tower question for a 196

[Lvnspeed]

I am looking to add a tower to my 196 simply for the functionality of it. I want to get the tow rope out of the way of the back seat so that people could sit there.

Has anyone had any experience with te lower priced towers you see on Ebay? Its hard to drop 2k on a tower when theses go for less than $1000. Something like theses:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KRYPT-UNIVERSAL-...1%7C240%3A1308

or

http://cgi.ebay.com/Wakeboard-Tower-...1%7C240%3A1318

[Chris4x4Gill2]

RE: tower question for a 196

people seem to like the Monster Towers. I think they run about $1000.

http://www.monstertower.com/

If nothing else they have some nice pictures!

[Lvnspeed]

the first link I posted looks simular to the monster.

[JayG80]

tower question for a 196

I had a Joystick tower on my 196. The mfg used to sell them on eBay.

I sold mine on Craigslist for $700 and used the tower mounting holes for the new bimini

[rodltg2]

if you add a tower to a 196, you will shortly be posting on this thread...
:grin:
http://www.planetnautique.com/index....wtopic&t=12856

[Nautiquehunter]

Unless the boat is a beater I would spend the extra money on a
quality tower. Once you put the mounting holes in its hard to fix
later. Make payments if you must you will never regret buying
higher quality long after the tower is payed off.
I recommend New Dimensions Towers they are custom made to
fit your deck with no adapters and looks like OEM.

[Mikeski]

My $0.02 for towers on 196's...

If you have a pre TSC 196 it can easily make a decent wake for wakeboarding, will never be a premium slalom boat so go ahead and put a tower on it.

If you have a TSC 196 it makes a fantastic slalom wake and not so great wakeboarding wake. As you spend more time on the board you will become less happy with the boat. Run an 10' pole in the boat until you are ready to upgrade the boat then sell it to a slalom guy that will not want the tower.

It's rare to see a 2001 these days without a tower, frankly any 2001 that doesn't have a tower is missing something... just like a SAN without a tower.

[Hollywood]

if you add a tower to a 196, you will shortly be posting on this thread...
:grin:
http://www.planetnautique.com/index....wtopic&t=12856

funny ^^ :mrgreen:

[TRBenj]

My $0.02 for towers on 196's...

If you have a pre TSC 196 it can easily make a decent wake for wakeboarding, will never be a premium slalom boat so go ahead and put a tower on it.

Ouch! Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

[Lvnspeed]

my boat is a 2003 196. I am by no means a good skiier or wake boarder. I enjoy bolth. I really want the tower to get the rope away from the passengers in the back seat.

[Hollywood]

Get an extended pylon then. I'll sell you a very used Skylon for $50.

[bski]

I like the Monster Tower. Good price (approx $1200) and good quality. It is easy to fold down and fits under the cover. We also like to get the rope above the backseat when wakeboarding and like that we can get the skis and boards out of the boat.

[Noelb]

I can help you with this question:

196 owner and (maybe ex) wakeboarder here. I traded in my 211 for a 196 beacause of a knee injury I went back to slalom, and can't really handle W2W jumps on a wakeboard anymore. My 196 is an )& with TSC hull.

Anyhow, just for kicks, one day we threw some fatsacs in the 196 and attached a 6' wb pole. The wake for wakeboarding was not only tiny, but also very soft. It took a lot of technique and speed to be able to go w2w. Even my 9-yr old daughter who usually just jumps one wake complained about this one.

So, if you're going for functionality only and want to use this for surface tricks, beginners and generally just having fun on the lake, I think you're fine with a tower. I'd probably do the same and get a Monster Tower.

On the other hand, if you want to get more serious about wakeboarding in the future, just make friends on your lake...

Best of luck!