Thoughts on Monster MT2 look
 

I have an opportunity to buy a new MT2 that has a few supposedly minor scratches on it from being stored in a shop for $650 (Normally $1,350 shipped). I haven't seen it yet to determine the extent of the scratches first hand.

Being that it's polished I initially thought no big deal I'll just polish them off but then I found out that it's anodized. So, I wouldn't be able to polish it without compromising the anodization of the surrounding metal.

I'm not a huge fan of the Monster tower look in general but I think the MT2 looks pretty acceptable with the more "swooped" design. I know that they have a great reputation and are well made.

Attached is a boat like mine ('00 MC 230 VRS accept mine's black where this one's red) with the MT2.

1) Thoughts on the look? Mine are that it's perfectly acceptable, not ugly but not like "Wow! what kind of tower is that". At the same time I do have a certain amount of appreciation for the simplicity of the design.

2) Does anyone have thoughts on how to handle the scratches? If they're pretty minor I plan to just ignore them but if they're painfully obvious I guess it's worth ruining the anodizing on the scratched portions. Are there typically local places that can re-anodize?

3) For racks should I just go with Monster or are there better options that would work well here? I'd imagine most universal racks would fit well given the simple design of the tower.

Found these pics of a Sammy Duvall 210 VRS. Granted the boat itself has a cooler color scheme than mine but this really has me excited about the MT2 look:
http://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/...1&d=1277143732
http://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/...1&d=1277143838
http://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/...1&d=1277143984

And attached is a crappy picture of my actual boat accept I removed the MariStar decals since it was taken:

I'm not a Monster fan.... but you can easily strip the anodizing off with Easy Off Oven Cleaner.

First,I think there's nothing wrong with your color scheme.I think it would look good with that tower on it.I have 2 wake racks,a surf rack,and mirror arm from Monster.They are all the quick release type,so I remove them and wrap them in towels when done every time.I have 3 seasons on them and they are holding up really well.I guess it's like anything,if you take proper care stuff it lasts a little longer.

I didn't mean to imply that I was unhappy with my color. I just meant that that yellow one had more "Wow!" factor. That might be something that gets old in time though whereas it's hard to get tired of black and white.

Also BTW I will have a bimini on my tower (Probably the Monster one if I get this tower) as well as racks and speakers when the budget permits.

My other budget tower preference is the Aerial Airborne ($900ish shipped) and my "F the budget, I want an awesome tower!" preference is the Samson Razor ($3,900 with racks and bimini shipped)

I have the MT2 tower (it is on a Sea Ray I/O though). I agree with your thoughts...the looks of the tower are acceptable, it looks a little "simple" and like an older more basic design compared to others.

But the price is good, it functions excellent and the Monster Tower support is awesome.

I think my tower folds down easier then any other tower that I have seen. Which is a big plus that you don't appreciated until you have folded others up or down.

I have both wakeboard racks and ski racks from Monster. They both work great and I have had no issues with them. I also have 4 tower speakers and have modified a regular bimini top to work under my tower.

You could do a vinyl stripe where the beige one is below the black..... maybe bright green or slut red?

Either would give the boat some WOW.... and not cost much to do. :cool:

that beige stripe is the rub rail

Look again. Just above the Maristar logo is a beige stripe that is clearly NOT the rub rail.

Even the rub rail itself could be replaced for $200 or $300. Maybe black/stainless would update it a bit?

Titan tower
 

I would go for a Titan tower, they custom build them for your boat and are running a special right now for $1160.00 for a brand new custom tower. Call 916-858-1178

That's pretty good. I called and they said about $170 shipping on top of that. Doesn't include racks but I really didn't expect it to at that price.

+1

The fact that there are less joints in the tower will make it a lot more rigid. And a lot less tightening of bolts all the time.

+1 go with the Titan. The Monster is good for a universal tower, but structurally there is no comparison between bolted and welded joints. I've seen one on a Maristar before and the lines looked great together.

Well, I ended up buying that MT2 for $600 w/ tax. I couldn't pass the deal up even though it wasn't my favorite tower. The scratches were nothing more than I'd typically expect to see on a Chinese manufactured product like this after shipment. The worst was a less than a dime sized scuff on top of the rope saver which will never be seen unless the tower is folded.

Working on figuring out the layout right now. I'm hoping to mount the feet on top (rather than the side) to avoid having to worry about them bumping docks and other boats.

Son of a! I'm 90% sure that this is actually an MT1. I started laying it out and I was having a really hard time getting everything to sit right with 75-85" between the front and rear mounts. It looked weird with 79" of space because the tow point was angled back and I barely had 6' of clearance under the top bar.

Started looking closely at the curve in the rear uprights and these have less curve than the MT2 while the fronts have more curve. I pulled it back to the 48-60" mark like the MT1 instructions say and guess what... The geometry falls into place and it looks correct, like an MT1. However it really looks too small for my boat (23') and I don't like it.

So, I'm gonna call the dealer tomorrow and return it. Hopefully they can come up with something else at a great price. If not, oh well, I'll save up and get something later.

Confirmed that it was an MT1 and just couldn't make it look right on my 23' boat. Apparently the dealer had 2 open box Monster towers, an MT1 and an MT2. Some guy recently came in to buy the MT1 but they actually gave him the MT2 and the buyer either never knew the difference or was happy with the MT2 and never mentioned it. Since there was no packaging or documentation with either one I couldn't tell the difference until it was assembled.

If anyone else wants a killer deal on a new MT1 it's at Bennett's in Baton Rouge, LA. Like I said before the scratches on it were barely worth mentioning. I really wish it would have been an MT2 because that would have been like 60% off of the current MT2 price. Being that it's now a confirmed MT1 you might be able to negotiate the price down even more.

http://www.newdimensiontowers.com/

Custom built for the hull.

Yes, I'm aware of them but they aren't custom made for my wallet. If I was going to spend that kind of money on a custom tower I'd go for the Samson Edge. I think it's better looking and has the slickest folding action

If you get the ND, don't forget to buy the band-aids too.

I don't get it. Is it low and people bang their heads on it or something?

They have some corner supports MC added after they determined the tower was too bouncy when loaded or going over any chop. Seems like they would redesign the tower to make it right, but they just include the band-aids with the new towers.

I thought that only applied to the '07+ mastercraft towers with the lightning bolt style rear uprights.

Could be. Just be sure before you buy it.

I'm very sold on the Titan. We abuse it, on several different boats, and it is there for more everyday.

I wasn't planning on buying a New Dimension.

I just went with a aerial tower on my tige a few weeks ago. Found the best pricing was from H20watersports.com For a China universal tower I was happy. I ordered the package deal. Tower ( came with 2 racks) Bimini top, Speakers, Tower light.

Quick pic ( if it lets me hot link photobucket)

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/h...g/P1010270.jpg

Did the front mounted up top and the rear on the side ( because at that spot up top got thinner) Also it follows the windshield line better that way. A lot better then the Met Craft tower that was on it. Still has a bit of side to side sway in rough water ( with Wetsounds Pro 80's mounted on it)

Err sorry the website was http://www.h2osportswarehouse.com/http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/editp...post&p=1632780

I was also considering the MT2 tower..

Jeff,

Give us a call here at Monster - 877-778-6937. We'd love to talk with you about an MT2 and see if we have anything that we can do for you. We sometimes have some blems that we can discount.

Kenton
Monster Tower

Jeff,

The aerial airborne tower is as good as it gets. Im a installer for both aerial and monster. I currently have a aerial airborne on my mastercraft. It looks good and its super stiff. even with 4 boards in racks and a pro485 on the tower. They are also runnin a special on the airborne right now too.

By the way, are you in baton rouge? where do you ride? im up in monroe, La. But i take a lot of trips down to LSU.

I like the Airborne too. For budget towers I go back and forth between the Airborne and the Monster. In the middle I like the Titan and on the top end I have the Samson Edge.

I'm actually in Brusly, LA (Right across the river from Baton Rouge). I ride on the Intracoastal.