Modifying a Bimini to Fit Inside Tower

I ordered a bimini top for my boat that should arrive tomorrow.

My boat (Sea Ray 210 BR) has a MT2 Monster Tower on it and due to the swooping legs it really gets narrow at the top compared to the deck width.

I am sure I am going to have to do some modifying to get this to work.

I can play around with the mounting location on the windshield which will change the height and base width.

I am just wondering if anyone else ever had to modify a bimini top to get it to fit on their boat.

I may have to bend the poles as I ordered one slightly narrower than the actual base width knowing that it has to be narrower at the top to fit inside the tower.

Any advice before I start will be appreciated.

Most people have to cut some of the width from the top middle of the bimini. Just take it apart and slide the fabric out. Cut with a pipe cutter. Then get a short length of metal tubing that is either slight smallar or slightly larger than original. Slide the two halves into this piece, then screw them in. Don't cut too much out, or else it will fit at the top, but be too narrow at the mounting location again! Tower bimini brackets at diywake.com. I will have pics of mine sometime this weekend.

FJK, I modified my bimini for my sea ray br 190 to fit under a MT1 tower. The bimini width just fit under the tower without having to modify it.

I had to cut length out of the main bimini legs, & mount them to the holes on the windshield frame, instead of the gunnels. There are brackets that sit over the windshield frame & are held with a pin. They are normally used with a convertible bimini top. Do you have this as a mounting location?

It worked out pretty well & required little modification. The bimini is supported by the standard straps attached to clips on the gunnels and on the front tower legs. I will post some pics if I can find them.

Well I got the bimini and I don't think this will be too bad.

Cutting a section out of the middle and coupling back together won't be a problem.

But..... I need to re-bend the angle on the poles bigger so they will reach the wind shield, the bottom is too narrow now and it will be even narrower when I cut the top.

I do have the holes for mounting the convertible top in my wind shield but I will probably be a little behind those due to interference with the base of the tower. Which isn't a problem, a can drill another set of holes.

My big question is: How do I bend the poles to open the angles without kinking them? I probably need to go about 5 degrees and I will have to re-bend all 6 poles (it's a 3 bow bimini).

I have a conduit bender but I don't think it will "open" bends very easy, especially this thin wall aluminum.