Aftermarket Towers

bamer001 03-17-2006, 11:53 AM

I'm looking at installing a tower on my 2004 Tahoe Q5. I am considering the following towers Tsunami by www.skyjac.com , Monster by www.monstertower.com , and Big Air H2O by www.bigairpylons.com . Does anyone have any experience or know what kind of quality these towers are? Please help!!

oregonski 03-17-2006, 12:19 PM

Check out wakeair.com too. Nice towers not too expensive

(brucemac) · (brucemac) **Join Date: Dec 2005** 03-17-2006, 12:19 PM

monster towers are terrific. they're solid, make no noise and their customer service is first rate. they don't always look as good as some of the more expensive towers out there, but they do what they're supposed to. i can vouch for monster and so can a ton of other people.

(chas) · (chas) **Join Date: Feb 2002** 03-17-2006, 12:39 PM

Wakeair has some great stuff

(tgsquared_27) · (tgsquared_27) **Join Date: Feb 2006** 03-17-2006, 3:09 PM

CHECK OUT PRO FLIGHT....I SAW IN ONE OF THEIR BROCHURES THAT THEY MADE A CUSTOM TOWER FOR A TAHOE Q5. NO UNIVERSAL TOWER WILL LOOK AS GOOD OR BE AS STRONG AS A CUSTOM PRO FLIGHT. ONLY THING IS THAT THEY ARE LOCATED IN MODESTO CAL, SO IF YOUR IN SHOUTING DISTANCE THEY WILL HOOK YOU UP( THEY CAN ONLY MAKE CUSTOM TOWERS AT THEIR FACILITY).

(lsv_doc) · (lsv_doc) **Join Date: Jun 2003** 03-17-2006, 3:48 PM

These giys are really good as well.

http://www.dbgconcepts.com/dbgmain.htm

(sixeye) · (sixeye) **Join Date: Apr 2005** 03-17-2006, 10:30 PM

I put a BigAirPylons on my wannabe boat last year. Looks super, easy to install, doesn't add sound, good price, and super customer service/support. Instructions are great and easy to follow. Only complaint is that the hand tightened bolts at the boat level tend to come loose. I have compensated by regularly checking them. Otherwise, I love this tower so far. A picture of my install is on their site.

(srh00z) · (srh00z) **Join Date: Jun 2003** 03-18-2006, 7:57 AM

I like my Big Air, by the looks of things, you are trying to keep from paying an arm and a leg, I think the Big Air or the Monster would both be great options. I don't know anything about the SkyJac.

(garman) · (garman) **Join Date: Feb 2005** 03-18-2006, 11:56 AM

Chris,

I just put a Big Air tower on my Tahoe Q5. I haven't used it yet, but it is very solid and I like the looks of it better than the others that I considered.

shiver8u 03-18-2006, 8:55 PM

Chris:

I have a monster tower on my boat and man is it sweet and supper stiff, nice and thick but very light!

I believe I could lift my entire boat out of the water with it!

Love it and they are made here in the USA with total support. Aircraft heim joints are used so there are no squeaks and it is solid as a rock.

Has a very nice flow to it and folds down when needed, flatter than other models I have seen. I went with it because of the engineering behind it and being an engineer myself, I reviewed all the drawing in great detail, made sense to me.

Used it last year and it was perfect, pulled tubes and boarders (although they say no tubes off the tower with any manufacturer for legal reasons) we pulled everything under the sun and no issues at all. Also very easy install you can see my boat under the four wins section on the Monster Tower web site.

But that is just my experience.
Greg

(lives2wake) · (lives2wake) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 03-19-2006, 7:05 PM

I put a Joystick tower on my nautique last year. Very happy with it thus far...good price too. You might be able to get a good deal, they also sell on ebay.
Justin

(dcranium) · (dcranium) **Join Date: Mar 2006** 03-19-2006, 8:54 PM

I looked at Monster and Big Air, but after talking to the guy at WakeAir was convinced/sold on their's. We bought a collapsible tower, and it was custom fit to our boat-down to the mounting brackets. It's totally solid and looks great. We live near Roseville, CA where WakeAir is located and had them install as well.

bamer001 03-20-2006, 5:27 AM

Hey Chad,
Do you have any pics of your boat with the tower installed?

(wakeair1) · (wakeair1) **Join Date: Aug 2002** 03-20-2006, 9:56 AM

Here is a close up of a Tahoe we did last year. I sent you the full picture to your e-mail.
Brian
Wakeair
1 877 Wakeair
Upload

(wakeside1) · (wakeside1) **Join Date: Nov 2002** 03-20-2006, 9:56 AM

In the past, if you wanted to buy a tower for under $1,200 you were limited to Monster Tower, BigAir, Skyjac, and a few other aftermarket brands.

This year for the first time ever you can buy an OEM Titan Series I tower for $1,195 with free shipping, no sales tax, and reward points. Titan pulled out all stops and matched the price of the Monster Tower. They each year they have been able to shave off more cost and pass along the saving to boat owners.

This tower and the Series II (swooped rear hoop) was the OEM tower on Malibu from 2001 to 2004. This tower is the most rigid tower on the market due to 2.25 inch stainless steel tubing and the unique progressive wishbone design.

The other reason this tower is the most rigid is that it is custom made for each boat! This is not a universal adjustable tower but is made off of measurements, yet is shipped in under two weeks. For an extra $50, Titan will prioritize and ship a custom tower within one week. Impressive.

If I had an older professional tow boat or a run-about recreational boat and had a $1,200 budget, the Titan Series I would be my choice.

http://www.wakeside.com/page/W/PROD/titan_wakeboard_towers/series_i_titan_tower

Upload

Mike
http://www.wakeside.com

(gandr_nautique)

Monster all the way. They are a great company and the tower is so easy to install and even easier to fold down. I did a lot of research before i purchased my tower and it is was defenietly the best tower for the price hands down.

(garman) · (garman) **Join Date: Feb 2005** 03-20-2006, 4:49 PM

Chris,
I don't have a picture right now, but if these torrential rains will ever stop, I'll roll my boat out of my carport, assemble the tower legs, and get you a picture or two. Hopefully tommorrow afternoon.

(wakeside1) · (wakeside1) **Join Date: Nov 2002** 03-20-2006, 10:20 PM

On the Titan Series I product page there are quite a few customer reviews and an image gallery with 25 or so images if that helps.

http://www.wakeside.com/page/W/PROD/titan_wakeboard_towers/series_i_titan_tower

(xsmini) · (xsmini) **Join Date: Dec 2005** 03-21-2006, 6:27 AM

I second the Titan S1 Tower. Absolutely nothing better on the market today

(garman) · (garman) **Join Date: Feb 2005** 03-21-2006, 4:37 PM

Chris,

Here's a couple pics of the Big Air tower on my Q5.. took them today.

Upload

bamer001 03-22-2006, 5:49 AM

looks good Chad.....Did you get the brush finish??

(greenpinky) · (greenpinky) **Join Date: Apr 2004** 03-22-2006, 8:29 AM

I'm old school Big Air! It has held up well. Newer design look good too!

Upload

(garman) · (garman) **Join Date: Feb 2005** 03-22-2006, 8:34 AM

Chris, Yes, I got the brushed finish. I just finished the install last week and I have yet to mount my speakers, racks (still looking for the right ones), and my white running light for late evening boat operation.

swass 03-22-2006, 8:38 AM

I, too have a Titan Series I. It's by far the stiffest, quietest, easiest to use tower that I've seen personally. The only thing I don't like is the height - it's a little low, so you can hit your head on my tower speakers if you're not careful. I think that's a function of the relatively narrow beam on my boat, though.

I don't have any personal experience with them, but I have yet to hear anyone who has a bad word to say about Monster.

shiver8u 03-22-2006, 10:39 PM

http://www.monstertower.com/

If nothing else go here and check out the HOTTIES!
These Females are smokin hot!
http://www.monstertower.com/customerphotos/index.htm

shiver8u 03-22-2006, 11:06 PM

http://www.monstertower.com/

If nothing else go here and check out the HOTTIES!
These Females are smokin hot!
http://www.monstertower.com/customerphotos/index.htm

(garman) · (garman) **Join Date: Feb 2005** 03-27-2006, 7:46 PM

Chris.... Well?? Did you ever select a tower?????

bamer001 03-28-2006, 6:20 AM

Chad.....Yeah, I ordered the Big Air tower yesterday. Did you re-enforce the hull with fiberglass, plywood, or alumnium? How thick is your hull where the tower is mounted? Did you have any trouble drilling into the stainless steal tubing? Any other details you can provide to make the install easier and quicker?

(garman) · (garman) **Join Date: Feb 2005** 03-28-2006, 10:58 AM

Yes, I re-enforced the hull with 1/2" treated plywood. It’s never going to get wet under there, so I didn't mind putting plywood instead of aluminum. After the fact, I probably didn't have to reinforce it, but it definitely will add strength. The fiberglass ended up being probably 1/2" to 3/4" thick where the bolts run through (which actually surprised me because I thought it was much thinner). I glued the plywood to the inside hull with fiberglass bondo (Wal-Mart $10). If you reinforce your fiberglass make sure they send you the longer bolts for the brackets. After the reinforcement, the 3" bolts were just the right length.

Drilling the stainless is tough. Use oil for lubrication (WD-40 is what they recommend, but I think oil is much better) and keep the bit lubed at all times. Go slow with the bit and use a good bit of force. The drill will get HOT! It helps for 2 people to do this: one drilling and one adding the oil. I actually went through 2 cobalt bits... went too fast with the first one and didn't lubricate enough. I destroyed the bit.

Also, I mounted my brackets high on the side of the boat... if you mount them lower towards the rub-rail, the tower will be wider than the boat. And speaking of the boat, you might find that your boat is not perfectly uniform from side to side (at least mine isn’t), so take time to measure your bracket locations carefully! That’s a few things I thought of quickly.

If you want to know more, need some pics, or have some specific questions, just ask. I’ll be more than happy to help. chad

bamer001 03-29-2006, 6:21 AM

Chad... I've never done fiberglass work so I'm planning on having that done. I am going to install the tower though. Do you think its best to have the glass work done first or last? "The fiberglass ended up being probably 1/2" to 3/4" thick where the bolts run through" The original hull was 1/2 to 3/4 or the original hull plus reinforcement....

bamer001 03-29-2006, 10:31 AM

oh yeah.....so you did not add any glass, just plywood and glass bondo

(garman) · (garman) **Join Date: Feb 2005** 03-29-2006, 10:32 AM

Chris, The fiberglass was about 1/2 to 3/4 thick BEFORE I added the plywood backing. If I had mounted it lower on the side it would have probably been thinner. Tahoe used some fiberglass backing filler/strips in that part of the hull which made it thicker. I recommend adding the reinforcemnet regardless. It just makes it stronger.

It was not hard to add the backing and not something to be concerned about. It consisted of just a few things.

1) Knowing exactly where you want to mount your brackets.
2) Then looking on the inside and cutting some cardboard templates to fit underneath.
3) Cut plywood templates from the cardboard ones.
4) Glue them in place. I was going to use regular bondo, but WalMart had some with fibergass in it so I figured I'd try that. Simply mix up the two parts per the instructions, smear it on your plywood, and put it in place.

Nothing to it. I drilled my holes for the brackets 2 days later.

(sixeye) · (sixeye) **Join Date: Apr 2005** 03-29-2006, 6:23 PM

Chris,

The Big Air Pylons tower comes with metal backing plates. You won't need plywood.

valleyforge 03-29-2006, 9:23 PM

I installed my Big Air H2O 2 weeks ago Dennis is right you are supplied with backing plates but extra can't hurt. I was thinking plywood but found easier solution at Home Depot, they have aluminum sheeting precut in 4"x 6"sheets in a 25 pack for 5 bucks (no cutting). I sandwiched 4 sheets for each leg. Backing plate over sheets done. Chad's point about drilling is right on 2 cans of wd40 will do . Finally don't get in a hurry measure,measure and measure again.}