to Tower or NOT to Tower

Pedropup · **Joined:** Sat Jun 30, 2012 10:51 am **Posts:** 104

So....picking up the new boat and am left with one final choice......should we do a tower or not?

no serious wake boarder's in the family, and if we end up with one, he is currently only 4, so we have plenty of time before he gets "serious". Does anyone recommend a tower for a 2012 H210 for reasons other than wake boarding? i end up with mixed reviews about space it provides, but I worry about the reduced Bimini Top.

Thoughts?

Jafo4U · **Joined:** Wed Jun 22, 2011 2:33 am **Posts:** 1026

I have the 2008 H220SS and it came with the tower included and it has more than enough space under the bimini for me and the family. I also love the bazooka speakers that hang off the tower they are great! I don't wakeboard nor do any of my friends or family that are on the boat frequently but the option is there. I love my tower and I am adding two more bazooka speakers in the near future.

Walt · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2012 4:19 am

TOWER.
Resale value; bimini; speakers; maybe you'll try/like wakeboarding. I didn't intend to get one, but my boat had it for the same price. I couldn't imagine not having one now, and yes, I wakeboard. We even use it for tubing.

Jafo4U · **Joined:** Wed Jun 22, 2011 2:33 am **Posts:** 1026

Walt=Do you connect the tube to the top of the tower or to the bottom near the swim platform or does it really make any difference.

askieffer · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2012 9:04 am

I have the tower on the SL and love it. We put the tube ropes up there and it keeps them out of the wake and has less drag. The Bimini on our tower has a front section and a huge rear section that almost covers the entire back of the boat, not sure if that option is available
on an H210 but it sure is nice. It's also nice to have a place to hang wet life jackets.

My opinion is get the tower now even if you never use it, if you decide to add one later it's usually pretty involved AND more expensive.

BartsPlace · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2012 10:57 am

Another vote for tower here! Gives you so many options.

ric · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2012 11:50 am

They add resale value everyone new to boating thinks they need it (most never use it). Wakeboarding as a sport is starting to slowly fade away, wake surfing and wake skating are growing fast. If your kid is 4, by the time he's good enough to really want to do it.... wakeboarding will be the slalom skiing of the 90's and dead. All of those sports can't be successfully done behind a sterndrive, you need a dedicated inboard with ballasts and prop direction based upon of their regular or goofy footed.

So in my eyes... get the tower if you want the extra real estate, but if your kid is only 4 don't get it thinking you'll be using it for wakeboarding. By the time he's old enough to be decently good, the sports he's going to be into you can't do on a four winns.

pet575 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:12 pm

ric wrote:

Wakeboarding as a sport is starting to slowly fade away......By the time he's old enough to be decently good, the sports he's going to be into you can't do on a four winns.

No and NO.

Wakeboarding isn't fading, it just isn't the hot sport at the forefront right now. The economy has had a negative effect on all high end watersports but the sport is still growing. It may be stagnant in the places it started, but it is still growing in many parts. I think I heard the same "that will be gone in 10 years" about snowboarding.

You can get a very good wake out of a 210/220 if you know what you're doing.

ric · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:27 pm

pet575 wrote:

It may be stagnant in the places it started, but it is still growing in many parts.

I live in Florida on the actual lake where the guys that started the sport (as an official sport) lived on. So yeah... around here it's fading faster then you can blink. It's cool though, we still have all the old a-frames and stuff in the lake used for tricks. Some are rebuilt and fixed, the wake skaters like em.

Flying Sushi · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2012 2:42 pm

Tower or arch goes well with newer boat.... Although I would never tow tube from there..... They are not design to handle potential sudden load when tube dig into the water.

Walt · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2012 4:32 pm

I won't even begin to comment on Ric's drivel about which sport anyone does behind thier own boat. It's best for keeping the bimini high and secure. When I test drove the boat, I didn't even notice the bimini (out of sight/mind). I couldn't imagine being without it. I also use the tower for water skiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, and yes, tubing. I've even "snorkelled" behind mine.... dangerous since visibility is only about 6", and depth about 4-6ft. It helps keep the rope out of the water, and thus helps to keep the tube from digging into the water. The only issue I have had was a tube becoming an unpredictable kite when empty with strong winds.

If you have the option between the (aft) Tower and (forward) Arch; I like the look of the arch a little better, but I spent some time with one of our previous forum members that had an arch (your boat, tanker toad). I didn't care for the arch/bimini integration, as it seemed to conflict with the ski rope. That's just not the case with the tower.

JDW250 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2012 7:50 pm

Who cares what we think? It's your money, set the boat up the way you want it.

But since you asked... Like Walt, I wasn't looking for a boat with a tower. I found a boat that had the setup I wanted, and it just happened to also have a tower. The biggest problem I have with the tower is because I keep my boat indoors, I have to raise it every time I get the boat out and lower it every time I put the boat away. It's not a major event, but somewhat of a PITA. In my non-engineer opinion, they missed some opportunities in the design of these towers that would have made them more friendly to store in the down position.

But once it's up and I'm out on the water, I barely notice the thing exists. That's saying something considering I'm 6'8" tall. We don't use the bimini that much. Also, I don't use our tower for pulling that frequently as my kids aren't into wakeboarding or kneeboarding, yet. I've pulled a few wakeboarders and they love it. I pull skiiers and tubes with the FW ski pole. That is one of the best options on my boat. Bottom line is I don't think I would miss my tower if I didn't have it. But it sure doesn't cause me to want to do anything about removing it either. I guess I'm indifferent on the subject. Aren't you glad I helped?

Pedropup · **Joined:** Sat Jun 30, 2012 10:51 am **Posts:** 104

Thanks! Now I just have to convince the wife on a couple more grand.

dbrown6240 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2012 7:08 am

I think they look nice, but not practical in many applications. Just my opinion, but for your use I definitely dont recommend spending a few extra grand on one. Their good for two things. 1. hanging ten speakers off of and being obnoxious or 2. A better pull for advanced boarders. I board alot and am no pro but I do pretty well. Ive been pulled behind both and it really doesn't affect an intermediate rider that much. If you were worried about hardcore boarding, you would be in a boarding boat containing ballast bags anyway. Do as you wish with your boat but I wouldnt imagine it being worth the extra money in most peoples cases.

Walt · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2012 7:21 am

Something else I picked up about using the tower for storage. Besides the wakeboards being nicely stowed for show, and you can get the "fingers" for about anything.... water skiis, kneeboards (I have one, even though NOBODY kneeboards anymore, right??). etc thru DIY Wake. You can get those bimini clips, and put towels everywhere for additional shade. We also wrap the ski vests around the tower supports. This way they are out of the way. If they are wet, they drip outside the windscreen, dry nicely and stay secure as you drive around. They are typically dry before getting back on the trailer and put away for the week.

www.iFourWinns.com

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