| If you have ever wanted to add a tower to your | | | | Almost all towers "fold down." They real question is, |
| boat, then you will definitely want to get some of | | | | after it folds down, how high does it stick up in the |
| the facts straight, and arm yourself with the insider | | | | air. You want one that folds completely flat so you |
| information that the tower industry is hoping you | | | | do not have to change your boat cover or worry |
| never find out. Here are some facts that I hope you | | | | about where you can store your boat. |
| find useful. | | | | Finally, the real deal breaker for a lot of buyers is the |
| The first thing you want to ask is what type of | | | | huge insider secret that I have saved for last. No |
| material is the tower made from? The preferred | | | | tower looks like it will loosen when you first inspect it. |
| material is stainless steel. Many towers offer different | | | | An easy way to know if you are looking at a tower |
| colors, but this means some serious sacrifices. Painted | | | | that is prone to getting lose is whether or not it has |
| towers are aluminum while stainless steel is by far | | | | a sticker that says, "Do not use this tower for using |
| the more time proven material that neither rusts nor | | | | towables!" |
| fades. | | | | I was flabbergasted to find out that the most |
| Buying a wakeboard tower for your boat means | | | | abusive activity you can do with a tower is to tow |
| making sure it will fit your boat. This type of tower is | | | | your family or buddies in a tube. But who wants to |
| commonly referred to as a "universal tower." A | | | | change the rope to down low when it could be up |
| universal tower is designed to fit a wide variety of | | | | and out of the way of passengers. |
| boats, but there are some specs you should know | | | | We found that neither wakeboarding nor barefooting |
| before making a decision. | | | | produced the most stress on tower joints. Tubing is |
| First, make sure that the tower mounts (the base | | | | the ultimate test of boating abuse. One manufacturer |
| for the legs of the tower) can be used on any angle. | | | | was so concerned about this that they decided to |
| While many boats need a horizontal or flat surface to | | | | take abuse to the next level by driving their entire rig |
| mount on, you may find your situation requiring a | | | | from California to Maine with the tower in the up |
| vertical (or side-mount), or even an angled surface. | | | | position to find out where a tower gets lose. |
| Since there can be a lot of stress on the base | | | | The answer to the problem was ingenious. They |
| mounts, I recommend finding an aircraft aluminum | | | | added an over-head cross bar attachment that |
| universal base. | | | | allowed the owner to expand the crossbars until the |
| Since price is always a concern, look for a tower that | | | | wakeboard tower was so solid that it did not budge. |
| comes standard with features such as a built in | | | | To prove their point, they are the only manufacturer |
| racking system. Almost everyone that buys a tower | | | | I looked at that encouraged boat owners to tube |
| find themselves in need of additional storage for their | | | | with their tower. |
| boards or skis. If you have to buy a board rack, it | | | | If you do not want a tower with 8-12 inches of |
| will add an additional $260-$600 to the cost of your | | | | "play" in it after a couple of years, make sure your |
| tower. In addition, make sure that you choose a | | | | wakeboard tower comes with an over-head |
| tower that folds completely flat so you do not have | | | | adjustable crossbar. |
| to fork out an additional $650 for a custom cover for | | | | Doesn't it feel great to have insider info? |
| your boat. | | | | |