Lagoon Catamarans are the most sold sailing catamarans by today. They offer a perfect combination of Sailing-performance and living comfort. Now, with the new Solar Bimini, we are addressing a demand, which make your Lagoon catamaran even more perfect - almost endless electrical energy.
Our Bimini is available for the following Lagoon models: 450F, 46, 50, and 52F. Please contact us for details.
4 panels / 1440 WP
... provide enough power to run your gadgets on your Lagoon Catamaran
3.2 x 4.2 m / 10 x 14 ft
large is our Bimini, offering comfort and safety
2 Adults / 200kg / 420 pounds
... can walk and stand on the bimini at the same time
Made in Switzerland
Best available materials in the market are used, combined with a Swiss finishing
1 : Never enough - 1440WP of Solar Energy!
1440WP of Solar Energy – this is what the new Bimini can serve on Solar power to feed all electrical devices on board, run the 110V/220V inverter, and load the batteries at the same time. The Bimini holds 4 panels of any brand that have the following dimensions: 1046 x 1559 x 46mm. We successfully tested the Bimini with the top notch panels, such as Sunpower (X22-360-C-AC, 360WP) or BenQ Sunforte (PM096B00), in combination with Mastervolt MPPT controllers (Mastervolt Charge Regulator SCM 60 MPPT MB). The panels are an integrated part of the Bimini, designed in a way that they are not visible when you look at the catamaran. The height of 3m/10ft above the water-line prevents that the solar panels are getting splashed with salty water, and reduce the energy production.
2: Get "up" easily – Access to the boom
It is not required to have an easy access to the boom every day? A key requirement while designing the Bimini was to hold up to two adults (200kg / 420 pounds) at the same time. Untwisting reef-lines, fold the main-sail, or close the lazy-bag, this all is easily doable now. A ladder in the back provides an easy access to the 3.40m/11ft long working area.
3: Visibility is key - “Window to the sail”
Most Biminis don’t provide a good “visual access” to the main sail and the Genoa. As sailors, we all know how important it is to see the sails all the times (lifting, sailing, recovering). More than 6m2 (64 sqft) large is our "Window to the sail". Grey-toned Acrylglas provides the required shadow and UV protection.
4: Rough weather - Safe hold
The sea is not always flat and calm. But most of the time you need to go to the mast or the rear of the boom to fix something when the sea is rough. The Bimini is equipped with stable handles, providing enough “hold”, so that you and your crew can manoeuvre around safely.
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5: Need a break - Holders for a hammock
A hammock is the perfect place to take a nap after a good lunch, snorkelling, Stand-Up paddle trip, or dive. The Bimini offers a safe mounting to hang a hammock, or a "silver screen" for watching a DVD.
6: Chill-Out on the Fly – Coloured LED lighting
Enjoying on the Fly-bridge a calm evening while having a drink, or sailing through the night – our Bimini provides integrated LED lighting. Two or four Lumitec IP67 RGBW lights, fully integrated with the Scheiber system, provide a nice atmospherie on the fly-bridge.
7: 2 to 3 days - Easy installation & integrated cabling
The installation of the Bimini is easy and straight-forward. It takes in total 2.5 days to do the installation. It leaves our factory preassembled in a high degree. A 40 page installation manual, with a lot of illustrations, guide you or our installation partner through the installation.
8: Seamless - Elegant design
The Lagoon 450F, 46, 50 and 52F are sailing catamarans with a modern design. Our Bimini integrates seamless into Lagoon’s world-class design, to make it look like to be "one unit". The elegance is given by the thinness of the entire frame: 5 to 6 centimetres (approx. 2 inches) thick is our Bimini. Looking at the yacht from distance, it appears like a curved thread, demarcating the boat from the boom.
9: You chose - Colour of choice
Poles and the ladder are "electro polished" to look nice and to avoid "flash rust". We powder-coat the frame in the colour of your choice. The colours our clients chose most are singal-white (RAL 9003) or anthracite (RAL 7016). For the enclosure and the tent-cover we offer different colors as well, matching the colour concept of Lagoon (brown, light- or dark-grey, Papyrus).
10: Cold weather – Our Tent-Cover
If you sail in warm weather, you don’t need a Tent-Cover, but sailing in colder conditions, you deserve a protection against the wind and rain. Our tent-covers are made by NVEquipment, the company that produces them also for Lagoon.
11: From sailors for sailors - Designed and tested by experienced Lagoon sailors
The idea of designing and building this Bimini was triggered by the fact, that none the offered products in the market fulfills our requirements. Urs Tanner, the initiator of the “Solar Bimini” product and Managing Partner at APASWISS AG, is a serial entrepreneur, who owns a Lagoon 450F and a Lagoon 52F sailing catamaran. Together with experienced Catamaran Skippers, the design got tested and developed further on. Different crews, sailing in total over 4000 miles in the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea (Greece), at conditions up to 40kt of wind (8 Beaufort) and 4m/13ft waves, have tested the product over a period of six months.
12: Quality & finishing - Best materials - and made in Switzerland
Salty water is not a friend of any material: Best materials and proven finishing techniques are used to ensure a "long life" of our product: The frame, the poles, screws, or washers – everything is made from V4A Stainless Steel. Our Swiss-based partner for the manufacturing, “Schindler Berufsbildung”, uses the most modern techniques such as laser cutting, CAD controlled bending, electro polishing, or powder-coating.
"I liked Urs’ idea, to design and build a «Solar Bimini» for the Lagoon catamarans. As a professional skipper, sailing several types of boats, a good Bimini and enough solar power are always “scarce goods”. I extensively tested the Bimini for two weeks in Spring 2018. The boat does not feel the same anymore – it feels bigger, and being on the fly-bridge is another experience now! Also reminding my charter guests to safe energy is history – the batteries report 100% at 6pm. And my guests use energy - 3 fridges, the Nespresso coffee maker, mobile phone charges, laptop chargers, etc., this all drains the batteries usually – but no longer with the Solar Bimini."
"Urs contacted me to discuss design-approaches and requirements when the idea of the Solar Bimini got created. Without compromise, my ideas based on my competition sailing and skipper experience, found its way into the product. Now, sailing with the new Bimini, is fun pure - but not only - the safety provided when working on the boom, or the hold provided while moving around the helm-station, and of course the solar power available, makes my life as skipper easy!"
"This new, fully engineered Bimini really supports off-shore sailing in a meaningful way. Staying nicely protected both from radiation and salty waters, it allows full visibility on both the main and the genoa. Furthermore it provides reliable support with its rigidity once you have to go out to the deck to perform manoeuvres. On the mooring or under anchor, it allows super-easy and safe access to the boom and to the to the lowered main including an easy fix of the reefing lines. Yes, there is additional weight which comes with it. However the benefits by far outweigh the small additional carry. On longer trips - be it in nice Mediterranean weather or out on a rough Atlantic ocean - a must from a sailing perspective. Therefore strongly recommended for all serious sailors."
"I tested the Bimini in the month of June, sailing in the Baleares. From early in the morning until late in the evening, the solar system produced energy. Power production of 100A@12V and more was reported by the Mastervolt monitoring devices - unbelievable! Even having the sails up, with two panels in the shadow of the main sail, a charge power of 40A or more got achieved. Good for the crew, but even better for the life & health of the batteries!"
"I recently sailed with “S/C TAMIRO”, a Lagoon 450, which is equipped with the new Bimini designed by Urs and his team. It is the most well designed, functional and convenient Bimini I have seen during my career as skipper. Solid and steady, covering all the cockpit area. Trimming the sails is very easy thanks to the large glass-roof. The large spray-hood provides a perfect shelter – sailing against wind and waves keeps the skipper 'dry and warm'."
"When I decided to buy a second catamaran from Lagoon in summer 2017, I carefully planned all the extras. I scanned the market for products available - matching my advanced requirements. Nothing was available on the market, fulfilling my requirements in regards to solar power. In a team consisting of Lagoon catamaran sailors and engineers, we designed and prototyped this product over the winter 2017/2018 period. The first Bimini got installed in March 2018 on a Lagoon 450F. Between April and June we tested the Bimini in calm and stormy conditions. More than 4000 miles, with different crews, have been sailed. The feedback from the test-sailors got included into the next version. Our conclusion is that the product works better than expected - in terms of energy production, ease of installation, stiffness in rough sea, and that the chosen design approach, matching the boat's shape."
Do not hesitate to contact us today for pricing and additional information.
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