Anchor points for tubing and skiing

[1970Thunderbird]

All,

I'm wanting to tow a two-person tube and perhaps a skier, though not at the same time. I have an 80hp Mercury outboard. Since I have an outboard, I bought one of those ropes that equalizes the load between two tow points. It has a pulley so both anchor points bear the load equally.

I need to get tow points. Am I ok with a u-bolt, or do I need those fancy, $20-a-pop round ones? Also, I've heard high and wide is the best place to put these points in my transom. Agree? I have no current anchor points, though I do have a rear cleat on both port and starboard, though I'm reluctant to anchor tow lines here, as I doubt the fiberglass is thick enough.

Would a regular stainless u-bolt from Home Depot be ok, or is there something special I need to look for?

And will this tow setup with two anchor points work for both tubing and skiing? My dad has no interest in tubing, but would like to ski.

Thanks!

 

[inthedirtagain]

Re: Anchor points for tubing and skiing

I had an 18ft Starcraft (alum) with a 100hp Evinrude on it last summer and was wanting to do the same thing you suggested. I just couldn't see spending money on this boat because of its age, so I went cheap with everything. I purchased galvanized eyebolts from Home Depot for less than $5 each. I didnt want to go too wide on the transom, so I drilled within the OB mounting area and as high as I could while still being structurally sound. I don't have a good pic, but if I had to guess, I would say that they were mounted about 8in from the top of the transom and about 5ft apart.