Tower on a 200

skinut

I'm considering putting a tower on a 200. I know, blasphemy. Does anyone currently have a tower and if so I have a couple of questions. Does the weight impact the wake or handling? Second does the position of the tower affect the rope on shorter line lengths? Any other pros or cons to having the tower?

Horton

Banned

eleeski

Towers are great fun. Enjoy it!

As long as the rear upright bar is even with the pylon and not behind it, you should be OK. Some jumpers claim that they can feel any tower but realistically the effect is trivial. Noone slaloms past 90 degrees so that isn't an issue. Many bimini tops have straps even with the pylon so that is common.

Some pylons, including factory offerings, do mount too far back. A good aftermarket tower can be chosen to mount ahead of the pylon. It's up to you to assure that you get the right one.

The rope attach on the tower isn't critical for any uses I've seen. My MC tower hookup is a bit aft of the pylon. No wakeboarders, barefooters or surfers have complained about it's placement.

My 2011 MC has pulled many tournaments in all events with its tower. The weight of the factory MC tower is to the front of the boat and improved the shortline slalom wake compared to my 04 MC with no tower. An aftermarket tower might be lighter and have less effect - good or bad.

If you or your kids want a tower, go for it. But do it right.

Eric

bigskieridaho

Roswell aviator. That is the factory tower and you can get the factory feet also. My buddy just put one his.

jimski

We have one on our 2011 -200
We love it it's a great tool for new slalom skiers and great for trick skiers trying out new flips
We have pulled jumpers up to 150 feet or so and have had no complaints
I run into -35 and have never hit the tower pulled a few guys into -38 and no complaints

bigskieridaho

Another thing, I am not sure what is up with all of these tower haters as always? My boat with a tower will pull just as good as anyone else's and so will yours. Just get an Aviator and mount it in the stock location and rope clearance will be great.

skinut

@Horton ya, I almost banned my self for even considering it.
@eleeski it's for space especially when pulling a tube

skinut

@bigskieridaho are you out if Boise?
@jimski any effect on the wake due to added weight? Does it fold forward or backward? How difficult would it be to remove?

bigskieridaho

@skinut I am out of Meridian so yes Boise.

Than_Bogan

Often-times, our tiny tunnel is a pain. But it does serve as a powerful Tower Stopper!

Garn

Pouring gas on a fire here, those of you with towers, do you pull a tube from the tower pylon?

oldjeep

@Than_Bogan - you just have to drop the tower We rented a place up north many years ago where we had to drop the tower to get through what was basically a big culvert to get to Gull Lake.

As for the tower benefits - junk is off the floor, we carry 2 wakeboards and 2 skis in the racks. We don't tow tubes from anything, but no way I would tow one from my tower - lot of leverage and would make the rear seats a dangerous place to be.

6balls

If it's a family boat a tower is useful. Get stuff off the floor, and use the high tow point for beginning skiers, wakeboarders, knee boarders, barefooters. I would pull a small tube from up there but not a big bertha type thing with a bunch of teen-agers on it.
Makes a difference living on a lake vs. towing to the lake, too. If living on the lake extra stuff can live on your dock, stop back and pick up knee boards exchanging for wake boards or unload everything and pick up the tube. For a family day trailering to the lake you may have a ton of stuff to take along with skis/boards/tube/cooler. In that case again the tower is helpful.
I live on the lake, no tower here but I could see the utility in certain circumstances.

escmanaze

@skinut It is indeed blasphemy to many, but I love towers on ski boats. However, once you start talking about pulling tubes...now there is where the blasphemy lies.

I actually did a thread a few years back where I asked 200 owners with towers to show me pictures of the rope not hitting the tower at various line lengths. I was very concerned because the factory 200 tower is indeed quite a ways back from the pylon. Nevertheless, one guy posted a picture all the way to 38 off where the rope was still not being affected at all by the tower. I certainly never plan on making it to 38 off, so I called that good enough for me.

I wish I knew some search terms that would take me to that thread, but alas, it is probably lost forever. The main thing is to not go cheap on the tower. The more it looks like a factory tower, the more you didn't ruin the boat by putting it on. If you go and put a Monster brand tower on your 200, then I'll join in with the purists in the call to lynch you.

skinut

@escmanaze I was looking at the factory tower. My intent was to pull a tub from the tower but it sounds like it might not have the strength to pull a large tube which is what I use to pull the kids on. The tower may be a moot point if I can't use it with a tube. Did you notice any wake difference from the added weight?

Jordan

I don't know anything about the nautique tower specifically but I would be surprised if you couldn't pull a tube with it...
For reference we have pulled footers, agrees I've wake boarders and all kinds of dumb things from my buddy's mastercraft tower. No problems at all.

BraceMaker

Ever been hit by a recoiling tube rope? I'll never run a tube rope into the boat, they go to the stern. Heck I'd debate running a bridle off the eyes if they're rated for it. That is scary stuff.

Jordan

Always run a shock tube...even when pulling a tube

bigskieridaho

Yep have kids and kids=tube. My factory 2009 response tower does just fine.

escmanaze

@skinut I still own my old 97, but I ran that thread just collecting info for a future purchase, so I can't tell you from experience anything about the wake. However, I can't imagine it would change any more than 100 pounds here or there in the boat would change it. Negligible in my opinion.

B_S

I would have liked to have gotten a tower in mine, but the factory one, at least, sits way too far back for slalom. I have 4 kids, and a couple like to board. Using the rear seat while towing boarder and tubes would have been nice.

swc5150

I have not driven a 200 with a tower. But, I've driven a TXi and PS197 with and without. Both of those models with a tower made the boat feel "top heavy"...stands to reason I suppose. Not necessarily a bad thing, but you'll know you have a little extra weight on top. If a tower is going to make for more fun with the family, heck ya add one! I bought an open bow for my girls:)

oldjeep

@BraceMaker - my mother inlaw learned that lesson about 5 years ago. I used to cringe when they pulled a tube from the pylon and suggested several times what a bad idea that was. One day the rope snapped and she took it to the back of the head, they have used the hook on the stern ever since.

@Jordan - shock tube isn't going to do s%%T , just means that the first 3 feet of rope doesn't hit you in the head. Tube ropes can be under wayyyy more pressure than any skier could ever muster.

@skinut it isn't about the strength of the tower it is about where that rope ends up when it snaps.

escmanaze

Hey I found it!!! Here is my thread where @jimski posted a terrific picture at 32 off with lots of room left and he and others indicated 38 off being no problem at all.

http://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/14407/am-i-crazy-or-is-it-nautique-that-is-insane

Jordan

@oldjeep
That's the point...on a tube rope you don't have a handle on the rope (or at least there is no reason to...so the rope has to actually break to full recoil and fwiw...never seen it happen

oldjeep

@Jordan I have seen it happen and just a rope fragment leaves a hell of a mark. And think for a moment about what the rope is attached to on the bigger tubes - that heavy hard plastic dog bone.

jimski

@skinut no different than having a third person in the boat. when I had the boat shipped out the tower was off and a strip of sea deck was on the deck surface to cover the mounting holes I think there were about five studs on each side. took two guys to lift the tower popped the speakers out and tighten up the bolts took about twenty minutes. Probably the same to take it off. These towers are very easy to use leans forward. we love it @escmanaze that is a great picture. You'll for sure snap a rope or do other damage before you ever compromise the tower.
I would stick with the stock Nautique tower

BraceMaker

@oldjeep @Jordan Have been in a boat for 3 tube rope snaps, one hit my mom in the hand big welt, one coiled up in the BOW and one cut the vinyl on the doghouse.

Tubes flip and fill up with water and the drag goes through the roof, also to be fair people buy crap tube ropes.

Hallpass

Going through this dilemna now, as I think about selling my Nautique V Drive that has been great for us the last 17 years. Wife and daughter are now mostly skiers, and daughter getting into course skiing. Will likely buy a SN200 this year. However, struggling with tower vs. no tower. We have become accustomed to the tower getting all the gear off the floor, and of course we will miss the social arena seating. Family and friends, including my daughter, will wakeboard, knee board, etc. on occasion. However, to us, a ski boat doesn't have a tower (had a 98 SN prior to the V-Drive). Then again , almost all of our boating is on public waters so we really like the idea of a tower.

It's back and forth, back and forth. In the end, I think we'll just do what's right for us. To heck with what the others think. Who cares if it is plus or minus a few thousand in resale value? Who cares if the hardcores don't like it? I hope Horton doesn't ban me, but he probably has better things to do. For an average guy like me, I am buying the boat for my family's use; buying the boat to use it, not to sell it; and whatever little I will gain or lose in resale, tower vs. no tower, wouldn't even pay for my funeral. If any one of the family ever gets really great, I can remove the tower, or, more likely, buy another boat.

Good dialogue.

eleeski

@oldjeep Rope condoms (aka shock tubes) are quite effective. At a minimum, they put the recoil a few feet back. At best, it damps the forces bringing the rope back at you. They aren't perfect but are very effective.

I don't use them when I pull tubes because I DON'T PULL TUBES! Triple kneeboards from the tower work great for kids and college kids.

Eric

escmanaze

Indeed a great picture @jimski thanks again for snapping it. If you ever get the chance, I would love to get that same pic at 35 and 38.

Oh, and PS. I love your boat. If it has the big engine (I'm at elevation so I need it) I would love to put myself on the list of the first people you call when it's time to sell it.