is a tower a must?

[petrey10]

Is a tower a must have for wakeboarding and skiing? I mostly pull tubes but would like to get into some skiing and wakeboarding?? I am 6'2 200 lbs and can ski but I have never wakeboarded what kind of board should I get? Is wider better?? Longer better?? someone point me in the right direction here...

 

[deejaycee_2000]

Re: is a tower a must?

A tower is not a must, for skiing it doesn't matter at all, but it helps with wakeboarding, as it gives you more pull upwards to get more air, but we do flips without a tower so it is not a must, but it helps ...... buying a wakeboard .... my old man always tell me buy the best you can afford .... seeing that you are 6'2 I will go with a 143 or 144 (length) liquidforce, hyperlite is also good, as well as CWB and o'brien (I got a yamaha wakeboard the other day for free, and it was amazingly actually going really good, yes a yamaha wakeboard) you are very tall (so am I) so go with the longest board you can find .... wider is always better but longer is more important when you are taller ......

 

[sabastianunf]

Re: is a tower a must?

Definately do not pull a tube with a tower - they are not designed for that much stress. Definately buy the best tower you can afford. In my opinion the most bang for your buck is at www.monstertower.com . As far as the board goes look on ebay. there are some very high quality boards set up with bindings for good prices. west marine sells some cheaper boards but stick with a hyperlite or liquidforce if you can afford one.

 

[Liquid_force]

Re: is a tower a must?

A tower's not a must unless you're an advanced rider. Even then - a good rider should be able to do about everything behind a 20' I/O with a decent wake they can do behind a 22' Vdrive with a tower and ballast.
I noticed a little extra lift when we added our tower, but more than anything it's a storage/speaker rack.

Regarding a board - there are a lot of basic tutorials on line about how to choose a board. Wakeworld.com is a good source.
I'm a little shorter than you, but about the same weight. I've ridden boards as short as 137, and as long as 143, but width and shape are also important factors. My brothers 138 Liquid Force Trip pops better for me than my 143 Superfly.
When it comes right down to it - As a beginner it won't make much difference. I'd just look for something around 140 or larger that's in your price range, and don't go super cheap on bindings. Sandals are a joke, and most of the widely adjustable ones I've ridden aren't a lot better, but if that's what you need they'll work while you're learning.

 

[TahoeBlue]

Re: is a tower a must?

Yea i agree with everyone above. The Big 5 and Walmart sandal bindings are a joke. You would be better off stickin some old running shoes on there. But you can do quite a bit as a beginner on a cheap board if you have good bindings. You might want to just invest in a good set and then upgrade the board as you get better if you don't have the cash to spring for a $400 package right now. And again as everyone says no a tower is not a must. You can do most all of the same stuff on a standard ski hook its just harder.

 

[OKANAGANGUY]

Re: is a tower a must?

I am not to keen on the ins and outs of wakeboarding but, I just installed a tower on my boat and am learning how to wakeboard. I bought a custom built tower from a Gent in Regina Canada. If you or anyone else is interested I can send you some pictures. Send me an e-mail at tyregi@hotmail.com.
Thanks

 

[commandohorn]

Re: is a tower a must?

You can get the same effect for a lot less money with a ski pylon, check FlyHigh by Barefoot International, that's what I installed for a fraction of the tower price and it's removable.