Tower of the future

sunrider 10-07-2005, 11:25 AM

Hey everyone,

Is anyone tired of the design of the A-Frame design of most towers out there? I certainly am! I have been bugging a local tower manufacturer to break out of the box and he's asking me for ideas. I'm no designer so I thought I'd get a public consensus of what everyone is wanting. So here's the challenge: What would your design be of a new tower if you could build one? Send in picutres of towers that are out there already or sketches of what you think they should look like. Come on let's wake (pun intended) these guys up!!! Thanks!

(caffeineguy) · (caffeineguy) **Join Date: Apr 2004** 10-07-2005, 11:52 AM

Is this just for your dealership or for the Tige boat company? IMO, they do need help on their tower designs.

sunrider 10-07-2005, 12:05 PM

Actually it's neither. I am just interested in seeing something new. I'm friends with a local tower maker and he says he is willing to do some prototypes if I can find something that he likes. I agree, for what's available Tige doesn't need any help, but doesn't everything have room for improvement/change?

(rich_g) · (rich_g) **Join Date: May 2003** 10-07-2005, 12:25 PM

I've thought about this, but I'm not a designer. What would be cool is a bimini that is completely integrated with the tower. Not a bimini added to a tower (too much hardware), but more of a bimini top that is structural - call it the "Towimini". Feel free to use this idea and make a million bucks.

(tings00) · (tings00) **Join Date: Aug 2005** 10-07-2005, 12:57 PM

i think the illusion tower is the best looking tower ever

shoeish 10-07-2005, 1:05 PM

I really like the tower on my Moomba Mobius XLV. I'm a little biased, though.

(breadbutta) · (breadbutta) **Join Date: Dec 2003** 10-07-2005, 3:25 PM

The Rebel type (reverse swoop) are cool. Most A-Frames are designed that way for structural integrity, not so much for looks. Or, like the pole's, have a strap to the bow. How else could you do it? Who is/know's an engineer?

(madchild1) · (madchild1) **Join Date: Mar 2005** 10-07-2005, 3:31 PM

the malibu illusion x tower is probably the most structurally sound and rattle free tower ever produced. butttttttt it only looks good on malibus.

(wakeslife) · (wakeslife) **Join Date: Jul 2005** 10-07-2005, 7:47 PM

illusion x + cft blade = towers of the future...

such clean lines and solid look

(greenpinky) · (greenpinky) **Join Date: Apr 2004** 10-08-2005, 6:28 AM

Svfara has the Illusion type tower too. Looks good on them, IMO.

(big_ed_x2) · (big_ed_x2) **Join Date: Jul 2004** 10-08-2005, 8:10 PM

quote:

the malibu illusion x tower is probably the most structurally sound and rattle free tower ever produced.

not

quote:

illusion x + cft blade = towers of the future...

where do you guys get this stuff..hahahaha

seriously....those towers may look cool but they are not practical or solid.

(liquidmx) · (liquidmx) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 10-08-2005, 8:22 PM

The illusions I have been pulled on are pretty freakin solid.

(scott_a) · (scott_a) **Join Date: Dec 2002** 10-08-2005, 9:14 PM

big ed- how are they not solid? i believe mr. buffalow said it was the most solid tower he'd ever ridden behind.

and if it isnt the most solid, then what is?

(bennettag10) · (bennettag10) **Join Date: Aug 2005** 10-08-2005, 9:24 PM

i wonder what it would look like with a tower like the illusion, but not facing backwards...

(big_ed_x2) · (big_ed_x2) **Join Date: Jul 2004** 10-08-2005, 9:30 PM

Illusion tower moves back and forth like most towers,they are nothing special in strenght.

The most solid tower I have seen and inspected was a Titan.

You guys can't tell me you feel the tower flex when you ride.I haven't riden behind any boat that I felt the tower flex when I'm actually boarding!!

waterdog2 10-09-2005, 6:03 PM

How about a tower that is hydrolic, push the button to raise or lower, integrated in to the hull so it's out of the way when you dont want to use it! Mabey like a convertable top on car's.

(malibuboarder75)

Now thats just lazy. Like the power wedge.

(bennettag10) · (bennettag10) **Join Date: Aug 2005** 10-09-2005, 7:50 PM

haha, i was just thinking about something like jeff said today when i was lowering my tower to put my boat in storage

waterdog2 10-10-2005, 3:28 PM

Leo, you might think it's lazy, but i also fish when the kids are to busy to ride so i have to remove the tower to fish and then reinstall it when the girls want to go. i also have to lower it to fit under my shelter. I wish i never bought the stupid tower, then the kids wouldent know the difference.Trying to get teen age girls to help with the tower, ballast bags,clean up,ETC. is impossible, they would rather stay home than do any work. Lazy? I dont think so.

(jarrod) · (jarrod) **Join Date: May 2003** 10-10-2005, 3:53 PM

I like the illusion and blade towers. They seem more practical to me. I wouldn't know anything about the structural integrity of them though.

I had the original Titan on my Malibu. It was extremely solid. No sway. And it collasped with the removable of one bolt which I though was brilliant.

I worry about my x2 tower snapping. With the speaker, lights, and loaded with boards, it moves more than anything I have ever seen. Seriously, it's scary.

byerly137pro 10-10-2005, 4:35 PM

As far as I've seen the Titan tower was the strongest. I can definately say my Rad-a-Cage tower is not nearly as strong.

(tparider) · (tparider) **Join Date: Aug 2003** 10-10-2005, 11:02 PM

The Illusion X is pretty solid. No noise, no squeeks, no nothing. Solid.

(buzz_grande) · (buzz_grande) **Join Date: Mar 2004** 10-10-2005, 11:22 PM

When I was checking into buying my Bu, there were two VLX's side by side. One had the Titan 3, and the other had the new Skylon made for the 05's. Checked them both out real good, and the Skylon was by far sturdier, IMO. I also liked the look of it better.

(tings00) · (tings00) **Join Date: Aug 2005** 10-11-2005, 2:39 PM

so has anyone came up with their own design

robertt 10-11-2005, 4:05 PM

http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/boating/1277126.html

This is a few years old, but a cool design.....

(jeff359) · (jeff359) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 10-11-2005, 4:31 PM

That rendering looks good on paper, but everyone would complain about it if they bought a boat with a tower like that. Looks like an extended pylon with a few foward supports. Takes up way to much room in the interior.

Function would be the same as a direct drive mid boat ski pylon extension

(humboldtboarder)

How about a tower with speaker enclosures built into the structure of the tower? Kind of like this --o-o---o-o-- if you get what I mean. The speaker box would be aluminum and the tower tubing would be welded to each side of the boxes.

(summerobsession)

I like the illsuion and blade towers as well, even though I have a 24V Tige`. Not so much for the looks, but for the fact that the bulk of the tower is BEHIND the driver. Visibility with my stock tower and racks while turning is HORRIBLE. In fact, I'm changing board racks just for this reason.
My thought would be to use the basic shape of the blade tower, with two smaller, seperate "legs" instead of just one. It might give a look of a more traditional tower, while still placing the bulk behind the driver, and offering a more solid mounting area.
If I could draw something on the computer I would. I'll try later.

robertt 10-12-2005, 8:21 AM

Although getting the boards off the racks can be a pain, I like having the tower over the drivers head. I have my speakers, tower, lights, and all the other crap directly over the bimini so I dont hit my head on it. When the tower swoops way back, its a head buster.

Its a trade off.

(kcsideways) · (kcsideways) **Join Date: Jun 2004** 10-12-2005, 9:50 AM

Check out the new cargo bimini for Supra's Sunsport 24V and Launch 24SSV. It's standard on the Supra Gravity Games 24SSV.

(jcv) · (jcv) **Join Date: Oct 2005** 10-12-2005, 11:10 AM

hey john, is this sort of what you're thinking about?

http://www.waterskiamerica.com/pro-shop.htm

i'm not sure what kind of tower that is on the boat at the top of the page, but it looks like an illusion with two legs on each side.

(noti_dad) · (noti_dad) **Join Date: Jul 2003** 10-12-2005, 11:23 AM

Rick, Got a link to the picture of the Bimini??

(madchild1) · (madchild1) **Join Date: Mar 2005** 10-12-2005, 1:22 PM

john and jeff,

that is the original illusion tower. it is actually not as good as the latest incarnation, the illusion x. i have heard it is very unstable and just not worth it.

(summerobsession)

That's not exactly what I was thinking. Instead of two tubes, more like the blade tower, with the exception of two seperate mounting points on each side. Take the blacde and split the sides dwon the middle. I have a crude drawing, but I cant resize it down enough to post.

byerly137pro 10-12-2005, 5:16 PM

Does anyone have the 04 Mastercraft brochure, if you look in the back it has some section on continuing to progress or something, and it has a picture of the boat of the future. Check that out for what towers may look like.

(kcsideways) · (kcsideways) **Join Date: Jun 2004** 10-13-2005, 8:59 AM

notidad:

http://www.supraboats.com/2006-preview.html
Look at the 24SSVGG in the left column...wish I had some pics to post.

(wakeslife) · (wakeslife) **Join Date: Jul 2005** 10-13-2005, 3:39 PM

That's just a bimini/storage type thing on the tower... There were pics of it in a post awhile back showing the new Supras and Moombas for 06.

(poser007) · (poser007) **Join Date: Nov 2004** 10-14-2005, 2:03 PM

I really like the Moomba XLV Towers tom they are strong and sturdy and look really classy the way they swoop back