Removability of a Wakeboard Tower

Psychout · Newbie Joined: 29 Jun 2006 Posts: 12 City: Toronto

My Uncle has a 23ft I/O Cobalt and I'm trying to convince him to install a wakeboard tower...however he isn't too keen on the look of them.

How removable (and how quickly can it be done) is a wakeboard tower? Are certain brands/types more removable/quicker than others?

Would appreciate your feedback on this and please let me know what type of tower you have in your response. Feel free to include links to towers that may fit the bill for what I'm after.

If the tower can come off in like 10-20 mins (with the help of a 2nd person) then thats perfect.

Thanks

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

You mean complete removal? I don't think any towers are made to be removed quickly. A lot fold down or may even have joints which allow the top part to be removed.

You are going to have to drill holes in your fiberglass to install any tower so complete removal is usually going to be a perminent thing.

You could look into getting a floor mounted pylon. I'm not too familiar with them on an i/o where you don't already have a ski pylon but I would bet some exist.

Psychout · Newbie Joined: 29 Jun 2006 Posts: 12 City: Toronto

What I'm after is something where the cage part of the tower (eg. Titan tower style has pivot mounts with a bolt through it on the base) that can be undone and the cage released / taken off.

I'm ok with the base mounts still staying there - just as long as the cage (majority of the tower can be taken off). As my uncle isn't convinced on the look of the tower (old school thinking).

Is this possible?

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

Oh, ok. That might be possible. I'm not familiar with any that are like that though. You might want to try posting in the boat forum. I don't think many people browse this one.

barrygtx · Newbie Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 30 City: Dayton, OH

I have a monster tower on a 20 foot Glastron runabout. It folds down for me to get into garage. With tower on I can't use my factory Bimini. This year I have put some eye hooks in my garage so I can on bolt the 4 corners of the tower and have it hanging from the ceiling. I can the pull the boat out with it in the garage. I can pretty much on bolt and hook it up myself. Monster tower itself only weight about 60 lbs.

gx205 · Outlaw Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 118

I have a Glastron 205, with a Monster Tower that I installed, and bought two extra quick release bolts. you can easily unscrew all four bolts by hand, and then lift the tower off with the help of a second person.

Also barrygtx, with a little tweaking you should be able to make your factory bimini cover work with your Monster tower.

If you go to monster's website, and then click on customers boats, and then click glastron, you can see my boat with my factory tower attached. I just took my factory bimini assembly apart and then shortened the legs, and then made the front bar a little narrower, and then put it all back together, and it works fine. It just doesn't fold up to where you can use the stock cover anymore when you have it in the folding position,but this isn't a problem for me as I leave it up all of the time when we are on the water.

The pictures on Monster's website are after I first installed the tower, and fixed my bimini top. You can see how the factory bimini comes down a little more on each side than it used to, due to me narrowing it up, but this year I marked where i wanted it to be on the sides, took it to a local upholstry shop, and he narrowed it, to now when it's on the boat it looks factory.

my boat is the third and fourth pictures on Monster's site in the glastron section, under runabouts.

Hope this helps

Brit Rider · Posted: Jul 02, 2008 3:15 am Post subject:

New dimension does one for the Cobalts that looks awesome. Also you can remove the top section just leaving the side rails following the windscreen.

Monster Tower woudl also work well as you can remove it quickly and easily leaving merely 4 mounts.

bftskir · Outlaw Joined: 14 Jul 2008 Posts: 118

i installed a barefoot international stainless steel universal tower on my sanger i was told by someone who claimed to know everything that there was no tower that i could put on and still use my $600 stainless bimini...he said i would need another $700 or $800 bimini...he was wrong. the bi tower is so adjustable it will fit any boat and will easily adjust in width and length and so it lets you use your bimini because you can adjust the width at the top of the tower with hidden turnbuckles built into the tower, which then tighten to make the tower rigid. the whole thing folds down to windshield height or can be easily removed with an allen wrench on 4 bolts, 2 can lift it off then. easier with 4 to be sure not to scratch your boat. there are pics over on my little sanger barefooter thread.

bass69 · Addict Joined: 28 Jan 2008 Posts: 529

go with an insanity pylon. im about to get one soon. its the only thing ive found that you can take from one boat to another. and it can be taken down in about ~5 minutes. u also done have to drill at all

http://www.insanitywakeboardpylons.com/insanitypylons/products00.html

bass69 · Addict Joined: 28 Jan 2008 Posts: 529

yeah the tower will fold parallel and it wouldnt even be an issue

DanMan · Newbie Joined: 06 Aug 2008 Posts: 3

Monster Towers do come off. Just order another set of quick release for $25 dollars and the tower only cost $995.

Hope this helps!