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tower... loads of questions

 
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seadooman89
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PostPosted: Oct 14, 2005 3:28 pm    Post subject: tower... loads of questions Reply with quote

i recently went out on my friends tower and realized i need to get one....

BUT... i have no clue where to start, and all that good stuff

can someone give me some backround or w/e on like hiem joints, and what exactly to use to make a tower

i was thinkin about using aluminum tubing, but im open to suggestions???

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PostPosted: Oct 14, 2005 6:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey seadooman89,

Use the SEARCH function and learn about what others have posted...you may not need heims...I think in fact, alotta the true custom towers don't use them as the angle of the foot/base plate exactly matches the contour of the surface it's mounting on.

I believe you'll find alu. is the metal of choice

From a design perspective, where will the feet mount to the boat i.e. - side mount? top mount? What design do you find attractive to YOUR eye - there's the hoop-style like Monster & Titan or the swoop-style like New Dimension and alotta others -those I think are primarily asthetic choices - from a functionality standpoint, one's as good as the other. So maybe start there - what's attractive and see what shakes out...


Wes

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seadooman89
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PostPosted: Oct 14, 2005 7:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks 4 the input... i havent used the search button because i have read everything i can find online about diy towers... from diytowers.com, monstertowers.com, ect... i think i should side mount some brackets on my boat...

another question, how much aluminum tubing should i get and what thickness?

im not exactly sure how to mount this on the side of the boat, can someone clarify?

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PostPosted: Oct 15, 2005 6:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, what is your boat? Take a look at Monstertower.com and check out the user's boats. Take a look at your boat, and that way you can see how the hoop style of Monster looks. It can also show you mounting locations that others have used.
Unless you work with fabrication, welding, etc...or know somebody that does.. you may want to consider just buying one.
I have a Monster tower, and HIGHLY recommend it... but you might want to check out joystick towers and others.
Do a search on towers here. Also, just browse through the Accessories and boat general categories.
You may find that it is just better to buy one, unless you have worked in fabrication before.

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PostPosted: Oct 15, 2005 11:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

6061 or 6063 works well. Most towers are in the range of 2"OD x 0.125" wall. Aluminum isn't your only option. People have made good towers out of stainless, mild steel, even conduit. Aluminum is a bit pricey, not as bad as stainless but it definately adds up. You'll probably need 60-80 feet but alot of it depends on the design/shape of your tower and the size of your boat and the height you want your tower. Most towers stand around 7 feet high off the floor. Mine is a little closer to 8'. Mistakes get expensive quick, so spend plenty of time on the design and measuring phase. You can google 'machinists calculator' for a handy little program to help with the right triangle trigonometry. Its a free demo for 30 days or $30 I think if you pay for it. Even with it, the math part sucks! I messed up on my drawings and luckily realized it before anything got bent. Still it took me 90 minutes just to recalculate all the angles.

Heims are handy if you want a collapsable or removable tower, but not required. They also save some headache when it comes to the welding since they allow for a little 'gimme' room. With or without heims, your going to have to through-bolt mounting plates to your hull, which depending on the boat, may also involve some fiberglass work to reinforce the glass. Most DIY'ers make larger mounts than factory towers, so the stresses are considerably less with a DIY tower, but this is limited by the space you have available for mounts.

Find the 4 mounting locations first, then measure the distances. Then decide on the style you want, and the height you want to achieve. Next step is drawing out the design and plugging in your numbers.

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PostPosted: Oct 15, 2005 1:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have built the towers for my last 2 boats and had always used 2" 6061. Lastest one used heim joints so I could fold it up. I always mocked desgns up using electric conduct...cheap as anyhting, easy to hand bemd with tubing bender, really helps to get the design nice before bending $$ tubing.
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seadooman89
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PostPosted: Oct 15, 2005 5:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks alot guys, it has helped me already but i know someone who can bent 3/4 inch aluminum.... can i still make a tower outta that or will i run into strentgh issues?

i think i have 4 locations lined (i think side mounted)up but have no idea what to use to bolt it on, ive seed those brackets but dont exactly understand how to make the bracket connect to the tubing...

if anyone has any suggestions i have a(not sure exact year) 93 starcraft i/o

this is what my boat looks like fyi (hope link works)
http://photos.wakeboarder.com/showphoto.php?photo=11525&cat=3282
(not my boat, just found an image on the net)

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PostPosted: Oct 15, 2005 6:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hehe, he gave that paddle boat the "jet ski treatment" Laughing . I bet it doesn't work as well as putting it on the back of a SANTE but that should do.
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seadooman89
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PostPosted: Oct 15, 2005 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

thats not my boat 4 everyone out there..... i just put it as a boat that is similar to mine... mine does not have a paddle boat in the middle of it..
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seadooman89
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PostPosted: Oct 16, 2005 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i know someone who can bent 3/4 inch aluminum.... can i still make a tower outta that or will i run into strentgh issues?
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ballywho
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PostPosted: Oct 16, 2005 12:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm curious, if you have a Starcraft i/o, why is your SN seadooman89
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seadooman89
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PostPosted: Oct 16, 2005 12:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

well i also have a 2004 seadoo gti, now this time 4 real

i know someone who can bent 3/4 inch aluminum.... can i still make a tower outta that or will i run into strentgh issues?

someone please give me a hint as to yes or no pleeeease

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PostPosted: Oct 16, 2005 7:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

this time for real
3/4" ???
Are you serious? I would think you could bend 3/4" aluminum by hand, let alone being pulled behind it!

This time for real Laughing
I would find something thicker. Monster is 2 1/2 " inches thick

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seadooman89
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PostPosted: Oct 17, 2005 5:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

thats wut i was thinkin.... o well i guess ill go 4 2" or w/e
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PostPosted: Oct 20, 2005 9:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Most of your strength comes from diameter and not thickness. 3/4" is WAY too small. I would say 1.5" minimum, and I'd be a little nervous on that. Wall thickness will ultimately come down to the material and your wallet.
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PostPosted: Oct 22, 2005 8:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Use www.diytower.com if you plan on making one, it was instrumental in the building of mine. Mine is linked on there (Cody's post on WakeWorld or something) as well as how I did it.
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seadooman89
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PostPosted: Oct 23, 2005 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

LoudonTN wrote:
Use www.diytower.com if you plan on making one, it was instrumental in the building of mine. Mine is linked on there (Cody's post on WakeWorld or something) as well as how I did it.


i remember seeing your tower on there, i remember reading about it

i have a VERY basic idea in mind for my tower, which has one large piece of aluminum tubing going up bent at a 90 degree angle, going across my boat and back down at a 90 degree angle back to the base. I also am gonna put a support on each side... dont know how to describe it but at like a 45 degree angle.... dunno if thatl work, my friend should help me out but itl definetly be a spring project

if you have any suggestions or hints feel free to tell

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PostPosted: Oct 23, 2005 8:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Paint is your friend... ILLUSTRATE Wink
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seadooman89
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PostPosted: Oct 24, 2005 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lol i was gonna do that but id figure itd look reeeeeeallly gay

dunno i guess ill give it a try when im not on the laptop

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PostPosted: Oct 25, 2005 3:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've seen ones exactly like you describe. So yeah while that's cool and all cuz it gets the job done, don't you think that maybe it'd be worth a little extra work to make it look professional? I dunno, I look at the tower as a way to draw attention to the boat - be it positive or negative.
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PostPosted: Oct 25, 2005 4:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i dont think id be able to make a very complex one since i have very little knowledge of towers, i am just going for whatever will help my ride. my friend used autocad for his tower design, but i dont got that so im just gonna try to make one that works

it would be worth it if i was doin the extra work, but ill prolly be payin other people to do the bending and other work so im goin 4 simple

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PostPosted: Oct 26, 2005 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

here's a old thread from when I built mine (y'know that search thing that every b!tch$ about, heh).

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/viewtopic.php?t=19890&highlight=tower+design
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PostPosted: Oct 31, 2005 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

seadooman89, i think those are called Monkey Bars. I think there is even links for those on diytower.com. Anyways. those work if you can include some type of support that straps to the bow of the boat to reduce sway. I've not got any experience with those though, so i'm not the best person to help ya out here.
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PostPosted: Oct 31, 2005 5:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.keeklamp.com/us/

can anyone tell me if this sites materials are strong enough to make a tower out of?

the company is very local and i could pick up all the parts i need

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PostPosted: Oct 31, 2005 8:44 pm    Post subject: diy tower Reply with quote

i do like mneal's tip to bend conduit first and make mock tower. make notes of angles and then build tower. we built one out of rebar but the conduit sounds even better. i used 40 feet of aluminum at $400 canadian. so it can be costly to screw up the bends. a roll bar with cable to the nose would be your cheapest and easiest. my buddy built his tower out of steel and had tubing bent at a muffler shop. do not try to have aluminum bent by a muffler shop. it is to tight a radius. i know from experience. i actually used an electical powered conduit bender that i rented for 75 dollars for a day, it has more of a swoop type bend. i used 2" 6061 aluminum tubing. The tower spool and mounts we got from a guy from ebay company called precision metal machining we have built 3 and look similar to a roswell tower. if you have any questions feel free to ask me at abnovotny@shaw.ca.
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PostPosted: Nov 27, 2005 6:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

propecia - http://www.bestrxpills.com
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PostPosted: Dec 15, 2005 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you ever need anymore tower parts check this site out.

http://stores.ebay.com/pyramidmanufacturing
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