Big Air Universal Pylon?

Does anyone know anything about "Big Air Universal Pylons"? I sent an email to them with some questions but havent heard back. I wanted to know if the cables that connect to the back of the boat, could be attached to existing cleats on the boat, instead of installing D-rings like they say on their website. Im installing this on my dads boat, and he is not to thrilled with having holes drilled all over the place, incase he ever wants to sell it. I figure the holes that would be drilled on the floor for the base plate would be easy to fix and cover, but not the ones on the gunnel. So if anyone has any input on this, let me know.

ya i have the big air universal pylon, i didnt really want to drill holes into the boat either. but i figured if we ever sell the boat, i will get another one of go for the tower. I actually had to pull out some floatation foam to get up to the fiberglass to put the nuts on the bottom of the bolts for the d rings, but it was worth it. im sure the cleats would be strong enough, because the only thing holding the d rings re some washers and nuts.

Hey, thanks for the info Ryan. I actually just talked to a women at Big air, and she said it really just depends on how decent the cleats are. They basically include the d-rings, so they know for sure that it is stable. Basically, if I dont use the D-rings, I would be voiding the warranty if something went wrong in that area.
But now Im thinking of a new idea. Im thinking about installing the base plate down in the ski locker, so it would be hidden when not being used. It would only shorten the pylon about a foot or so. But in that case, I dont think the cables would be able to reach the cleats. So it's a bit of a catch 22. I dont know if you have a close up picture of the d-ring connection, but I would greatly appreciate it if you did and you could post it. That way I would know for sure that it would connect to the cleat without any problems, if I did set it up that way.

i was thinking about putting the base plate in the locker also, but i figured it wasnt worth it, cause then you always have to have the locker open when the pole is in, and it will just swing open and closed when hitting wakes, it could result in injury of somebody falling into the locker by accident, put the base plate on the floor. i thought it would be in the way but it really isnt, nobody has ever stubbed a toe or anything, it only sites about 2 inches high. as for the d-rings, the back cables really dont take any force its all on the bow cables and strap, the rear cables just keep it in a straight up and down position, and keeps the pole sturdy. here are some pics of the d-ring, on top and bottom. most cleats are set up the same way and are sometimes more secure, the only thing you might run into is if the link fits in th the area between the boat and cleat, the link is about 5/16 in diameter. the d-rings really are not that bad, we actually use them as a place to tie up the fenders, because the rear cleats on our boat are really far back.

Hey, thanks again Ryan. Now I know exactly what to expect. Or I should say, I know exactly how to sell this to my dad now. Those d-rings do look perfect to tie up fenders. I was thinking of just tying some climing caribeaners to the fenders, which would be super easy to attach the d-rings when needed. That base plate does look like it has a low profile, but that will be the hardest thing to sell my dad on. Thats why I was leaning towards installing it in the ski locker. Our door to the ski locker is completely independent from the floor. So I could just slide it out, just enough to let the pole come through. So that shouldnt be a problem. My only concern is, Im not sure how sturdy that floor is down there. I need to try and scope that out tonight. I know Big Air's website says there is no torque being put on the floor, and it doesnt need to be reinforced. But I just wonder how true that is.

ya the base plate doesnt take any force at all, it is just there to keep the pole it one spot, it is only screwed into the floor, nothing else and that is all it needs. i took measurements of the plate, it is 1.5 inches high and 6.5 inches in diameter, i was lucky enough to find a space right between the ski locker and the fuel tank. the only thing the base plate is screwed into is the wood floor and some flotation foam under it. it is basically the same thing that they use for those tables in the boat.

A friend of mine put the BIG AIR on his BAHA boat(go figure) and he used the existing cleats. He didnt want to drill into the gunnel of his boat either. The cleats worked out fine.(until I bought a MALIBU.)