Quality vs. Cheaper

[seadoobie]

I've been on the fence lately about buying a few things for my boat & thought I would put it before ppl who have been there and done that. What I want to do here is buy a new bimini, cover & accessories for this boat. What I would like to find out is if the higher dollar items are actually better and longer lasting than their cheaper counter parts I find online.

I usually go for quality over price but in this case I'm not really sure since this is my first boat and it seems I'll pay more for near the same thing. So do we get what we pay for in the boating world...or does it really matter? Any experiences or advise welcome!!

 

[cli55er]

i bought one from these guys http://www.boataramadirect.com/servlet/StoreFront

it is a thicker tubbing, double walled. the nylon fittings leave a bit to be desired, but i'm sure that is with any nylon fitting. stainless i'm sure is better. the material looks to be fine, but its not top notch canvas or anytyhing. it'll do the job though. they come with support bars and a cover bag. so for the price you can't really complain too much. its my first one and i didn't want to spend a bunch.

i messed up and ordered beige, when i wanted grey (grey is good on the boat), so i called and they got ahold of the shipping dept and they put in a grey top for me. when it came to the house i was worried cause the box said beige, but there was a grey top in it.

i got the 46"x79-84" its not really adjustable persay, you just have to flex it a bit to get it to the points you want.

i haven't mounted to the boat yet, i just sat it up there and it looks like it will work nicely.

anyways....thats just what i went with. not saying buy it, cause i'm sure there are better ones out there, but this will work for me.

Hank

 

[RFoster130]

I bought a cheap universal fit bimini off ebay for like 160 bucks. It worked and looked great. My only complaint is that it wont fit under a cover for trailering. I only used it 1 time and it poured and it kept us dry. When I got home I forgot to put it down and backed the boat too far and smashed it against my house. I bent a pole and snapped a couple of the plastic brackets. I prefer to cover the boat when towing it. So I decided to shell out the money over the winter for the OEM bimini. It set me back $425. It is higher quality and looks better and fits under the cover. So I have both....If money wasnt an issue, I would pick the OEM bimini everytime. However, I think the cheap universal fit one was just fine and if I was trying to save a few bucks, I would buy it again.

My el cheapo one was also from boatarama on ebay. The cheapest place to find the OEM bimini is JMCamper. they are the largest volume Sea Doo dealer and they are located in Maine.

 

[RFoster130]

As far as covers, there is no choice on that one. Poppy covers is the best. Hands down. The are actually very well priced and way cheaper than the junk sea doo covers. If you are thinking about hydroturf too, buy it. Dont find some cheap imitation. Thats my 2 cents.