When you are on a boat, in direct sunlight, on top of water, with no shade in sight anywhere you will take any relief you can get. In all those movies where someone is surviving on a raft in the ocean and they are burning to a crisp in the direct, unyielding sunlight you feel so bad for them. Our leisure time on a boat is nowhere near that level of discomfort, but you can get an idea of how miserable that situation is for anyone. This bimini top is there to stand between you, the boat and flaming, bright sun. Shade! Yes! Even if it only gives enough shade for 1 seat on the boat, we'll take it. Good enough. We need to have enough space to do other things on the boat anyway, like fish. Casting fishing lines requires a little bit of overhead freedom, even if it means you have to stay in the sun to do it. No problem. Great top.