A retractable bimini top device is disclosed for automated operation and
mounted attachment to an existing rooftop member set over the deck of a
boat. The inventive device includes a U-shaped support frame having
respective side legs adapted to travel longitudinally through a pair of
housing tube members disposed in parallel and mounted beneath the rooftop
member. The side legs of the U-shaped frame are coaxially fitted within
the housing tube members and made to travel together in unison through
the respective tube members, each upon a lead screw that is driven by a
reversible motor electrically powered and mounted at the end of each
tube. A canvas cover attached along its outer end to the transverse
portion of the U-shaped frame is stored in a rolled-up state about a
spring-loaded roller mounted transversely between the housing tube
members so that the canvas cover may be extended in a substantially
horizontal manner and retracted as the side legs of the support frame are
moved in alternate linear directions through the housing tube members.