Re: Price of a wakeboard tower !!!
I've been looking at something similar for a radar arch.
I don't know if a muffler shop can bend the pipe... maybe if you want it made from the same pipe they use?
Typically the dies used to do the bending have to match the tubing size precisely to avoid kinks. If the outside diameter is different from what the die is meant for, you won't get good results.
What I had decided to use (buy or rent) is a JD squared type tubing bender with the appropriate die. They usually get used for things like making rollcages for sprint cars, and can make just about any bend needed to any angle.
I was planning on bending the tubing, tig welding, and then welding up a support framework for the boat, since the top cap alone won't support the weight (I will tie it into the stringers/transom).
Note that if you use stainless and aluminum in contact with each other, you'll still have the dissimilar metals problem, even though the individual alloys are non corrosive.
Erik
PS: The cheapo "tubing benders" at harbor freight are for pipe, not tubing, so they won't work unless you're making a tower from steel pipe
