2016 AR190 - Can you use wakeboard tower and bimini at same time?

[Summers420us]

Says it in the subject: 2016 AR190 - Can you use wakeboard tower and bimini at same time?

In otherwords, is it possible to attach towline to wakeboard tower and leave the bimini deployed? What is the trick? Pictures are worth a thousand words.

 

[DBamaC]

No pictures, but yes you can. It even has a zipper in the bimini so you can see the tow point to hook up.

 

[DBamaC]

You can kind of see how it works from this pic. most of the time people have the back of the bimini flipped up. You can tension it down so the rope goes over the top. Someone correct me if I'm out in left field.

 

[Summers420us]

over the top... I kept thinking it should come under the bimini, not over

 

[viper15]

Digging up an older thread ... I'm been going over and learning about our new 2017 AR195 as we haven't had it in the water yet. The owners manual says the rope is supposed to go over the bimini, and that the adjustable support rods at the back should be in the shortest position. How do you actually get it to work? I've played around with it and I understand how to shorten the support rods. But in there shortest position, I can't get them locked down into the mount on the tower. The bimini itself pulls too tight. If I pull as hard as I can, I'll wreck something before I get the support rod locked in.

Am I doing something wrong?

 

[haknslash]

I've never had mine tighter than the longest position. Any other position is so tight and feel like I'll break something. Tower on mine is the same as the 195. That being said we did not have an issue with the rope while surfing close to the boat and Bimini in longest position. I don't think it would be an issue with a wake boarder who is further back.

 

[Summers420us]

I can actually put mine in the middle position. Again, no interference with rope over the top of bimini. Anything looser than middle, and mine rattles and whips in the wind. And no way to move to lower position without wrecking it.

 

[viper15]

I didn't try the middle position yet. But I'll give that a go. Otherwise, it doesn't sound like a big deal. Thx.

 

[Paul Paulo Pablo]

Just went for the first ride on my 190 today. Get them locked into the tower THEN shorten them up. Much easier to do in that order. At least, that's what the technician that was giving us our walkthrough did.

Over the Bimini makes me nervous but I guess if that's what you guys think, I'll try it.

 

[viper15]

I tried this past weekend to shorten the support rods on the bimini ... tried & tried. I just can't get them any shorter than the longest setting. Something will break or tear if I even try to get it at the middle setting. Does anyone have pics or a video showing their bimini at different height settings?

 

[haknslash]

Same for me @viper15 and it's been that way since I've owned the boat. I figured the bimini fabric would have stretched a little by now to allow for another setting if needed to tighten it up but it's still as tight as can be on the longest setting. No way do I feel like the bimini can go into any location than the longest pole setting on my boat. I feel like it would rip it or break something for sure as it's so tight. That being said I haven't had a need for getting it any lower. When surfing off the boat the rope did no interfere.

 

[viper15]

Same for me @viper15 and it's been that way since I've owned the boat. No way do I feel like the bimini can go into any location than the longest pole setting on my boat. I feel like it would rip it or break something for sure as it's so tight.

Have you towed with the bimini in that position? Does the rope clear?

 

[haknslash]

Have you towed with the bimini in that position? Does the rope clear?

You don't want to tow a tube from the tower but rather use the tow hook on the stern.

That being said if you think about angles, when surfing that should be the most extreme angle for the rope as the rider would be closest to the boat. The further out the rider, wakeboarder, skier, etc the less of an angle for the rope. Of boat attitude of surfing vs skiing or wakeboarding is completely different so that could play into the rope angle as well. I've never pulled a skier or wakeboarder to confirm if it interferes or not.

Here's a rough, quick illustration I made...

 

[viper15]

@haknslash - Super thanks. I already knew not to pull a tuber on the tower. And no one in our family surfs. So we would only be using the tower for wakeboarders and waterskiers. I guess I'll just try it as is to see if the rope clears the bimini. If not, I'll have to look at the bimini design to see what needs to be modified.

 

[haknslash]

Let us know how it goes. I was worried at first too but I had someone checking to make sure it wouldn't rub or rest of the top. We tried with the rope underneath but that looked like it was going to hit the top and pull up on it. Like you I would love to see pics or vids of someone who is actually able to use any other adjustment on the pole. I already have to pull down a fair amount just for the highest setting and it's tight like a drum along the sides of the Bimini. I can't imagine how hard you would need to pull for it to go further.

 

[2kwik4u]

I'll yield to experience here, however when I asked the dealer during our delivery walk through I asked this exact question. His response was to pull everything but a tube from the tower and go UNDER the Bimini through the zipper access.

I have yet to ride behind mine, but will certainly update with results when I do, however I suspect that the others that have already done it are correct.

Cliff Notes.....I have nothing to add that is productive

 

[viper15]

Just a quick update ... I messed around with the bimini last night and tried 6 different ways from Sunday. There is absolutely no way that my bimini can adjust to the shorter positions. And with that, I hooked up a rope to see how it might interfere. So, in my yard, I stood on a ladder at the end of a ski rope to try and simulate how the rope would interact as if I was at the right water level. The rope does contact the back side of the bimini. So much so, that I think damage would occur, or at least more rubbing that I'm comfortable with, when a skier would run from side to side.

I talked to my dealership this morning about it. They said the shortest position is to be used for bimini storage only (contradictory from the owners manual). But they said I should be able to use the middle position and they display boats that way quite often. They are going to go play with one that is on their showroom and get back to me later. To be continued .....

 

[swatski]

Just a quick update ... I messed around with the bimini last night and tried 6 different ways from Sunday. There is absolutely no way that my bimini can adjust to the shorter positions. And with that, I hooked up a rope to see how it might interfere. So, in my yard, I stood on a ladder at the end of a ski rope to try and simulate how the rope would interact as if I was at the right water level. The rope does contact the back side of the bimini. So much so, that I think damage would occur, or at least more rubbing that I'm comfortable with, when a skier would run from side to side.

I talked to my dealership this morning about it. They said the shortest position is to be used for bimini storage only (contradictory from the owners manual). But they said I should be able to use the middle position and they display boats that way quite often. They are going to go play with one that is on their showroom and get back to me later. To be continued .....

You are not accounting for the change in boats attitude (bow up at speed) with your backyard ladder trick.

Definitely rope ABOVE the bimini in all regular boats - when skiing, wake boarding, or pulling a tube.Otherwise you will be rubbing the end of the bimini off the frame from under.

Wake surfing is tricky and it will depend on where you end up behind your boat.

The E-series 242s with large bimini are special case, not relevant here, as those are designed to pull the rope UNDER the bimini. I personally do not like it, and I think they maybe setting themselves for a big failure if any of their customers gets a loose rope wrapped around a neck or a limb during a water sports session, God forbid.

Wakeboarding (AR240):




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[viper15]

You are not accounting for the change in boats attitude (bow up at speed) with your backyard ladder trick.

Definitely rope ABOVE the bimini in all regular boats - when skiing, wake boarding, or pulling a tube.Otherwise you will be rubbing the end of the bimini off the frame from under.

Wake surfing is tricky and it will depend on where you end up behind your boat.

The E-series 242s with large bimini are special case, not relevant here, as those are designed to pull the rope UNDER the bimini. I personally do not like it, and I think they maybe setting themselves for a big failure if any of their customers gets a loose rope wrapped around a neck or a limb during a water sports session, God forbid.--

I completely understand and agree with what you are saying. That was the whole point of me standing on the ladder - to get a better simulation of how/where the rope/skier would be in relation to the boat actually in the water. By the looks of your pics (love the boat!), the back edge of your bimini is lower than mine. Below is a pic of mine where I indicate how high the back edge of the bimini is and I don't think the rope will clear it (running the rope over the top of the bimini). It has two adjustments that should allow me to lower it, but the bimini simply gets too tight to use those lower adjustments.

 

[swatski]

I completely understand and agree with what you are saying. That was the whole point of me standing on the ladder - to get a better simulation of how/where the rope/skier would be in relation to the boat actually in the water. By the looks of your pics (love the boat!), the back edge of your bimini is lower than mine. Below is a pic of mine where I indicate how high the back edge of the bimini is and I don't think the rope will clear it (running the rope over the top of the bimini). It has two adjustments that should allow me to lower it, but the bimini simply gets too tight to use those lower adjustments.

You are right! Wow. That aft edge does stick up real high.
IDK, it may be difficult/impossible to pull with the bimini up... Unless the fabric loosens up a bit with time and you can shorten/adjust the supports.

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