www.iFourWinns.com

Here is the question of the Day for me of course.....Is the Four Winns OE ARCH worth the 3k or should I get an after market and do it myself. I have found some real nice custom jobs and it seems like they would be worth it for that extra Flash! Let me know what you think!

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06 Horizon 260 VP 8.1 Corsa Captains Call
"INFIDEL"

If you can get the factory arch for 3k - you are doing REALLY well. It's a well made arch.

Yes, there are options -- but

1) Do they fit the lines of the boat as well?
2) Are they as high of quality?
3) Are they really cheaper or will you be nickel and dimed by all the little stuff needed to install them?

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

Who is nicole?? I want to make sure I don't allow her on my boat either.....

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Thanks cap'n. I fixed my spelling/grammar. The admiral is 'Nicole' - so I believe I experienced a bit of muscle memory on the keyboard.

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

In that case, no problem in allowing your admiral on our boat if you ever get out this way.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

I've got a factory wake tower and it SUCKS!!! The freakin thing is not designed to be trailered in the down position. I would hope an aftermarket design could do this. Just a heads up.

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2008 H220 Frenzy - 5.7L VP SX Drive
2013 Tahoe LTZ Tow Vehicle (admiral's ride)
2011 Ford F150 XLT Ecoboost Tow Vehicle

Hmmm I've been reading some other forums on here and it looks like I might go after market.... I can get some kick ass ones that fit the 118" on my boat.... what is the towing rating on your towers?? 300lbs?

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06 Horizon 260 VP 8.1 Corsa Captains Call
"INFIDEL"

Not sure about the tow rating but I will tell you this, my tower is freakin SOLID! I've towed two adult skiers with my tower and it could probably handle two or three times that much. IMO

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2008 H220 Frenzy - 5.7L VP SX Drive
2013 Tahoe LTZ Tow Vehicle (admiral's ride)
2011 Ford F150 XLT Ecoboost Tow Vehicle

You wont have to worry about the tower, its the fiberglass that the tower attaches to that will let go. Stress cracks at the foot of the tower is a common problem on wakeboard boats.

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If you can get a OEM arch for $ 3k then it is a steal… OEM Wakeboard Tower which is made by XTP is about $3K

Unfortunately FW OEM Arch will cost you about $6200 (w bimni) if you get it and installed by FW Dealer. ($4500 option from factory if you order a new boat with this arch)

I can not say if it is worth of money but FW OEM Arch is a 2” diameter stainless steel unit and is very good quality….(where FW wakeboard tower or aftermarket Arch are aluminum) All of aftermarket Arch I know has either too tall or too fat (tubing diameter) and does not look natural to the boat.

The latest FW OEM bimni for SS arch is much bigger than any aftermarket ones we can find.



Another reason to go with Factory unit is you can get their latest trailerable cover to work with arch for Horizon. If you install a aftermarket unit you have to make a custom build cover by some fabrication shop.



We are very pleased with our FW OEM Arch. The only drawback is they are little pricy……

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

This spring I bought an 05 H250 with the factory tower. The jury is still out for me on this one. I wasn't looking for a boat with a tower or arch, but this had everything else I wanted at the right price. On the plus side, it is solid as Jack mentions. That's about the only positive I have. There are a couple of design issues that make me scratch my head. Move the forward top mounts to the rail back a few inches to the crown in the rail and slightly modify the rear top mounts to the rail and it could potentially be trailered/stored in the down position. I'm not an engineer, so this idea may suck from a structural standpoint. But I have stayed at a Holiday Inn before.

The biggest issue for me is how the factory tower folds forward. I have a garage with 10' doors, so I can't store with the tower up. The tower isn't too bad to fold up or down, but I'm 6'8". If I were 6'7" or shorter, it would probably be a two person job. It's not that heavy, just ackward. Therefore, I have to back up to the door, get in the boat and fold the tower forward, then get out and park the boat in the garage. Then I had a spare 2X6 and some old carpet laying around, so I made a piece to lay over the bow and rest the tower on while the boat is stored. This prevents the tower from resting on the seats & side cushions in the bow. Once again, being 6'8" helps as I don't have to get back in the boat to lay the tower on this support after the boat is in the garage. I would see this process being a deal breaker for an average sized person with the same storage scenario, as it is a PITA for me. I'm contemplating taking the tower off this winter and having some stainless steel covers made to mount over the holes where the rail attaches to the boat. Still undecided at this point (damn rain here in Iowa not letting me use the boat enough to decide).

Also, I don't like the bimini on the factory tower, but I rarely use a bimini anyway. What I do like is the trailering cover in Sushi's picture. That thing looks sweet. Where can I get one, Sushi?

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2005 FW Horizon 250
8.1L VP DP

[url]Where can I get one[/url]
You can order from FW Dealer... It will be around $850.... but well worth..

I can understand your issue with OEM arch which is not really designd to fold up and down
frequently... They are very heavy and tough to work with if you want to do that activities often.

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

Why would you want to trailer a boat with a tower in the down position? Seems ridiculous to me?

Storage... totally understand it -- but I trailered my H240 with the arch up and never ran into height issues.

Where the heck are you towing? Low hanging bridges or something? You sure shouldn't hit power lines.

FYI, there's far more crappy aftermarket tower setups than there are good ones. The good one's will be just as spendy as the factory arch when done right. The shabby one's... well - they'll be cheaper.

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

There are tons of roads in and around nearby lakes and rivers where the height clearance becomes an issue (low hanging tree branches, overpasses, etc). With the tower UP, I'm talking about over 11' on trailer. I would love the option to trailer it in the down position then raise it when I get on the water. It would also be nice to keep it in the down position most of the time so I wouldn't have to raise and lower it everytime I store it. I'm half-tempted to remove the darn thing altogether.

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2008 H220 Frenzy - 5.7L VP SX Drive
2013 Tahoe LTZ Tow Vehicle (admiral's ride)
2011 Ford F150 XLT Ecoboost Tow Vehicle

I live in a townhouse complex and my garage door height is 7'4". I have to lower the arch each time and also remove the 2 allen bolts at the pivot point. Then I slide the whole arch down and it rests perfectly on the bow. I have it down to a 10 minute task. In addition, my boat only has 1" clearance on either side of the door opening. I have a motorized trailer dolly which I move the boat with in and out of the garage with. I also looked at an aftermarket arch and nothing compares to the Factory arch in both style and construction.

Price I pay for enjoyment i guess....

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RICK|2009 H200 5.0L MERC|2010 RAM 1500 LARAMIE
Beautiful Okanagan Valley, British Columbia