tower mounted mirrors

[speck]

my last boat had the rv mirror on the flip over part of the windshield. so it was in the centre of the boat, very easy to see, but a pain when people wanted to walk through. the only two drawbacks to a tower mounted mirror is that if the tower jiggles a bit it might be annoying to view, and your neck might get sore looking up all the time.
anybody give me some input?

[AbunDiga909]

RE: tower mounted mirrors

Upgrading to a tower-mounted mirror has been on my "to-do" list for a long time--I think it's a great idea. I know your exact problem of placing the mirror directly in the center of the boat, which is why we asked our dealer not to install the mirror on DOD-Day of Delivery. We put ours towars the left of the right section of the windshield, so it is towards the center of the boat, but is usable w/ the center piece open or closed. However, the desing isn't perfect. When tubing, and going over large bumps, or just in rough water, the mirror bounced a round a lot and then needs to be re-adjusted constantly. When driving at night, I do not look through the windshield due to glare from the Nav Lights. So when I fiest my eyes right above the silver on the windshield, the mirror impares (sp) my vision, and either have to deal w/ it, or annoy everyone by saying "excuse me, can you please stand up for a second on this cold bitter night, so I can store my rear view mirror saftley in the passanger storage compartment." The latter doesn't go over very well w/ a group of 10 teenagers at night... I don't think you should be looking in the rear view mirror enough to the extent where it would hurt your neck. If your neck start to hurt, I'd say, "FNO-Fellow Nautique Owner, when i'm in the boat, you need to be looking forward more, and less at the skier. drive, or spot, not both."

with that being said, I think the tower-mounted mirror is a great idea, and wouldn't hesitate worrying about it. I have no personal experience w/ the CC T-Mounted RV mirror, but I expect to live up to my expectations... ;-) Go with it...

[Edwin]

A tower mounted mirror is a must have IMO. There's no jiggling / vibration in mine. I have mine mounted about 6" above the driver's line of sight...no sore neck to deal with, just a great view of the skier behind the boat.

I have the Monster tower mirror arm. It has a wide range of adjustability, is quick release mounted, and is relatively inexpensive. Sorry for the Malibu picture.

[NautiqueJeff]

I have the Boss tower mirror mount on mine, and I really like it. It is totally adjustable, and doesn't shake much at all. It has never been a problem, and it is very nice to have the mirror up off of the windshield.

[bkhallpass]

I'm 6'2, the wife is 5'4". We both use the tower mounted mirror at the same height and neither has a problem with neck issues from the height of the mirror. In fact, we both agree that the visibility with the tower mirror is the best we've experienced in any mounting configuration. When my brother bought his
first boat and asked me what extras he should buy, my number 1 recommendation was
a tower mirror.

BKH

[speck]

thanks guys, two things: anyone have success with the official nautique arm, and jeff, give me a closer pic of you rear tiedown!

[NautiqueJeff]

Here's the best picture I have at home. I'll swing by and snap a couple of better shots tomorrow.

I took a dremel tool and cut out a place in the exhaust blockers (just below the platform) for some straps to connect to the rear lifting rings. The straps run from the lifting rings to the tie-down places on the trailer. This little modification has helped keep the boat much more firmly attached to the trailer. Rear tie-downs are actually required by law in some states. Some people use the platform mounting brackets as a tie-down location, but I think what I have done looks a bit cleaner.

I'll get some better shots tomorrow.

[nautique95]

speck, I have a CC arm and really like it! I tried a Skylon at first, nice looking but it had more of a curve than a CC so when I put my tower down it would hit my windshield, fortunately I was able to try it before I had to buy it!! The CC arm is more expensive but it looks great and it fits perfectly with the tower up or down!! No vibrations or neck strain, but as Diga said, the mirror is just for quick glances up to make sure your rider is up, let your spotter worry about the other things!

[BigBald]

Tower mirror has been the best upgrade in my boat. I use it all the time and really love it. I bought a Mastercraft arm and really like it. It was very inexpensive and is very well constructed.

[bkhallpass]

I have the boss arm, same as Jeff, though I mount mine on the rigied portion of the FCT, rather than on the swing away portion. It works fine, though if I were buying again, I'd buy a brand which is single piece. The monster arm is pretty cool because it easily disconnects making it easier to put the cover over the boat.

BKH