VTurboWay 2 Pack Marine Grade Nylon Bimini Top 90°Plastic Deck Hinge with Pin and Ring, 316 Stainless Steel, Free Installation Screws

I put these nylon deck hinges to work as a straightforward replacement on a small runabout’s bimini, and I’ve kept them on through a summer of weekend use in both freshwater and brackish conditions. They’re a modest, utilitarian bit of hardware that does exactly what you want a hinge to do: hold the frame where it belongs, fold without fuss, and shrug off spray and sun without corroding or creaking.

Design and materials

The hinges are marine-grade nylon with a matte finish, sized at about 2-1/3" long by 0.84" wide and 1.4" high. The mounting-hole spacing is 1.6" (40.5 mm), which is common across a lot of OEM and aftermarket bimini hardware. That spacing matters; in my case, it allowed me to reuse existing holes without opening up new ones in the gelcoat.

Each hinge accepts a 1/4" removable pin, and the kit includes a pin and ring. The pin engagement felt positive and consistent—no fumbling to find the bore or partial seating that loosens up underway. There’s enough length in the spring-loaded design to capture the eye end fully, and the ring is easy to grab with wet hands.

Nylon for marine hinges can be a point of debate. The obvious upsides are weight, cost, and corrosion immunity. The trade-off is stiffness and ultimate strength compared to stainless. These particular hinges have a touch of give—if you load the bimini laterally, you can feel a bit of flex. In practice, that give actually helps if your frame and mounts aren’t perfectly aligned; it reduces binding during folding and keeps the assembly quiet.

As for the included hardware, the screws are 316 stainless, which is the right call for marine use and helps prevent galling and tea-staining. I didn’t use the supplied screws on my main install (more on that below), but I did test them on a scrap block—threads were clean and the heads took a driver well without cam-out.

Installation notes

Swapping these in took less than an hour, including cleanup and bedding. A few tips from the install:

• Dry-fit first. The 1.6" hole spacing matched my previous mounts, so it dropped right in. If you’re moving locations, mark and pilot drill carefully—nylon doesn’t need a ton of torque to clamp tight, so don’t oversize the holes.
• Use a proper bedding compound. I used a thin bead of butyl tape under the bases; a polyurethane marine sealant would also work. This keeps water out of the core and helps the hinge base “bed in” for better load distribution.
• Don’t over-tighten. Nylon will distort if you torque it down like stainless. Snug is enough; stop when the bedding starts to squeeze out and the hinge stops rotating under hand pressure.
• Consider backing. If you’re mounting into thin fiberglass or a cored coaming, back the screws with washers or a small plate. I through-bolted with 316 machine screws and nylock nuts to a backing strip on the inside—belt and suspenders.
• Align the hinge axis. The 90° base works on horizontal decks and vertical coamings; just make sure the pin axis lines up with the bimini’s pivot so the frame swings without binding.

The kit’s M5 stainless screws will be convenient for some applications, but your boat may be tapped for imperial hardware or require through-bolting. Plan on sourcing fasteners to suit your substrate.

On-water performance

After install, deployment and stowage were uneventful in the best way. The pin action is crisp, and the bore tolerances are sensible: snug enough to avoid rattle, loose enough to let salt and grit flush out easily. The hinges kept the frame locked in place at cruising speeds and in moderate chop without noticeable creak or creep.

That subtle flex I mentioned earlier shows up if you push the frame sideways—say, leaning hard to grab a fender or in a gust while angling downwind. It never felt alarming, and it didn’t translate into visible fatigue or stress whitening in the nylon over the season. In fact, the slight compliance smoothed out some misalignment between my frame legs and mounting pads that a stainless hinge would have broadcast as a squeak or a bind.

Corrosion resistance has been excellent. The nylon obviously won’t pit or stain, and the included pins and rings didn’t show rust or seize after months around salt. A quick freshwater rinse after each trip kept them looking new. The matte black finish blends in with most canvas hardware and doesn’t glare in full sun.

Durability expectations

The manufacturer claims nylon matches 316 stainless in strength and service life. In my experience, that’s optimistic as a blanket statement. Stainless is stiffer and has higher ultimate strength, especially in hot environments and under sustained high loads. That said, for typical bimini use—occasional folding, wind loads within the frame’s design, and no one grabbing the bimini as a handhold—these hinges are absolutely up to the task.

UV stability matters for plastics. These appear to be UV-stabilized, and I didn’t see chalking or brittleness develop over the season. Long term, I’d expect a multi-year service life in temperate climates with reasonable care. If your boat lives uncovered in high sun year-round, inspect annually and replace at the first signs of cracking.

Compatibility and fit

• Pin size: works with standard 1/4" removable pins, including drop cam and spring-grip styles.
• Footprint: the narrow 0.84" base is helpful on tight coamings and keeps the hinge from looking bulky, but it also means your fastener spacing is close. Use large washers underneath if you’re through-bolting thin laminate.
• Orientation: 90° base suits both horizontal and vertical mounting; it’s ambidextrous if you’re replacing only one side.

I appreciated that the included pins seated fully and didn’t back out under vibration. If you’re in particularly rough water, add light-duty tethers to the rings so a dropped pin doesn’t become a bilge donation.

Where nylon shines—and where stainless still wins

Choose these nylon hinges if:
- You want a corrosion-proof, quiet, budget-friendly replacement for a standard bimini.
- You value a little compliance to accommodate imperfect alignment.
- Your boating is mostly lakes, rivers, and protected bays.

Consider stainless instead if:
- You run offshore frequently, pound through heavy chop, or carry a larger-than-average canvas.
- You need maximum stiffness and zero flex for accessories that double as handholds.
- Your frame or accessories impose high point loads on the hinge bases.

Small misses and nice touches

• Nice: the pins and rings are included and properly sized; the matte finish looks tidy; the standard hole spacing eases replacements.
• Could be better: no backing washers/plates included; a printed torque or installation note would help prevent over-tightening; calling nylon “the same strength as 316 stainless” sets expectations a bit too high.

Maintenance

Care is minimal. Rinse with fresh water, check the pins for grit, and give the rings a quick wipe if salt crystals build up. Once a season, inspect the nylon around the fastener heads and the pin bore for hairline cracks. Rebed with sealant if you see any weeping around the base.

The bottom line

These VTurboWay nylon deck hinges are a sensible, no-drama solution for bimini mounting and replacement. They’re easy to install, forgiving of minor alignment issues, and impervious to the corrosion that slowly eats lesser metal hardware. The included stainless screws and correctly sized pins get you most of the way to a complete swap, and the standard dimensions make them a drop-in on many boats.

I wouldn’t use them to anchor anything that doubles as a grab point, nor would I pick them for a heavy offshore canopy. But for a typical bimini on a runabout, pontoon, or bay boat, they’ve proven to be reliable, quiet, and low-maintenance.

Recommendation: I recommend these hinges for everyday bimini installations and replacements where corrosion resistance, ease of use, and price matter more than absolute stiffness. If you operate in harsh offshore conditions or need zero flex, step up to stainless. For everyone else, these nylon hinges are a practical, durable choice that get the simple things right.