Almost time for a tower....

[Speedling]

The bimini canvas has to get removed. The toll the tower does fold. I know I have to remove mine in order to get it underneath the seven foot garage door.

 

[CDENsomnia]

@Speedling So you remove the whole tower to get it in your garage? The tower folds too? Any pictures of it folded down? Wonder if it will fold enough that I wont need to remove it completely.

 

[Speedling]

Well, i haven't had time to install it yet....
From what it looks like for me, I will either fold it down onto the windshield, or back onto the swim platform. I'm going to be putting the tower where I believe it should be installed, and worry about that later. I still have to drill the holes which is not easy for me to do.

 

[CDENsomnia]

Man it would be great if it would fold down to the swim platform. Then I wouldn't have to take it off everytime.

I am also not comfortable drilling holes. Have only done it once for the stern remote and that was nerve racking! When I get my tower I am going to have a company in Oklahoma install it. Thats pretty much all they do is install towers and everything that entails. The cost is pretty reasonable too since I am not terribly far from OK. Trick for me will be removing my stock tower, having a fiberglass person fill the holes left behind, then have the guys from Oklahoma come install everything.

 

[TOGA]

I have an MTK on my 230. Did a lot of research and searched out someone in the industry that knew about mounting towers to check best place to mount. Turns out he knows engineers at Yamaha and called them for advice. I'm located close to ski boat Mecca and all the major manufacturers are in the same geographic area.

After all my research of looking at the same towers, I went with the MTK.

I am very pleased with the decision.

It is a solid tower and the people at monster are solid to work with. No BS and they want to make sure you are pleased.

I stepped up to the swivel racks and it was well worth it.

The Bimini is smaller than the factory top and offers less shade, but it is a lot sexier.

Skip the speaker bundle and build your own. Kickers aren't worth the effort. JL, Wetsound or Polk are what you need on the tower. My vote is JL.

I hope I've attached a decent pic, but this is first time posting a pic and trying from a phone. Know it's a different boat from yours, but hope it helps in your decision. It is rock solid and got @ 75 hours of wakeboarding and tubing on it so far this season and hasn't budged a bit.

 

[Speedling]

Drilled the holes
Got some good ply (forget what kinda wood again, but supposed to be ok for getting wet, which it shouldn't) and gonna paint the back side and then epoxy it in place tomorrow.
My pieces are 16" x 2.5" which I believe that it should be enough to reinforce it all good enough, but I need the good epoxy.
Sorry for no pictures. I leave for work before it's light out, and I get home long after the sun is down. Work a second job for this boat!
In any case, I hope to have good pictures by the weekend. The wakeboard racks are NOT in yet, but the speakers ARE. Still figuring out exactly how I'm going to wire them up through the tower, but they have provided proper holes and such except for the one at the bottom of the tower where I need to have the wires go into the hull. Which scares me becasuse I don't know how powdercoating would or wouldn't flake off when that is done.

 

[Speedling]

Tried taking a picture, but waaaay too dark even for the camera flash.
Tower main section is installed and bolted on, but is being propped up with a ladder right now so I can install the front legs tomorrow night hopefully.
I need to line up the middle section between the two tower pieces and make sure everything is centered before I drill the next holes.

Now... a question for those that may actually respond....
It seems tall. Like, I mounted it lower than the guy I posted pics of, and it STILL seems tall. Looks decent from ground, but on the boat, I'm like, wow, I could be 7 foot tall! Then again, I'll have speakers hanging and a bimini in there somehow, so maybe that's all a good thing? I guess, how tall is the top of the tower SUPPOSED to be? If nothing else, it'll make surfing easier, right? LOL

 

[Speedling]

Oh, and btw... it looks pretty dang good IMO

 

[Wayloncle]

The tower on my AR230 is probably 6'9" or so from the floor. I'm 6'1" and I have to reach over my head pretty good to grab the bar.

 

[Speedling]

So, you can see that I amtrying! Working till dark.