How to Install Boat Wakeboard Tower (Monster Tower Sample)

Posted by Author David Lee

Spread out the parts and be sure everything required is present. Then gather the tools. You’ll need a reversible electric drill, drill bits from one eight, one fourth, five sixteenths, three eighths, and on half inch in size. You’ll also need a chamfer router bit or a step drill to bevel the gel coat edge at the bolt holes. You’ll need a socket wrench with 13 millimeters, 17 millimeter and 19 millimeter sockets. You can substitute a half inch socket for 13 millimeter and a three quarter inch socket for a 19 millimeter. You’ll also need masking tape, pencil and tape measure.

Determine which mounting configuration is best for your boat. A top mounted tower’s ideal if there’s adequate hole with and enough mounting surface area on the deck. We chose a side mount due to its narrow beam and scant surface mounting area. Assemble the boat tower tubing on a tarp for protection. Screw the heim joints into the two bases about halfway. Assemble the base mounts and swivels.

Loosely fasten the base mounts to the ski/wakeboard tower. Mask the mounting area to protect the gel coat during installation with a couple of helpers, lift the tower into place and roughly determine the mounting position. Mark the ideal position and repeat that on each side. You want to double check this by measuring the distance from the forward mounting blocks to the stern. That’s to check for symmetry. Many boats aren’t symmetrical regardless of appearance. If they are out of square too much adjustments will be difficult. Lift the boat tower into place and make a final position check. Remove a mounting base and use it for a template for drilling the bolt holes. Mark the perimeter of the block and the holes.

Now check behind the whole surface and clear out any flotation foam. Cut backing boards at least 18 inches long and at least three inches wide from half inch plywood. Plywood backing boards are secured inside the deck to help distribute the stress from the wakeboard tower while towing. It will help prevent gel coat cracks too. Glue them in using 3M 5200 Adhesive or sea life adhesive. We use plexus for its fast curing time, but it’s not necessary for a sound installation.

We clamped our backing boards in place by screwing through the snap holes. Alternatively, you could drill one eighth inch pilot holes for the bolt holes and clamp the block in with one inch screws. To drill the holes, begin with a one eighth inch bit and set the drill to reverse. Drill through the gel coat and the fiberglass before drilling in forward. Progress through the larger bits until you get to the final size.

Use a chamfer router but or a step drill to bevel the Gel coat by hand. This will further protect against gel coat cracks that could run from beneath the tower mounting bases. Before tightening the blocks, grease the nuts to keep them from seizing should you need to remove them later. If the boat tower will fold forward for storage, the large part of the mounting base should be affed for a full range of motion. If the tower will fold af, be sure to reverse them. Secure the base swivels, but just finger tight to assist in determining the block positions on the hull. So let’s fit her in place. After firmly mounting the front blocks to the tower, raise it up to position the aft base blocks. Repeat the drill process. Now tighten all the base mounts and swivel, adjusting the swivels to a vertical position. Bolt the aft heim joints to the aft swivel mounts.

This part can be tricky and require lots of trial and error adjustment of the heim joints. Adjust the wakeboard tower by screwing the heim joints in or out until the fit is smooth and releasing the aft heim joints requires only a little assistance from a buddy to lift the tower, removing its weight from the joint so you can raise and lower the boat tower without tools install the quick release knob. Attach the tether to the swivel bolt, then screw the knob to the heim joint. Once the tower’s in place, there are four more holes to drill at the top joints.

First, measure the boat tower diagonally from the forward access port in the tubing. Repeat the measurement from the other side. measurements should match and indicate the tower is symmetrical or square. If they don’t match, push on the top measuring point of the long measurement to adjust it. heel of your palm or a rubber mallet should do the trick. When square, use 10 millimeter bit provided to begin the first hole. Just drill enough to form a divot in the metal. Switch to an eighth inch drill bit and drill through. This will make it perfectly centered guide for the entire hole, preventing the 10 millimeter bit from walking aside. Repeat this process on the remaining corners. Then bolt it all together.

Next, thread the stern light wire through the stern light base, then through the spool and finally through the threaded mounting base. Use a fish tape to pull the wire through the tubing to the bottom of the base. Be sure to thread the wire through the grommets and leave enough slack for the wakeboard tower to fold. Then, screw the all around navigation light into the tower through the nylon tow rope collar. finishing touch is placing the rubber caps into the access ports on the top of the tower. We didn’t immediately get to enjoy the fun new tower, but grabbed a quick ride on a new ZUP board a week or so later.

When the boat ski/wakeboard tower is properly installed, you can lower it with the help of a friend. Have him or her hold the tower up, pushing aft slightly while you loosen and remove the quick release knobs.

So it’s about a seven, maybe an eight hour job or you could take out some of the camera time that, but Steve, it’s a job that anybody could do. You read the directions, a drill, a screwdriver, a couple of wrenches, couple Allen wrenches. It’s not even big tools.

And a couple of friends. Friends help position things while you mark the bases.

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