Who Makes the Best Boat Top?

Working in this industry I see a lot of sites and blogs that like to compare products and spotlight different products. While most are worth reading it is rare to find any comparisons on what allows us to stay on the water in the hot blistering sun - the bimini top. Without the bimini top keeping us out of the sun, our time on the water will be cut short due to blistering sun burns, dehydration, and perhaps death. OK maybe not death, at least not right away.

Boat builders they are the first to say they need to offer bimini tops with their boats, but they end up putting the cheapest thing on it they can find just to say they offer it. Not all of them do it but a significant amount do. Boat manufacturers pour money into research and development to offer new amenities and new ways to make their boat look good and be comfortable on the inside. Guess what? No one can see the inside of your boat from across the lake. What they can see is you put a shabby looking top that is worth about 150.00 on a 50,000.00 pontoon boat. If you are willing to do that most won't believe you are willing to put a lot of money anywhere else on your boat.

As a consumer you continue to scan the horizon looking for something better. Without a doubt the bimini top is the first thing most see out on the water on any given day. Poorly made bimini tops tend to lead people to believe the boat may not be all that well made either. A well built bimini top will compliment the boat which in turn will cause people to search you out on the water to compliment you, your boat, and your bimini top. They may even ask where you got it. Chances are you didn't buy it with the boat - chances are you bought it from us.

We take exceptional pride in our work, our workforce, and ulitmately our products. Regardless of whether it is our bimini tops, or our grill covers, we take the extra steps to ensure your satisfaction with your purchase. I wish I had a nickel for every time a customer has recommended us to a friend or family member. Even better I wish I had a dime for every recommended customer that has told me they saw our bimini top on a boat on the lake and asked that boat owner where they got such a great looking top. Then I tell them how reasonable the prices are -- mind blown. Yup add up all those dimes and nickles and I'd be writing this from a cabana in Key West.



Who makes the best bimini tops? We do. Come find out why.

www.northstarproductsinc.com

Framework for Bimini tops

What kind of frame is best for a Bimini top?  I get that question a lot.  The answer is always the same..."it depends".  We recommend square tube frames for pontoon boats.  They can either be 1" or 1.25".  If you are buying a good frame from a reputable company the 1" will be fine in terms of strength.  Around the year 2001 more and more pontoon builders started using 1.25" tubing for the walls of the boat - thus 1.25" frames started to be utilized.  Not so much for their strength, but rather because it matched the walls better.  We recommend using the same size frame as what the walls of your boat are made of.

Basically everything else goes to round tubing.  The two most popular sizes are 7/8" and 1" round.  We recommend stainless steel over aluminum.  Not only is it much stronger than round aluminum, it looks better too.  We typically use 7/8" stainless on everything.  The 1" is bigger, heavier, and stronger but in most applications on runabouts it would be overkill and over priced.