Wakeboard tower, need advice

THAT is interesting!!

I guess I've never seen, or paid attention, to any Martiniques with towers. My guess is it's going to be tough to get one with the "legs closer together" look because your windshield extends so far to the transom.

I would plan on reinforcing the glass either way. Good looking boat, salt water use I assume?

Both boats I have owned with factory towers have nothing more then a backing plate equal in size to the foot pads at the base of each of the (4) legs with (4) thru bolts at each foot. Wonder if there is any additional embedded support in the glass at those area's??

I installed the Monster cargo bimini on my tower and love it. Can't really help with tower choice but I did like this bimini.


   bonuts

I was thinking about looking at a Martinique before the 2001 came along, they are very solid boats and if weighted correctly will put out a very nice boarding wake although they can be difficult to get weighted correctly.

I did find this picture of a Monster tower on a Martinique, it looks ok, but there are probably better looking options. I think the FCT towers look better as the front legs will follow the angle of the windscreen.

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/boa/2614816434.html



Nice boat.

You did, the ugly tower is a give away!
It was with Nautique Marine in Windsor in June and was sold, that owner then put it back on the market in July as it was too big and I bought it in July for substantially less that the asking price.

Pleased with it, though as it is a BFN hull and heavy the 454 engine would have been a better option. It has 350 hrs on the clock and is generally in good condition, especially as I don't think there has been a cover on it for a while. As with most boats this age it is due for a stringer job.

Tom

The Martinique was exactly what we were looking for. It is a real family and friends boat that tows well for tubes, skis, wakeboards and for cruising.
The tower has come off and may be replaced by a pylon for when it is needed. Generally we ski and the kids tube.

Winter projects are:

To remove the 'home brew' intercooler that has cracked. Being on a lake I don't need it and it occupies the under floor space where the second battery will go.
Add a second battery system, split charger and isolator.
Add a sound system, looking at this http://www.marine-audio.com/products/waterproof_mp3_fm_am_guage_size_stereo.php,with an MP3/iPod dock, an amp and waterproof speakers.
Sort out the electrics and some bad earths, check the alternator etc. I get lots of low voltage alarms. Also fit a kill switch.
Re-fresh all the teak.
Polish the hull.
Fix a few loose rivits in the windscreen.
Add a bimini top and new cover.
Look at doing some uphostery work to repair a or replace the damaged bits.
Re-paint the anti-fouling.
I also need to investigate the stringers (or lack of in places) and come up with a 'fix' till next winter to ensure all is safe.

And anything else that comes up before March.

Tom

There is also a lot of planning for next year's rebuild being done.
Thinking about a teak or teak style floor. I have to blame Jonas' Teak Mustang here for the floor idea. We have a dog and the carpet is a real hair collector.

I may also try to convert the foam filled spaces in the hull to built in ballast tanks while doing the stringers. Has anybody else thought of this? Quick question here: How do you get the water into the tanks? How do CC and MC do it?

Hey, good to see a couple more UK residents on here.

Where's home water for you? Windermere for me and my 2001, I might be breaking the law, but it's still the best place to ride.

Isee your boat is Loch Ken registered, we headup there 4 or 5 times a year. Last trip for me resulted in a broken tibia though, so I've been off the water for the last 3 months!

Hmm, nice - might compete with 'mere as a place to ride! We are planning a mega road trip to Anacey next year if all goes to plan.

i half thought about buying that martinique myself.

Tom (as well!)

That must be 3 or 4 of us on here from the UK then nice :)

I am based just outside Nottingham only bought the 2001 a couple of months ago and the previous owner made frequent trips up to Loch Ken some of his pictures look really great so its definitely on the list for possible road trips, probably look at a road trip across to Europe at some point also.

We visited Lomond last year whilst on a camping trip around Scotland (without the boat) and visited http://www.lochlomondwakeboard.com/ which is a great setup which is just getting better all the time, this season they have a couple of new boats which they purchased at the London Boat Show in January, I had a good chat with the main guy (sorry his name has slipped my mind at the mo) he had some great plans for the place.
The only problem with Scotland that I could see is the unpredictable weather, but the endless hours of daylight in the summer months are just amazing so should make up for any odd days of bad weather.
Lomond is on the list of places to visit again for sure.

We have been fortunate to visit the Wakeboarding Camp (Florida), The Boarding School (Florida) and Xtreme-Gene (Spain) along with Lomond. We would definitely give Lomond another visit as a great location to go in the UK especially since their boat upgrades and new facilities, not sure if the hottub overlooking the loch ever got installed.

Unfortunately the last year or two have been very poor for time on the water but now we have our own boat things will change when the warmer weather comes. We will spend at least the next season getting back into shape and enjoying the time on the water and I'm not sure if we will arrange a road trip for next year or not, we have a big Asia holiday early next year so holiday time might be a little limited :( Once we are back into boarding full time a trip back to one of the camps will be on the cards though.

One week until the boat is winterised just need to complete my SBDA.

Yep, not a good way to end the season!

If you're up our way PM me, there's always room in the boat, either my 2001 or mate's (whisper) X2.

Never seen your boat out on the loch, looks nice though. You'll love it, X2 wake isn't as good the 2001! Not the biggest, but big enough to break your leg on!

Can't really help with tower choice but I did like this bimini.