Ski pylon

Does anyone know if there is usually any kind of small extension for pylon or is it always just right above engine cover??? I just bought an 81 ski nautique and the back tow ring is loose so I can't pull with it but would like for people to be able to sit in back seat while I'm pulling

If you are wanting to pull wakeboarders, combo skiers, trick skiers, or kneeboarders then you'll need to purchase a Super Deluxe Boom Mount and a extended pylon. If you want to use a Skylon, Fly High or some other extended pylon then you will need to remove the existing Ring & Finger set up from the pylon and slide the extended over the factory pylon. PLEEEEEEEEASE, DO NOT CUT or HACK UP what you currently have to make it work. The Ring & Finger tow points are in HIGH demand as they are not made anymore and is considered criminal to destroy it to modify the exisiting to accomodate the extended one.

As Pete stated the rear 'Tow Eye' aka Lifting Ring that you are using was designed for verticle loads only (ie lifting boat in the boat house) and not for towing. That's why its loose. You purchased an Inboard Tournament Competition Ski Boat so yes all pylons are in front of the engine unless it's a V-Drive boat.

Ok thanks I never towed with it it was loose when I got the boat and I won't be rigging anything I'm appreciative of the classic original design of boat and don't want to rig it but it would be ok to get fly high and slide it on pylon without damaging anything and it will fit over pylon??

Ok awesome thank you sir it hooks to the eye on the front of the boat where the trailer hooks on to it correct

Ok thanks again I appreciate it took it out this weekend and everything was good except that they had an automotive coil they put on and it would get really hot then the boat would start to misfire when taking off from idle and die then it wouldn't start back up until it cooled off.. I put about 30 hrs of labor in it after purchasing it and thought I had everything right kind of disappointing but atleast it's a small issue and easy to fix I'm just new to boat game except for my dad owning one while growing up so I'm trying to learn as much as possible

i have the old one he took off and they do both say use with external resistor which the engine does have but I thought maybe since some parts are marine specific and the new one is cheap from autozone that maybe that's why it was getting so hot then it would bog down and die after I let the coil cool or took it off and cooled it in water then put it back on it would start right up and run great for another 30 min or so then die and coil would be hot again..is it normal for that to get really hot and if it's not a defective coil what would cause it to get hot

Yes sir I agree about autozone I purchased the boat from a friend who purchased from original owner.. My friend had intentions on fixing up and flipping the boat so he did little things here and there like the coil before giving up and letting it sit for a yr before I bought it so that's why it is from autozone I only use napa and I'm a heavy equipment mechanic just not real savvy on old engines but I will look into the voltage and I am pretty sure it's oil filled.. But it shouldn't be getting hot right?? Also with it getting hot there isn't something else that could cause it to overheat other than the wrong type of coil or it being cheap

I'm currently selling a 10" pole and wakeboard rack. The ID of the pole is 2.5", $125 for the whole set-up + shipping.

Let me know if you're interested.

Original Posting

Someone else just PM'd me for it. If the deal falls through, I'll let you know.

Before I found him a pylon, my brother used the rear ring on a 72 Southwind for many years, with up to 8 skiers, on a very frequent basis, as they live on the lake. My friend has also used the ring on his 72 Coronado forever. Neither boat has ever shown even the slightest bit of damage from this. Or maybe older boats were just built better.....

While I won't challenge this prevailing wisdom in theory,   there have been numerous past threads on this but never any real proof. Pics or it didn't happen..

74Wind wrote: my brother used the rear ring on a 72 Southwind for many years, with up to 8 skiers, on a very frequent basis, as they live on the lake.

Jeff,
8 teenage skiers on two skis isn't even equal to 1 full size adult on 1 ski. Sorry but your logic won't make me change my mind. Have you ever even looked at how the aft ring is fastened to the transom?

Maybe why some of the newer ones have a spool mounted on the back? I find when pulling a tube from the spool you get a better "crack the whip" action than from the pylon. I think in this off season I'll develop a rear "tube" tower or flyhigh type of device. Now that Pete will be living on the water full time he just might want to up his tube game. I hesitate to get the TimmyT marketing team,might go with cousin Don and get coveted CG rating instead.

So, what do you say to a family in distress with an infant on board and it's getting dark? - "Sorry, can't help you"?

If you can't tow with it, you probably shouldn't be lifting with it.

We used a Southwind 20 as a service boat for years and years. Towed 50+ft houseboats for 30+ miles. Always towed with the lift ring and never the pylon.   Never seen any gel stress.

DrCC wrote: So, what do you say to a family in distress with an infant on board and it's getting dark? - "Sorry, can't help you"? If you can't tow with it, you probably shouldn't be lifting with it. We used a Southwind 20 as a service boat for years and years. Towed 50+ft houseboats for 30+ miles. Always towed with the lift ring and never the pylon.   Never seen any gel stress.

Any particular reason why you wouldn't tow from the pylon Al? Seems like it's better suited for the job.

I've seen more than a few lifting rings surrounded by gel cracks. I can't state definitively where they came from, none have appeared on my boats under my ownership. 2 screws (at most) and a snug fit in the deck is all that holds the lifting rings in place laterally. I suppose the vertical rod below adds some strength in that direction as well, but that's not really its purpose (a vertical load is). We all know that correct craft construction is pretty beefy, and the thick deck can take the abuse for the most part. I'm sure many a skier have been pulled from them without issue. To Pete's point, that still doesn't make them suitable for the job. Use your best judgement, I suppose.

8122pbrainard wrote: 8 teenage skiers on two skis isn't even equal to 1 full size adult on 1 ski.

I'm having a little trouble buying this. I've never seen a slalom skier who knows what he is doing, do anything but pop right up behind any inboard. Say that's about 175-200 pounds. Eight (smaller) skiers is going on 1000 pounds or better. Any group ski I have seen with 4, 5, 6, or more, it takes a little bit of work on the part of the boat and a few yards to get them all up.

The use the lifting ring for pulling argument will live on. Many say they've seen it done for ever, especially on the older boats without pylons, will argue their point and folks who have seen some spider cracks will argue their point. But like many of the extreme positions held here, lets be reasonable. To say a boat shouldn't be tied to a dock with the lifting rings because they are for lifting only, is just plain silly.