me to believe that this was some type option. I spoke with folks at Boatswains Locker in Jax Fl, and they sent me specs for the next gen 370. They said that they believed there was an outfit called Merrit that did the canvas for my model years, but I have not been able to find any other info on them.

 

[Captain Allen]

Here's what mine looks like and it is the original design, I am pretty sure:

 

[PlayDate]

I'm pretty sure your canvas configuration is custom as well. It is what is called a "camper canvas" which provided a lot more usable room on the back of the boat. If you check the original spec sheets on searay.com for early-mid 90s 370EC, you will only see the original canvas offering and no other canvas options.

A friend of mine had a camper canvas made/installed on his 1993 370EC and it certainly made entertaining in less comfortable weather better. For me personally, I rarely have the canvas up if I am taking the boat out.

-John

 

[sbw1]

Here's what mine looks like and it is the original design, I am pretty sure:View attachment 18935

Yes. The forward part is definitely original. Mine looked like that and came with a slanted aft curtain with a window. It was a perfect set up for just the two of us. We added a drop curtain and used that a lot when cruising in cold weather and rain.

 

[Captain Allen]

My aft camper setup is definitely an add-on, but I think the forward portion is the original design. Personally, for a day cruise, I like to have the side curtains off and then I can lay the aft portion of the top back like a bimini, but that enclosure sure comes in handy during the winter and when we are docked in the summer and want extra "living" space. My cockpit has heat and a/c too, so it makes the enclosure even more beneficial. I would love; however, the have the extended height design the OP shows above the windshield. It looks better and certainly improves visibility. And the ventilation must be much better as well.

 

[PlayDate]

I agree. Let's face it, the visibility on an 1990s EC with the standard canvas up is terrible.....in fact, dangerous. I love the boat but running it with the canvas up is the equivalent of looking through a mailbox slit whereby the whole middle of the slit is blocked (by the bow).

-John

 

[sbw1]

My aft camper setup is definitely an add-on, but I think the forward portion is the original design. Personally, for a day cruise, I like to have the side curtains off and then I can lay the aft portion of the top back like a bimini, but that enclosure sure comes in handy during the winter and when we are docked in the summer and want extra "living" space. My cockpit has heat and a/c too, so it makes the enclosure even more beneficial. I would love; however, the have the extended height design the OP shows above the windshield. It looks better and certainly improves visibility. And the ventilation must be much better as well.

How did you a/c the cockpit in that boat? Was that an option or and add on? Where is the compressor and the vents?

 

[Captain Allen]

The previous owner had it installed under the helm seat area. Take up a lot of storage space, obviously. Control panel is located inside the cabin, just inside the doorway, but the sensor is in the cockpit. There is a large vent on the interior side of that seating area that blows on the passenger seat, another on the starboard side panel and one that can be rotated and aimed directly at the captain while at the helm (nice). We leave the boat in the water year-round and the ability to heat the cockpit on a cool winter day is really nice. Frankly, on a hot summer day with temps in the 90's, it cannot keep the cockpit cool, too much greenhouse effect.

 

[Larry&Leisa]

Do you know who did your camper back Captn Allen? I'd love to have that extra space and find someone that already had the pattern. We do a lot of boating during the winter months as well. Also having the shade in the summer months at our favorite beach since our stern is to the west would be nice. The added front clear would be great for ventilation too. This weekend I am going to try adding some snaps to the bimini so I can leave the center third portion snapped to the windshield and turn under a section for vent and visibility.