to tower or not to tower

I dont pull the parasail from the tower, the upward pull is not exactly what it was designed for, its bolted down fairly securly and I doubt it would be a problem but the strength of the tower comes both from the front legs being in tension and the back legs being in compression, its a little different when being pulled up at 45-50 degrees. Plus iI have this irrational fear the threaded pins in the back legs would come lose and with the upward pull all heck would break loose. No advantage to the tower pull really, the extra 4 feet of height dont make a bit of difference on takeoff since you cant actually keep that much rope out of the water, (the person is well off the ground before the rope all clears the water). Once under way you can use the back seat with the pylon if you want.

For straight rediculous pulling strength I would say the stock pylon (not an extended pylon), in particular on boats with engine cradles that support the pylon, is a clear winner. I doubt you can do much serious damage to one of these boats by putting an unbreakable cable attached to an immovable object on the pylon and pulling away. Try the same stunt with a tower and something will give.

That being said the tower is pretty solid for most non-rediculous tasks. I climb on and jump off the thing all the time with no real flex, and I am heavier than most. It will sway some underway but I have pushed it pretty hard without worries. While pulling I have yet to hear or see it strain, certainly nothing near the experience of an extended pylon with a good size boarder on it.    

quinner wrote: The only negative aspects of a tower in my eyes is weight, which does affect the slalom wake, and depending on your setup the height constraints although many towers when folded are only slightly higher than the top of the windshield frame.

I agree with this, there are however some people who wouldn't be caught dead on a boat with a tower, kinda like a skiers vs snowboarders kinda scenario.. no cross sport love...

Good points Joe!

Really think a common misconception is "if it has a tower it is a Wakeboard Boat". Of course the tower will enhance the Wakeboarding experience however it really goes beyond that as far as functionality.

The only negative aspects of a tower in my eyes is weight, which does affect the slalom wake, and depending on your setup the height constraints although many towers when folded are only slightly higher than the top of the windshield frame.

Lots of mixed opinions here!!!
For now I think I just keep using the extended pylon.

Kapla....

i think you should go with the tower. before you get one don't forget that it wont fit in your garage and if you keep it at your marina they charge more for dry storage if you have a tower because they have to put it at the top.

   ^^^^^^^ WORD ! ^^^^^^^^^^^

That stereo cranks!

   Mike

Quinner.   I think it was $8500 msrp after the GT-40. I did not buy mine new. Someone else took the ding on that one. I got mine in 2005,with ~135 hours.

Billy, you are killin me. I will call you when I fire her up the first time in the Spring. That sweet rumble will make it hard for us to really talk, but you will get the picture.   ;^ )

M

Bruce,

Lake George is a bit too far away to make any plans for me yet, heck who knows where I will be next week?

Thinking the boat you are referring to is the 2001 Ski Nautique with a 393 Stroker, there is one in the Diaries. Slayers is the 99' Super Air V-Drive with a Python, same motor as Barefoot Eddie has in the 90' Barefoot Nautique that was at Lake George.

Slayer,

When I was finalizing the order on my 99' asked what the upcharge would be to go to the Python, IIRC it was $5k or $6k, that was additional from the GT-40 which was already an upcharge, hence we stuck with the GT-40!!

Did I read right? Karens boat?

Mike, is that boat in the diaries? Is it one of those red boats with the white stripe that they had at Seaworld in 2000?

The motor in Karens boat was not built for top end speed. These old boats were very unstable above 55 mph. Mine is included in this statement.
The stroker was built as a direct result of owning and "flying" a 26 foot parasail.If you want to see what kinda' pull your boat has,make a pass with that tied to your stern.
Even tho the HP is higher thanmost 351, I was after the "TORQUE" 400 plus pounds of twist.Currently I am running a 12x15 OJ LEDGEND. If Reid brings me his loaner we will see if she can pull a 12x16. The BS stops where the prop hits the water.....Boat dr

boat dr wrote: The difference being that bling on the top is for "SHOW ONLY"

Well actually, depending on what "Bling" you are referring, there is more function then looks IMO. The function a Tower adds is pretty awesome really, it creates additional lift which greatly enhances your ability to get "Air" or do "Tricks" on any board or a hydrofoil, the additional lift while barefooting is great as well, when teaching new skiers or pulling very novice recreational skiers the lift is also a help, additionally it allows passengers to sit in the back seat for those times when it's not the hard core ski or foot runs where you want a minimal wake/passenger load.

As far as the "Speaker" bling, what can I say, there is nothing cooler then rippin a foot run across the lake with Van Halen or Kid Rock along for the ride.

As far as CC goes, my guess is they are in it for the long haul, there is no question we are in some tough times, so many I have talked to, including my own business, are down quite a bit, shortened work weeks, etc. let's all hope for better times ahead.

Really don't think CC has forgotten about the skier either, Wakeboarding is huge and the demand for that style boat has been much greater then the straight inboard "classic" 196/206 style ski boat. Had CC only produced the 196/206 over the past 10yrs they would have been on a 2 day work work long before now.

BTW Doc, the "Bling" on your boat is 2nd to none and very cool!

Great comment above "To Each His Own" !!

Disclaimer:

Not trying to pi$$ ya off Boat Doc, or anyone else who modifies their engines for that matter. I'm just trying to play devil's advocate against your point of view...guess I'm just bored or something.

But I definitely think it's sweet watching a modified inboard launch out of the water with lots of "GO". I think it was JoeinNY's video that I've seen which is an awesome holeshot video.

8122pbrainard wrote: Titanium Hex Nut 3/4"-10 Thread Size, 1-1/8" Width, 41/64" Height

Harder than steel but a little on the small side.. jk

That next sound is me ducking

Billy's nuts per Eric:

eric lavine wrote: someone is rubbing off on that guy lol, so there really is a problem with the economy? you get bumped up to the category of "brass nuts" the order is 1.marshmellow nuts 2 wood nuts 3. tin nuts 4. brass nuts 5 steel nuts and finally 6. titanium nuts lol

Bumped up to Titanium!!


90545A041

Titanium Hex Nut 3/4"-10 Thread Size, 1-1/8" Width, 41/64" Height

$28.04 Each