Let’s be real: summer boating season is the absolute best time of the year! There is truly nothing quite like hitting the water with your favorite people, cranking up the tunes, soaking up that glorious sunshine, and making memories that will fuel your group chats all winter long. 

But let’s also be real about the downside of a full, sun-drenched day on the lake — feeling like a crispy French fry by 2:00 PM or getting caught in that classic, uninvited pop-up summer rainstorm.

If you want to squeeze every last drop of fun out of your time on the water this season, a custom bimini top, sun top, or full boat enclosure isn't just a fancy accessory — it is your ticket to a much better, longer, and happier day on the lake. But once you make the brilliant decision to upgrade your boat with a custom top, you’re faced with an important structural choice: what should your frame be made of?

At Canvasworks in Cokato, Minnesota, we’ve been outfitting boats and keeping folks shady (in a good way!) since 1979. We know that the foundation of a great boat top is its frame. Here are the benefits of having a custom top, and why we firmly believe aluminum is the absolute superhero of frame materials!

Why You Need a Bimini Top or Enclosure This Summer

A little bit of shade goes a very long way when the sun is blazing. Whether you are chasing walleye in the afternoon heat, lounging at the sandbar, or cruising across the lake at sunset, a custom boat top is your best friend.

1. Protection from the Sun & Heat 

Nobody wants to end a great boat day early because they’ve turned into a lobster. A well-designed bimini or fisherman top provides a free-standing oasis of shade that drastically cools down the interior of your boat. It keeps your crew comfortable and happy while protecting your boat’s upholstery from UV damage and fading.

2. Shelter from Unpredictable Weather 

Summer weather has a mind of its own. With a custom boat top, you can simply pop up the canvas and wait out a sudden rain shower while everyone else makes a frantic, chaotic dash back to the crowded boat launch. For the ultimate VIP experience, adding enclosure options like zip-in side windows, a clear glass windshield, or an aft curtain can completely shield your cockpit from wind, rain, and spray.

3. Extending Your Season 

While summer is the main event, an enclosed boat top means you don't have to pack it in when the calendar says September. You can comfortably hit the water earlier in the spring and stay out way later into those crisp, beautiful autumn months!

The Great Debate: Aluminum or Stainless-Steel Frames

When you order a bimini top or enclosure, you often have the choice between an aluminum or stainless-steel framework. Both are excellent, corrosion-resistant choices that will support your heavy-duty marine canvas, but each offers distinct advantages and drawbacks.

The Benefits & Drawbacks of Stainless-Steel Frames 

Stainless steel is the premium upgrade for boaters who want the absolute maximum in strength and aesthetics.

  • Unmatched Strength: Stainless steel is rigid, heavy, and exceptionally strong. If you have a large boat, frequently boat on rough, choppy waters, or regularly run your boat at high speeds with the bimini top deployed, stainless steel provides the rigidity needed to prevent the frame from flexing or rattling in heavy winds.

  • Sleek Aesthetic: Stainless steel tubing can be highly polished to a brilliant, mirror-like finish that perfectly matches your boat's other premium hardware, giving your vessel a luxurious, high-end look.

  • Longevity: While it represents a larger upfront investment, a stainless-steel frame is nearly indestructible under normal boating conditions, guaranteeing decades of reliable use.

While stainless steel sounds tough, it comes with a few headaches that can put a serious damper on your fun. Stainless steel is incredibly heavy. Wrestling a steel-framed boat top on your own is a workout nobody asked for. It makes raising, collapsing, or removing the top a frustrating chore for some and impossible for others. 

Additionally, because stainless steel is so heavy and rigid, bouncing across choppy waters can put excessive strain on your boat's mounting hardware and fiberglass over time. 

Plus, there is the cost. Stainless steel material and the labor to work with it are very expensive. It drastically drives up the price of your custom top without giving the typical summer boater any extra benefit.

The Aluminum Advantage 

Aluminum provides the perfect sweet spot of durability, ease of use, and value, which is why we use it frequently for all sorts of different fabrication projects. Here is why it’s our MVP for bimini tops and enclosures:

  • Incredibly Lightweight: Aluminum frames are wonderfully light. This means you can easily deploy, fold down, or completely remove your boat top by yourself — no back strain or swearing required!

  • Superior Value: Aluminum gives you a high-quality, heavy-duty frame that is highly cost-effective, leaving you with more cash for lake snacks and boat gas.

  • Excellent Corrosion Resistance: Marine-grade aluminum naturally resists rust and corrosion. It laughs in the face of the elements, ensuring a great-looking frame for years.

  • The Perfect Strength: Aluminum provides more than enough structural muscle to hold your canvas drum-tight and secure while underway, without adding the clunky, annoying bulk of steel.

We do caution that while aluminum frames are sturdy, they aren’t completely impervious to wind. Speeding across a lake as fast as your boat can go with your bimini top up is still a recipe for disaster.

Ditch the "One-Size-Fits-None" Look. Get a Custom Top!

Buying a generic, one-size-fits-all top usually results in a sloppy fit, flapping canvas, and a generally sad-looking boat. At Canvasworks, we build our custom bimini tops, sun tops, and fisherman tops specifically for the exact, unique dimensions of your boat using our premium aluminum framework.

We combine Old World craftsmanship with seriously cool tech. Using 3D laser measuring and a 52-foot CNC cutting table, we ensure a flawless, custom-tailored fit. We use durable 11.5-ounce marine fabric and heat-weld our main seams, eliminating the worry of thread rot.

We are so confident in our work that we include a 5-year limited warranty on all our canvas and metalwork projects — the best in the business! With a little TLC, you can expect your Canvasworks top to provide 15-plus years of shady perfection.

Upgrade Your Summer Boating Experience

Don't let a scorching sun or a passing rain cloud boss you around this summer! If you want to get the absolute most out of your boating season, it's time to invest in a custom boat top that looks amazing, performs flawlessly, and is actually easy to use.

Because we need your boat in our Cokato, MN shop to work our custom magic, our spots fill up incredibly fast! Contact Canvasworks today at 320-559-0165 to chat about your boat and check out our huge variety of fabric colors. Let’s get you the perfect, lightweight aluminum-framed top so you can rule the lake this summer!