Need help, Umbrella for the Boat

[LittleWorm]

My dad who is elderly and is not in the best health has a boat and we try to get out as much as we can in the summer but he can not be in the hot sun to much. 2 years ago he bought a bimini top for his boat ( a 14f princecraft) and it works very well for keeping him out of the direct sun, the problem is with all the poles and straps its quite difficult to fish from. Casting is very hard and when one of us catches something trying to net is ,,, well it's like watching 2 of the 3 stooges at work.

I have seen a few pictures of umbrellas attached to the back of the seat and I think this would be much better. I think a nice big umbrella that has an elbow so it can change positions attached to the back of his seat would work very well. Has anyone on here ever rigged something like this up and if so where did you get the materials to do it. 

Any pics or directions on the best way to do this would be greatly appreciated! I have a feeling this may be the last year my dads health allows him to get out fishing and I want to get out with him as much as I can this year.

Thanks

Eric

[dave524]

Try TSC, Tractor Supply Company , years ago, on the farm,  we had an umbrella that clamped on the tractor to keep the driver out of the sun. I'm sure it could be clamped to a seat or gunwale of a tinner.

 

edit: http://www.tscstores.com/RED-UMBRELLA-WITH-MOUNTING-BRACKET-P11178.aspx

Edited March 13, 2018 by dave524

[ketchenany]

Amazon has clamps and  umbrellas

[Old Ironmaker]

The umbrella concept does work and is less likely to interfere with fishing, but it still will if he has to stay in the shade and wants to stand to cast which is most likely the case. The only problem if it is windy at all the thing wants to lift off the boat like Mary Poppins. It doesn't take much wind either and you need to take it down and then put it back up every time you want to move. We tried it for my elderly buddy years ago. It was more of a pain than to put the Bimini top up and leave it up. It was a tiller and we had to take it off, move him to the middle so 1 of us could run the boat, then crank it back up and get him back under the thing, it was a huge pain in the backside. We tried it up front but for him to stand on the casting platform the umbrella needed a 10 foot pole. And more than once he almost fell in while standing up. We put in a nice comfy swivel seat under the umbrella up front we found best. We trolled and drifted a lot after that. As long as he could get out was what counted.

We found that a good quality Patio Table umbrella worked best inserted into a long PVC pipe attached to the rear bench seat with C clamps bolted through. We drilled a hole in the front casting platform and inserted a length of PVC with  locking collar in case the wind wanted to take it for a ride. We destroyed a few umbrellas before we realized you get what you pay for.

It is nice to read you want to get the old guy on the water with you. Good luck. Hey what do you consider old?

Edited March 13, 2018 by Old Ironmaker

[fishindevil]

wear the peoper UV clothing and its amazing ....the only way I can fish all those mega hot sunny days in the boat all day long....worth its weight in gold for sure...the umbrella option doesn't work very well and the clothing does  

[Mister G]

You gotta think out of the box.............

 

 

[Old Ironmaker]

That thing might lift a little tinny clear out of the water.  Fishin Devil is bang on, dress for it. I might look like a dork with long sleeves and pants on when everyone is shirtless but I stay cool. Always white or tan colours. Wide brim hat and neck scarf, not a ball cap. We always wore long underwear bottoms and tops,  wool was best in the dead of summer in the Blast Furnaces to stay cool. Look at how desert Nomads dress in 120F temps, layers of wool. A Lebanese Control Room operator I had turned me onto to drinking hot tea to cool off, sounds crazy but it works.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Old Ironmaker

[Fisherman]

What he said, I have 2 pair of pants and a couple of long sleeve shirts with a wide brim hat, works very well.  The nice thing you don't sweat in the either.

[LittleWorm]

Thanks everyone for the advice, Gives us some thing we can try. Oh, Old Ironmaker, my dad is 78.

Guess what a person considers old is how old they are. When I was 15 I thought 40 was old, not that I'm in my 40's I think 78 is old, maybe if I make it to 78 I will think 100 is old.lol

[Old Ironmaker]

9 hours ago, LittleWorm said:

Thanks everyone for the advice, Gives us some thing we can try. Oh, Old Ironmaker, my dad is 78.

Guess what a person considers old is how old they are. When I was 15 I thought 40 was old, not that I'm in my 40's I think 78 is old, maybe if I make it to 78 I will think 100 is old.lol

78 isn't so old to me anymore. I hang with 70 somethings now. I remembering a few oldtimers bragging about their sexual prowess after a 40's and older dance. JB told me "40 is a young girl when you are 50 son." Yep he was right.

It's fantastic he is able to fish with you at his age, Savour every moment. My father never took us fishing, anywhere actually so my brothers and I took him every where we didn't go when kids when I was 30. We had a blast every time. All I see one day is the corn stalks moving and him screaming. "Eeeh, eeeh, there's a Bulla chasa me, helpa now boy!!!!!!!!!!!" It's a cow Pa, don't worry she won't mount you." Sure enough that's what he was afraid of.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Old Ironmaker

[cisco]

I have an 18ft tinny and am on my second patio umbrella. 1st rotted after some years of boat use. I love it. On hot days the cool air collects under it so you get more than just shade. 

You can buy a tilting patio umbrella for like $60.. Like mentioned above use a piece of PVC pipe and 'C' clamp it using two clamps. Have to remove the seat top and move some foam away to drill holes for the 'C' clamps to go through the seat back wall.  Keep the PVC an inch or so off the floor to allow the water drain (usually in the middle) to be accessed to clean out periodically). Have a small piece of plywood to slide under the PVC for the umbrella stem (which you've cut and stuck a plastic end cap on) to turn on to prevent hull damage over time. I also cut notches in the top of the PVC so it looks like a castle wall and attached an accompanying bolt through the umbrella stem which allows the umbrella to be lifted about 1/2 inch and turned to drop the bolt that sticks out into another notch. This is good since otherwise the rig will spin. When anchored and as the sun moves you can easily rotate the umbrella to get better shade.

I also left the shaft a bit longer this time to make it taller/easier to cast from underneath.

If the seat lip is in the way of a flush PVC mount just add a narrow strip of plywood to serve as spacer. 

I remember salmon fishing off port Credit and while others were going in from the heat I was very comfortable. Of course watch the wind, but with two of you in a 14ft Princecraft that has the mass to handle a bimini there should be no issue with safety using common sense. 

You will need two anchors since the wind will spin you more than without the bumbershoot.

I like the offset-handle umbrella idea and would have gone with it but it was more $ than the tilting one. I got one that has a screen-type fabric which is lighter and allows more air/wind movement through. Got the replacement umbrella sans base.

Good luck!

 

Edited March 20, 2018 by cisco

[LittleWorm]

Thank you very much Cisco, This set up sounds exactly what I was looking for.

[BillM]

One reason why I don't take the oldman out during the heat of the day.  It's either early morning or evening for us.  And lets face it, baking in the sun sucks no matter what the age.

[cisco]

Oh and the PVC isn't long. It extends approx 4 inches above the seat from 1 inch above the floor.

7ft wide umbrella too. I just crank it closed and slip a rope loop over it to keep it from possibly opening while moving to a new spot. Easy to lift out and lay alongside a gunnel too. Not heavy.

 

[aplumma]

If you go to the goodwill or resale place you will find white cotton long sleeve shirts for a couple of bucks. I then have a long billed hat with drapes on the sides and back to cover the neck. A trip to a clothing outlet will help you finish off the outfit with a pair of light cotton pants if they are not at the goodwill store. If you feel yourself getting to warm a cup of water down the front and back of the shirt will cool you back down. 

 

Art

[chong]

you can get an umbrella base like the one you use on the patio, or get this,

https://www.renodepot.com/en/parasol-clip-3395001