Safety recall on Evolution Tower!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(norcal72) · (norcal72) **Join Date: Aug 2005** 09-07-2006, 8:58 AM

You may or may not know about the safety recall on the Evolution tower. If you have not done so already, contact your dealer ASAP on the problem. You should not use your boat if you have one of these towers until you get it fixed. Good luck.

(jlembas) · (jlembas) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 09-07-2006, 2:29 PM

Who makes the evolution tower? What boat?

(bobbym) · (bobbym) **Join Date: Dec 2005** 09-07-2006, 3:06 PM

I think it is on the 2007 Centurions.

(anodyne) · (anodyne) **Join Date: Feb 2006** 09-07-2006, 3:21 PM

A Company Called Metcraft makes the Evolution tower (for Centurion) and the Illusion X tower (for Malibu).

(jbwaken) · (jbwaken) **Join Date: Dec 2005** 09-07-2006, 3:21 PM

metcraft

(ldc) · (ldc) **Join Date: Jan 2006** 09-07-2006, 4:13 PM

any details as to what is wrong or can go wrong with the evolution tower?

dc

(krbaugh) · (krbaugh) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 09-07-2006, 5:00 PM

It is pretty simple the Heim joints are not adjusted correctlly. If you own an Evolution Tower I would contact YOUR dealer ASAP Upload

(greatdane) · (greatdane) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 09-07-2006, 5:06 PM

I have been waiting for this to happen. It seemed very probable with some designs. Pretty serious too.

(norcal72) · (norcal72) **Join Date: Aug 2005** 09-07-2006, 5:08 PM

I was told that it was for any 2006 or 2007 enzo or avalanche with the evolution tower.

(greatdane) · (greatdane) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 09-07-2006, 5:14 PM

IMO, a joint that can fail and hurt people with normal use needs a safety cable or some sort of backup protection.

Simply specifying "3 threads MAX showing" seems unacceptable to me.

(krbaugh) · (krbaugh) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 09-07-2006, 5:38 PM

You are to stop using the boat and take it to the dealer!

This is not normal use it is a bad adjustment that can lead to failure. Very simple take it to the dealer and have it inspected!

(greatdane) · (greatdane) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 09-07-2006, 5:49 PM

Specifically, what is the failure that occurs when the "adjustment" is wrong?

Also, how was the lady hurt and how bad are her injuries?

(krbaugh) · (krbaugh) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 09-07-2006, 6:02 PM

The hemi joint is not screwed in far enough and can pull out of the end of the leg. Simply because there are not enough threads to hold it.
Other than the post that started this thread anyone being hurt is news to me. Both legs of the tower would have fail for the tower to fall in to the boat.

(greatdane) · (greatdane) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 09-07-2006, 6:18 PM

Only the threads hold the end of the leg and a few threads matter? Thats seems bad to me.

I much prefer through hole bolting, cotter pins and pairs of legs.

Both legs failing seems like it would be extremely rare unless one leg failing was relatively easy (say from a few threads).

(malibuboarder75)

I am no engineer, but I do know that each thread (revolution) equals a certain amount of torque and that just a few threads can equal a lot of torque that can be applied.

(greatdane) · (greatdane) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 09-07-2006, 6:43 PM

Actually, I can see how there would likely not be a failure if it was adjusted correctly. Once installed, it should not work its way out since the pole does not turn.

Still, I would want more of an overkill design. A massive amount of threads should need to be showing for a failure to occur.

(cyclonecj) · (cyclonecj) **Join Date: Jul 2001** 09-08-2006, 7:09 AM

If the stud is screwed in to a depth equal to it's diameter, that's as strong as it will ever be.

(krbaugh) · (krbaugh) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 09-08-2006, 8:08 AM

ok ?

(trace) · (trace) **Join Date: Feb 2002** 09-08-2006, 8:26 AM

I've always understood that rule-of-thumb to be 1.5x the diameter, but that's picking nits. I don't think the design needs any kind of safety cables or anything since two would have to break at once, which I'd think is highly unlikely. It'd still be a good idea to mention proper adjustment in the manual or something.

(enzostyle) · (enzostyle) **Join Date: Aug 2006** 09-08-2006, 9:52 AM

I had mine done 2 days ago. One side was pretty close to the failure point. I could grab the leg and see the bolt moving back and forth.

If the story about the woman getting hurt is true, I wonder who is the liable party? Metcraft or Centurion? With someone wakeboarding behind the boat I bet that tower comes down with some incredible force.

(greatdane) · (greatdane) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 09-08-2006, 11:04 AM

If one leg fails then the other leg needs to handle twice the load or worse (because of the imballance). This seems pretty sketchy to me. I would prefer a design that has very little chance of failure from small adjustments on either side.

(trace) · (trace) **Join Date: Feb 2002** 09-08-2006, 1:31 PM

Heim joints are unbelievably strong for their size, anywhere from 5000 lb to 15000 lb capacity each in a 1/2-20 thread size, which is what most towers seem to use. You should be able to bend the tower into a pretzel and/or rip the feet out of the deck with 3 of them (threaded in far enough).

(greatdane) · (greatdane) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 09-08-2006, 2:21 PM

I believe that. Still, how many bozo bolt turners around the country are installing these joints? If three threads matter, then I am afraid. My experience with boat service people has been pretty damn poor (even with promising big tips).

(trace) · (trace) **Join Date: Feb 2002** 09-08-2006, 9:25 PM

Agreed. Just commenting on the design, not the monkeys that actually assemble the stuff. :-)