Arch

[smashboat]

Hi Everyone!
I'm about to order my first boat ever the 2020 R5 !! Im so excited but since Im so new at this I have some questions. I really love the look of the Stainless Steel / Aluminum Arch with Sunshade but for $12k Id like to know besides the great look what are the pros and cons.
thanks!

[greenhut]

Coming from a boat that just had a large Bimini...

Pros:
Depending on where you store your boat, leave it and the Bimini up all the time, or at least during your entire boating season.

Permanent stern light.

Nice structure to grab for support and to manipulate boat at dock.

High point for pulling wakeboarders.

Cons:

If for some reason you’ll need to deploy/retract with each use, too time consuming to deal with Bimini and arch.

Cost, but aim to get 30% off.

If you store in dry stack, they may charge you more for the height.

Weight - less speed, less fuel economy.

Bimini Drag - less speed, less fuel economy.

[AsLan7]

.
Hello smashboat. Welcome to the Cobaltchat forum. So glad you found us!

Hopefully your username doesn’t reflect a past incident? I know bigblockpower may have earned that moniker at one time with his arch-garage meet-ups.

Storage and weight are the big drawbacks (other than cost) but I think it’s worth it for resale. Most folks want the arch for water sports. Plus it gives your boat a younger look.

Greenhut mentioned most of the pros and cons. If you do any type of wakeboarding, that arch will pull upwards to help riders up during starts (vs horizontal). It’s a great feature for those just learning. It’s also nice for experienced riders getting air in their jumps with the upward vector.

IMHO I also think the factory arches tend to look better than after market add-on arches. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Coming from an archless boat to one with a stainless arch, I’d now never get one without it. Aesthetics, resale, and water sport practicality are the reasons.
They are also great for pull ups.

Post pics when you take delivery of your dream boat.

Again, welcome aboard mate!

.

[BobRae99]

I looked at all the options and went with the folding arch. On the R3 it had the greatest sun protection coverage. I toyed with going with the bimini, but people on the forum talked me into the tower - and I"m glad they did. I went with the folding arch to reduce the storage space required. I went non electric as I'll only put it down once or twice a year. Hope that helps.

[smashboat]

.
Hello smashboat. Welcome to the Cobaltchat forum. So glad you found us!

Hopefully your username doesn’t reflect a past incident? I know bigblockpower may have earned that moniker at one time with his arch-garage meet-ups.

Storage and weight are the big drawbacks (other than cost) but I think it’s worth it for resale. Most folks want the arch for water sports. Plus it gives your boat a younger look.

Greenhut mentioned most of the pros and cons. If you do any type of wakeboarding, that arch will pull upwards to help riders up during starts (vs horizontal). It’s a great feature for those just learning. It’s also nice for experienced riders getting air in their jumps with the upward vector.

IMHO I also think the factory arches tend to look better than after market add-on arches. Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Coming from an archless boat to one with a stainless arch, I’d now never get one without it. Aesthetics, resale, and water sport practicality are the reasons.
They are also great for pull ups.

Post pics when you take delivery of your dream boat.

Again, welcome aboard mate!

.

Thank you!

[smashboat]

Coming from a boat that just had a large Bimini...

Pros:
Depending on where you store your boat, leave it and the Bimini up all the time, or at least during your entire boating season.

Permanent stern light.

Nice structure to grab for support and to manipulate boat at dock.

High point for pulling wakeboarders.

Cons:

If for some reason you’ll need to deploy/retract with each use, too time consuming to deal with Bimini and arch.

Cost, but aim to get 30% off.

If you store in dry stack, they may charge you more for the height.

Weight - less speed, less fuel economy.

Bimini Drag - less speed, less fuel economy.

Does it fold down if needed?

[Big Block Power]

Coming from a boat that just had a large Bimini...

Pros:
Depending on where you store your boat, leave it and the Bimini up all the time, or at least during your entire boating season.

Permanent stern light.

Nice structure to grab for support and to manipulate boat at dock.

High point for pulling wakeboarders.

Cons:

If for some reason you’ll need to deploy/retract with each use, too time consuming to deal with Bimini and arch.

Cost, but aim to get 30% off.

If you store in dry stack, they may charge you more for the height.

Weight - less speed, less fuel economy.

Bimini Drag - less speed, less fuel economy.

Does it fold down if needed?

Yes. I believe you can get power or manual. But from what I have heard is the manual one is pretty easy.

[greenhut]

Folding down the manual arch isn’t difficult - like two giant thumb screws. It’s the Bimini disassembly and assembly that is a PITA.

[smashboat]

This can be folded?

[Big Block Power]

I didn't watch this but let's see if it's close.

[smashboat]

I didn't watch this but let's see if it's close.

Its a different arch

[Tuscany]

This can be folded?

IMO the most attractive arch. That particular arch option transforms the look of the boat. Just looks and flows perfect and I would have bought it in a heart beat if that design folded.
Unfortunately it doesn't, you will be looking at a 14' garage door height to clear it, along with potential low bridge situations while towing.

[smashboat]

This can be folded?

IMO the most attractive arch. That particular arch option transforms the look of the boat. Just looks and flows perfect and I would have bought it in a heart beat if that design folded.
Unfortunately it doesn't, you will be looking at a 14' garage door height to clear it, along with potential low bridge situations while towing.

I agree it’s gorgeous! Is it a big deal that it doesn’t fold? I will be storing it on my property in the winter and in the slip in the summer. What type of low situations are there ?

[BobRae99]

This can be folded?

IMO the most attractive arch. That particular arch option transforms the look of the boat. Just looks and flows perfect and I would have bought it in a heart beat if that design folded.
Unfortunately it doesn't, you will be looking at a 14' garage door height to clear it, along with potential low bridge situations while towing.

I agree it’s gorgeous! Is it a big deal that it doesn’t fold? I will be storing it on my property in the winter and in the slip in the summer. What type of low situations are there ?

If your slip is covered and has a lift you might have overhead clearance problems. if you decide you want to move it into your garage in the off season to clean and polish, again overhead clearance could be an issue.

I considered the fixed arch for my boat but decided against it for flexibility in storage options. I also considered how much sun protection each arch/bimini option provides. I found the folding arch provided more coverage than the folding bimini, but I didn't consider the rotating sunshade or the fixed arch bimini as my dealer didn't have any in stock.

[Tuscany]

The sun coverage isn’t as broad on the fixed arch, but considering that the actual size of the Bimini in square inches really doesn’t matter..at least on my boat. Why? Is the sun ever directly over the boat? Somehow, the sun is always in the wrong spot when we stop, and my large Bimini provides excellent coverage for the fish in the water, and not me..