folding trampoline

[w8doc]

I saw a folding trampoline top at www.sewlong.com that looks like a great concept. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with them?

[Bitzco]

I have one on my new boat and I don't like it because it is not as large and family friendly as the one on the old boat. It works well though. It is the same size as the factory trampoline and has the nice feature of folding against the tower for traveling and you don't have to take it off to fold the tower down like you do the factory trampoline. If anyone wants to buy it. I'll sell it cheap. It is dark gray/black. One nice feature is that it zips off the frame so you can wash it.

[w8doc]

Thanks for the reply. Could a custom trampoline be made larger and stilll fold and not be in the way? Does the not family friendly mean not big enough to cover the whole gang? How does it attach ot the tower?  

[blindside]

How much for yours Bitzco? I've got dibs

[Bitzco]

I was going to go take pictures of it to post, but it looks the same as the black one on this site. And no wonder that it does since the same company "Custom Covers" made it. http://www.sewlong.com/ftt.htm
The only difference is that the one on the site has clamps on the tower that it attaches to. The one on my boat just has holes drilled through the tower.

The two "family friendly drawbacks are that the bimini is about 8 or 10 inches lower than the tower. This leaves space below the tower for speakers, lights and stuff but puts the bimini at chin level for me when I stand in the cockpit. I have to duck to go under it. Didn't have to duck for my old bimini. The other issue is size. It is the size shown on the webpage which makes it easy to use. It primarily covers the driver and person sitting on the cooler seat. I've got a wife and 4 kids, so the bigger bimini I used to have was better for me. It covered most of the cockpit.

I just called Custom Covers and they said a new one runs $650. This one has no clamps and is used. If somebody offered me $250, I'd sure consider it. That would put me at least part of the way toward a new one like my old one.

[Bitzco]

I was just at Marine Products getting winterized and saw the over the tower covers that www.sewlong.com is making for our epics. They are expensive but veeery nice. About $700 but never in the way and the rope doesn't get caught on em. I'm gonna get one. If anyone wants to make me an offer for the folding trampoline I've currently got, I'll take the highest offer. If noone makes an offer, I'll give it away to whoever grovels the most. My wife and accountant can't stand it that all I do all winter is buy junk for the boat. Picked up a Blue Jacket rope and new handle with the little handle for spinnin' today. If you can't use it, you might as well fix it up, deck it out and dream of summer. Why can't the little lady understand?

[cyclone]

I am compelled to replace perfectly good board racks with newer ones, simply because they are cooler.

What else can I buy for the boat?

[Rambling Wreck]

Well, the boat is winterized. Thanks to this website and the encouragement of some of the members, I did it myself. It is now time to think about "stuff" to buy for next season. I just received the wakeboard racks that I ordered for my wife's Christmas present!!! She is gonna LOVE me when she opens them. They are the same as you got, Breakawaydaze-

Now on to a trampolene top for my daughter's Christmas present - see the pattern? I came across this thread while researching them. Bitzco, did you ever get the "over the tower" top you wanted? Do you like it? Did you ever get rid of the folding top you had? In that I am vertically challenged, bumping my head isn't a big issue, especially if the price is just a little groveling. I have several members here that can vouch for my ability to grovel. If a feebie is no longer avaialble, I may go back to the idea of a factory top if I can get it to fit. If someone could provide the dimensions, I would appreciate it. I will be at the lake over Thanksgiving and will measure my tower.

Time to go check the "for sale" section of the site. Maybe we can all do some swapping over the winter while we wait for the day we "de-winterize" the toys.

[Bitzco]

Sorry man, I ditched the folding tramp top. Hated it. It was really only about five feet high. I went with my wife's wishes and got a bigger bimini than the over the top one. Makes it a pain to get the boards on the racks but lots of shade for the kiddies and bombers. I have seen the over the top ones. I like em, even though I've gotta say that I like the factory tramp top the best of any bimini I've seen. I think if I had no kids and no wife, that's the one I woulda purchased. If you've got a dog, you should get him or her a present too, perhaps a few boat decals. Dogs love those.

[cyclone]

Ramblin,
Since you don't have a factory tower, I would get someone to make you a custom Bimini. It would probably be cheaper than buying a factory one for the same price, then paying to get it modified. If it proved totally unworkable, you would have to start over. Like they say, the most expensive thing is the one you buy twice.

I would start with New Dimension as they have the specs for your tower already. They could probably make a tramp top similar to the factory one for less than the factory one costs. I like the tramp top because I am not tall. I still smack my head on it sometimes. It's sure nice when it rains, though. Folding ones are nice but are somewhat fragile for a klutz like me. I sold mine to Re-pete before I destroyed mine. FYI, the factory folding bimini fits with or without the factory tower. It is small, though.

[Rambling Wreck]

I called newdimensions.com when I first saw your top to see what they could do. They drew a blank. Said they were looking for a vendor themselves. I recently sent an email to Custom Tops asking them to get in touch with newdimensions. I figured newdimensions could fabricate the frame and Custom Tops do the fabric. Haven't followed up although I will. The biminis seem to be more readily available and offer a lot of flexibility but I fell in love with  the idea of a tramp top the minute I saw yours and will stubbornly pursue one! It does seem to me that it should be easy to find a metal faricator that could bend some tube and a fabric shop to cut a pattern but finding the time to research it seems to always enter the equation.

[curtis]

Rambling,
The factory tramps are cool and the other feature that is sweet, "by luck or good design". On the E22 that dude doubles as a hold down for equipment,
coolers,suitcases,totes. "From blowing out",when we are taking a trip, we remove it from the tower and it fits just right on top of the motor box, tied to the pylon, and secured at the rear on the inside hand rails on the right and left. Fits great width wise. We place a pad or,"throwable cushion",under the top where it sits on the motor box.Fold the tower, and we're off. If you consider building one, pls account for the design of the interior too.
PS. Thanks Vets!

[Bitzco]

If you want something custom, these guys made mine and it is exactly what we wanted. They are in Utah, so there would be some shipping, but I was happy with em.

www. sugarhouseawning.com

Good luck

[cyclone]

Curtis,
That's a cool idea. Never tried it but I will next time I go on a long trip. It's got to be hard on the tower going 70mph with that tramp top on there. I've done it lots over the last five years, no problems yet. I did replace the nylon string once though.