www.iFourWinns.com

Anybody have experience with Samson Wakeboard towers? I've been wanting the factory SS arch from Four Winns for my boat but it's just crazy expensive. In the end with shipping and installation it ends up being over $6000. So, I found this tower on Samson's site that kinda looks like it. So instead of 2" SS it's 2.5" aluminum. Here's a pic of it for comparison:

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06' 240 Horizon
Mercruiser 350 mag Bravo III

And what does it cost?

I like it too... If only I wasn't looking to sell my boat! Maybe for the next one?

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Marc, Kathlin & Nathalie


'89 Chaparral Laser 32

'93 Vista 245, 5.8L w/ King Cobra

Former Boats
'01 H260, 7.4 VP Duoprop
'98 H200, 5.0 GL w/VP SX drive

Well the Samson arch is $2000 vs. the FW arch which is $4600 plus $800 for the mounting kit, plus whatever shipping costs. I'm assuming installation at the dealer would cost about the same for either. Although Samson claims you can install their tower yourself no problem.

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06' 240 Horizon
Mercruiser 350 mag Bravo III

I have no experience with the wake board towers, but something caught my eye. Just wondering if the front mount would hit the dock or a dock post before the rub rail. Maybe its not an issue, but i thought i would throw it out there.

In general though, i would think the larger diameter would give a better look. FWIW

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Jeff

'14 Cruisers 380 Express "Simon Sez"
Merc 8.2 Mag MPI 380
DTS B3X, (x2) Axius Premier


(SOLD)
'08 V318
Merc 350 Mag MPI 300
DTS Seacore, B3 (x2)

Samson is very high quality and you can trust the workmanship. They used to be out of the Seattle area (I think they still are).

That's a big savings!

My only question would be if it's a polished arch or not... I think the Samson is usually not polished stainless - which the FW is.

May or may not be a big deal for you.

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

This is not a problem for me, as the dock edges where I dock are well below the rubrail at that point on the hull. Shouldn't be a concern provided the docks where you boat aren't super-tall from water line to the top of the deck of the dock.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

It's a "brushed" aluminum tower. Here are some pics they sent me:







I'm wondering if I just sold a few towers for them by putting these up here

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06' 240 Horizon
Mercruiser 350 mag Bravo III

Hey Pet do you have the factory installed FW arch?

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06' 240 Horizon
Mercruiser 350 mag Bravo III

Does the tower fold down easily to fit the boat in a normal garage door opening? That would be my consern.

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Troy
2008 Centurion Avalanche
1994 Four Winns Horizon 180 SE 5.0L OMC Cobra (Sold)
2002 Ford F150 Harley Davidson Edition (http://www.nhtoc.com) 378 hp & 465 tq at rear wheels
2008 Honda Accord EX-L w/Nav

I just went through with this process myself.
Samson is my choice if I have not gone with FW SS arch and go with an aftermarket Arch. They are aluminum (Brushed) 2 ½” diameter which is little bigger than FW polished Stainless Steel arch. I have not see the real one myself but after talking to Samson I did get a great feeling about they are great quality product.

I have pulled a trigger on ordering a FW SS arch with new integrated Bimini. FW`s latest Bimini for SS arch is much bigger than anything out there for arch application and I felt they are worth of investment. Unlike older Arch/ Bimini package which had separate forward lean Bimini the new integrated Arch/Bimini is much sleeker looking... Unfortunately the retail cost for FW. Arch is $6377.00 but it is with new Bimini.(6 hours of installation is required as well) They are still not cheap but they are polished Stainless Steel and very high quality. We are sacrificing having a camper canvas for now so getting a large Bimini was a decision making point.
I have looked many others including ones can fit existing Bimini (Arch will look too high on the boat) but we felt they all are not as clean as Original FW Arch. The arch for my boat should be ready by mid June so I will post picture as soon as they finish. In the mean time take a look at these close up FW Arch with Bimini.

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08 H260 VP 8.1Gi DP.....Previous
2013 Crownline E6 Merc 8.2MAG BIIIX, DTS/SC

Wow Sushi, that really is a beautiful arch! But $6377 is way out of my price range! Did that price include the $800 mounting hardware? Also, how was the shipping? I hear it's kinda heavy and expensive.

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06' 240 Horizon
Mercruiser 350 mag Bravo III

Does the Samson arch look like it's twice the size of this boat? To me, it just doesn't look right.

Although - that looks like a smaller FW. Maybe the arch will look more proportional on a 240?



Regardless, there is still a HUGE difference between 3k (installed) and 7k (installed and new bimini).

YEOUCH.

Koji, I hope Ryan gave you a discount!

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

$ 6733 is a MSRP for arch, mounting hardware and Bimini..... Shipping charge should be $150 to $300 range…. In addition 6 hours of installation will be required….. These figure is retail cost so dealer should work on better price but……..
I am kicking myself why we did not order it with our boat……..(Admiral!) Now I do not want to look back

I do. That is it pictured in my signature photo below. To me, they look exactly alike. If you already have the factory bimini, and are confident that they will work together, I see no reason to buy the FW one. If getting the arch with the new integrated bimini is what you're looking for, I can see why you'd go that route. That was unavailable in 2007 models when I built mine, so I got the forward lean that was put on all Horizons in my size and larger. Basically they just stuck the arch on after the fact at that time.

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Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

I agree that the one pictured is way too big for the boat it's mounted on. I don't have an arch, but my $0.02 worth is that although the factory arches look outstanding and are more than adequate functionally, some of the aftermarket ones are better quality while being much less expensive (as you've seen). $800 for a mounting kit?? WTF?

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic