Bimini - Alpha Z tower - noisy fluttering

[Mouse3]

I've been unsuccessful "tuning" the noise from my Bimini. Has anyone found a solution to this??
It sounds like baseball cards flapping in your bike spokes (if you are old enough to remember that).
Loosen the Bimini and noise starts at lower speeds.
Tighten and it kicks in over 30.
It is very loud -- much past annoying.
The flutter is on the outside edges ... between the front cross bar and the back cross bars.
On a sailboat, the leech of a sail will flutter like this as the cloth stretches, but there is a tunnel sewn in with a thin line down thru it so you can tighten it to remove the flutter. Unfortunately, there is nothing like this on the stock bimini.

[flyguy]

You are not the only one with this problem. Ours does it as well, sometimes more than others depending on how tight or loose the side flap is done up. We've found just wrapping it around the main hoop and not the extendable brace helps a bit. It is a pretty annoying issue.

[Duncan]

I had the prior version (Metcraft pre mid-2009) of the Alpha Z bimini and there was no flapping noise. This season, I got a new surf pocket bimini and have the flapping.

I have not been able to stop it by adjusting the velcro attachments. I may try a few clips on the leading edge (ala rv awning flap straps).

[bigdaddy_houseboater]

I've been unsuccessful "tuning" the noise from my Bimini. Has anyone found a solution to this??
It sounds like baseball cards flapping in your bike spokes (if you are old enough to remember that).
Loosen the Bimini and noise starts at lower speeds.
Tighten and it kicks in over 30.
It is very loud -- much past annoying.
The flutter is on the outside edges ... between the front cross bar and the back cross bars.
On a sailboat, the leech of a sail will flutter like this as the cloth stretches, but there is a tunnel sewn in with a thin line down thru it so you can tighten it to remove the flutter. Unfortunately, there is nothing like this on the stock bimini.

So it needs a batten?

[jrobertson]

I have the Surf Bimini and mine does it too. I hve tried tightening the velcro, seems to help a bit, but usually just turn up the music.

[carcrz]

Mine does it as well. At the rate it's going, we'll be lucky to get a couple years out of it before edges start to fray so bad it falls apart. I got them as tight as I can but no such luck. Ours has the velcro right where it flutters, but it needs to be closer to the middle in order to tighten it all down.