"Spinner" board racks

[Rhode]

I've heard from a reliable source that CC has dramatically jacked-up the price of the so-called "Spinner" board racks that are manufactured by Titan. The Spinners were only a little under a $100 upcharge from the $700 or so Flight Clips when I ordered by '06 210, according to CC's retail price sheet at the time. Now, I understand that CC is charging to the upwards of $1,300 for the Titan "Spinner" racks.

IMO, the Spinners are much, much sparper than Flight Clips, but might be a needless expense for some folks or simply "in the way" to others depending how they use their boat. Moreover, I am not sure that the extra bling is worth a whopping $500 more. Until and unless CC starts welding correctly the 210 towers (exactly like 220 towers with the billet onthe outside of the tubing) -- or, provides spacers to pad out Flight Clips -- I don't think '06 210 owners have much choice other than rigging your own spacer or plunking down the extra five hunj for the Spinners (this all assume that you want easy-to-use racks that hold two boards each).

Now that CC has resolved their issue on how to squeeze every nickel out of the Spinners while not getting stuck with a warehouse full of Flight Clips that look chincy by comparison, maybe the company will focus their energies on actually welding correctly the '06 210 FCTs and provide a band-aid spacer and longer bolts to those with bad ones who have Flight Clips (a more complete fix for the new FCT and Flight Clips would be to instead bevel the mounting hole on the Flight Clips and not the FCT billet and run the bolts outside to inside).

Rhode

[speck]

you got the first price off of the first price list to dealers, which was wrong. you got lucky and the factory and dealer honoured the lower price. i found this out from my dealer because i looked into getting the spinners. the "correct" price is now out and everybody will pay. as far as the actual price, the new raised one is about the same as on the malibu i had last year.
the prob with the clips has now been fixed with a spacer, and was shown to dealers at the meeting in orlando a month ago, and will come on all new boats, i don't know if it will be shipped out retroactively to those who already have their boats, but i assume so

[Rhode]

Speck,

I recall you mentioning having ordered a 210 SANTE and being interested in knowing more about the Titan-made Spinner board racks. Maybe I should feel more "lucky", as you say, that CC honored "their" retail price list. That said, there would have been never a question with me about my dealer doing the stand-up thing by me.

CC's latest board rack debacle should have been a no-brainer from the day it was brought it to the company's direct attention three months ago. Their complete disregard of my input only suggests that I could have not been the first person to raise the issue. Whatever the case, they should have looked into the matter expiditiously, conceded mistake and announced resolution...and without the your-an-idiot-and-don't-know-what-you-are-talking-about dissent I got back from a company officer. This proved only the life-truth that "no good deed goes unpunished." For what it's worth, my dealer was not "shown" a Flight Clip spacer at the recent meeting...so, I will continue to ask, rhetorically, where is the evidence...

Thanks for the information that the new price for CC/Titan Spinners is in line with that of other boat company's Spinners. I was wondering about that, but hadn't a clue. If the Flight Clips are truly worth eight hunj, which I question, the Spinners are worth every bit of twice that from a pure bling perspective (IMO). If CC goes the whole nine yards and addresses the mounting hardware issue that I have raised, the Flight Clips will work excellently in every regard!!!

To anyone with a 220 on order, I understand that the Spinners are standard and Flight Clips were not an option. Maybe I am wrong but, if not, I wonder if CC would be willing to back out nearly a grand (a little over 2% of the boat price) and deliver your new rig with Flight Clips in lieu. They're already drilling holes in 220 billet, so the Flight Clips should work properly (mounting hardware notwithstanding) and would keep the boards more up and out of the way (a reason that 210 owners might want the Flight Clips over the Spinners).

Rhode

[speck]

i will post a pic of the spacers when a get my boat, i should be getting a call any day now to pick it up. my dealer commented right away that the issue was solved, and so i have one less winter project to do. as far as the "lucky" comment, i meant that you were lucky to get the cheap price, unlike the rest of us. the titan spinners listed for $1700 canadian on my bu. i got a deal on the boat as a package, but i personnally would not pay that, my opinion coming from using them for a year. sorry you had a bad experience from CC officials, i am still waiting for a price on a two colour bimini as pic'd in the catalogue, i understand that are sourced from Ameritex in florida, but still no price is available, why?

[Rhode]

Speck,

I would encourage you to check out towerbiminis.com. Their offering for your new 210 is, IMO, superior to the drill-your-tower Ameritex rig. I believe they make a two-tone. Also, tb.com's six polished aluminum mounting brackets compliment the FCT famously and their bim covers more of the boat than the puny one featured in CC's catalogue. Perhaps, you should start a new thread on the topic of bims; I've always thought CC was lunching by leaving it to their dealers discretion to steer customers to local or otherwise high-margin after-market bimini and boat cover companies. I'll give it up here for BU and MC for offering factory-provided canvas.

I hope CC provides spacers with your boat and will look forward to the pictures; I was just saying that the company did not roll them out in front of my dealer at the recent big meeting (one would think they would do so to shut me up after three months of dissent and disgust for blowing me off so famously). I'll be curious to see if they mill the spacers out of aluminum or from glued-up scraps of that 3/8" black nylon engine wall (my original suggestion). Maybe, if you are luck, you will simply get a boat with a FCT that had its billet welded correctly on the outside of the tubing like the 220s in circulation. I have absolutley no expectation that CC will go the whole nine yards and deliver your Flight Clips with beveled mounting holes so that the bolts can be installed outside to inside...

Lastly, I purposively confused your "lucky" comment to make a larger point about CC's unwillingness to address the FCT/board rack issue head-on when it was brought to their attention. Of course, we all know they are the best thing going...and I hope the company realizes that dissent like mine is simply tough love.

Rhode

[speck]

yes yes yes! my boat has arrived on sat and i will get it in a couple days! i am so stoked. i was told that the spacers are milled aluminum, but i have not seen them yet, but soon. you raise a good point on the bimini's, i will research more and donot want any more holes in the tower. here is a closeup of the factory bimini.

[speck]

if you look closely tough love rhode, i see only the round clamps, no holes? what exactly do you mean by drilling?

[speck]

i see no clamp in this one though

[speck]

i see no clamp in this one though, i mean on the fore and back stays

[speck]

sorry for the screw up there, the tb.com one seems too high to be usefull, i understand they made it tall to clear the spinners

[pjdave]

hey, that my bimini. It is a amertex, and supplyed by CC. here are some close up pics of the mountings

[pjdave]

ohh by the way it clears the now installed spinners, and we can still put one board in the flight clips while two are in the spinners. Will take a pic this weekend

[Rhode]

The first bimini pictured above is on that first 210 that got posted by AU.com back in July or August, I can't remember. It definately has clamps to hold the bimini, as you can see from the picture (It also has a really cool embroidered "N" logo.). Every other picture of the Ameritex bimini (assuming that AU one was) that has since been posted -- like other the ones above- look to have drill-and-screw bracket hardware. I am not saying there is anything functionally wrong with the drill-and-screw brackets (so long as the holes don't somehow strip); it's just that, IMO, the clamps look snazzier, if that's a word. The Ameritex bim looks puny to me and the TB.com offering is much larger and provides more shade. Because TB.comn's higher, it should be easier to walk under and move around the boat. The only possible downside is that TB.com's bim might present more difficulty settng up and putting away if you have big tower speakers and/or a light bar. I have neither, so it is not a problem, but keep this in mind. TB.com would be wise to post some pictures showing how theirs fits with tower accesories.

Looking forward to see those Flight Clip spacers.

Rhode

[Rhode]

Btw, the last picture PJ posted is all the proof that should be necessary for a jury to convict CC of engineering malpractice on the '06 FCT/Flight Clip combo. As I've been ranting about for months now, look how the tower billet is inset from the tower tubing; this is why the inner slot of a Flight Clips can't accept a whole wakeboard and is left resting directly on the tubing. I'll spare everybody a detailed recitation of CC's idiocy for having designed the FCT/Flight Clip mounting hardware such that your board has to pass over a sharp bolt head and lock nut.

Rhode

[radmaster]

pjdave, on the first photos you have the strap holding the front of the bimini down and on the last one you have the tubing, did you have the tubing made or is it a different bimini, ours has the strapping and it works quite well just wondering why the difference