Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

[ClassyGlassy]

Hello all,

I'm new to the forums and would like some help with suggested materials to build a custom wakeboard tower for the sole purpose of pulling a tube and a knee board around the lake.

Our little 15 ft boat in the avatar has a very low draft and not a very tall windshield. I would like to build one that follows the slope back with the windshield, going up and back only about 20 inches taller.

I don't have a tube bender....so what would you build a tower out of? What kind of bracket can I use to mount it to the boat and where do I find them?

Thanks for the help.

Paul

 

[ClassyGlassy]

Re: Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

 

[Bondo]

Re: Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

I don't have a tube bender....

Ayuh,... So, What resourses Do you have,..??
What material do you which to build it out of,..??

I like aluminum tubing myself,... This is a semi-riged bimini I built a few years ago...

Not a ski-tower, but the same idea...

 

[Subliminal]

Re: Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

From everything I understand, it isn't a good idea to pull a tube with a tower. As a matter of fact, i believe that the tower manufacturers recommend against using them for such.

 

[Blujay96]

Re: Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

Stainless steel will make a nice strong tower. Easy to weld if you have access to a tig welder.

 

[bacafrog]

Re: Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

The tower should only be used to tow a knee board, wake board, and maybe a skier. Use the tow hook on the back of the transom for a tube. Just take a look at the ski poles and they even state that a tube should be towed on the lowest portion of it. The tower makes the rope pulling the tube to high. This results in the front of the tube coming up to high. I tubed behind one once, and found out it is very difficult to control the tube, because the front lifts to high. I second the stainless steel route. If you can't weld or get someone to weld it cheap for you I would probably just buy one.

 

[ClassyGlassy]

Re: Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

thanks for the quick responses so far....

I have a nice 110v Wire feed welder and some chop saws for welding steel tubing. I wasn't sure if round tube or square tube would be better. I really think I might just build a rear Targa style tower that would be a couple of feet higher than my Outboard. What do you think of that?

problem I'm having is that because my hooks on the rear are so close to the surface of the water it drags the front of the tube under sometimes which drags my kids off.....

I was thinking if I had a wakeboard tower it would pull them up quicker....but I didn't think about what that would do to handling the tube!

Is there something out there like a ski pole that mounts on both sides with the connection in the middle? I don't have anything to put a pole into and I want to try and make something that doesn't interfere with the passengers inside. My "Tubtoy" isn't that big

 

[Bart Sr.]

Re: Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

Check the wakeboarding forum.There are some links to making your own.

 

[livin4real]

Re: Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

They also make little inline floats to keep the rope from submarining

 

[Blujay96]

Re: Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

You can get stainless wire for your wire feed. It would depend on what size square tube you had and what size pipe you had. If you get me that info I can make a suggestion on that. If you use regular steel to build it paint it with a paint called steel-it, it is a stainless steel paint and it holds up very well.

 

[ClassyGlassy]

Re: Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

Thanks again for everyone's responses......we have decided to purchase the inline inflatable ball for towables.....

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/pro...ortsStuff_Booster_Ball&aID=600G6&merchID=4006

 

[livin4real]

Re: Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

Alot cheaper than the tower

 

[ClassyGlassy]

Re: Homemade Wakeboard Tower help

yes....lots cheaper! Now I can afford to get a complete rear enclosure and bow cover made for my boat like this: