tower dilemna

[jeff.k]

I recently purchased a weekend place on a lake fairly close to me. The lake is 7 miles long and has bridges on each end where there is only a limited amount of water on each end past the bridges. However, there is a bridge that essentially cuts the lake in half right in the middle. My problem is this...I am a single parent with a 13 year old and 11 year old and when we go out I am typically the only adult. I have an 08 SAN with a factory FCT on it and I can't get under the bridge without folding it...and every time I try to fold it by myself I nearly die. Seriously. I only have two speakers and a couple racks on it. It's heavy as **** and the shape of it is super unwieldy. Once it gets past a certain point it is coming down and you better be ready. I am only 5'9" and it's difficult to get leverage on it because I'm not tall, but I'm fit and I'm no weakling and it's just not safe to be doing it by myself. I like the tower and I don't want to get rid of it but I will switch it out if I have to. I was really just curious if anyone had known anyone or seen any type of pulley system or winch or whatever that someone had to devised to get a tower down by themselves...especially a big, heavy, awkward tower. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[nyryan2001]

Jeff, can you post up some pics of your boat so we can see the tower and accessories?

[Quinner]

That gen of the FCT is a pig to fold, bringing along a tower folding helper, finding a lake without bridges or a different tower are likely your only options.
If you have a rear pylon or lift ring you might be able to rig a rope to assist in the lowering however that may also require another set of hands

[jeff.k]

I don't have any pictures of it handy so I went out and was going to Google it and whadya know...there was a pic of my boat on the lot where I bought it last summer. It's not a great shot of the tower but should give you a sense. I don't know what version of the FCT you would call it. Is that an FCT2? It's a great tower but it hinges way up front and with the shape of the top and positioning of the speakers it gets all of the weight standing straight up on end about 12 feet in the air. I have to stand behind the drivers seat on the side of the boat to get the leverage to get it started up, then hopefully try and get it standing straight up while I jump to the front of the boat to try and stop it coming down. I'm telling you it's insane. You'd either laugh or cry if you saw it. It scares my kids when I do it though so I'm not going to attempt it anymore. I'm a single parent with sole custody and I shouldn't be doing it anyway. We have folks up on the weekend so I can get some help then but it's close enough for us to go up during the week during the summer and get some good evening and early morning runs in and it's just us when we do that.

[jeff.k]

I literally just took possession of this place like two weeks ago. So...sounds like a different tower is the only option. That's true a rope the appropriate length could helpful stopping it but it'd still be tricky not to mention we'd want to put it right back up on the other side most of the time AND we'd have to do it again afterwards to get back home. So 4 rope-riggin' near-death experiences per sesh. Any suggestions on towers that look good but are reasonable to manage by yourself?

[obd666]

So...sounds like a different tower is the only option.

i gotta say, you would seriously be killing the resale value of that boat by changing out the original tower. there have been guys who retrofitted newer nautique towers to older boats but it was extremely involved and took some serious planning and execution ... that said, i used to lower mine by standing in the front with a rope looped on the tow point, and would just pull it to me til it tipped over for me to catch. it wasn't much fun though to be honest, lol

[nyryan2001]

Hate to say it... But in your situation... Tower up and down several times every time out... Nearly unmanageable... I'd be looking to trade to a Mastercraft with a power tower.

[JoeA]

Most people like boating. Bring a friend or two or family.

[Nordicron]

Hate to say it... But in your situation... Tower up and down several times every time out... Nearly unmanageable... I'd be looking to trade to a Mastercraft with a power tower.

WTH kinda advice is that???? Don't need no power tower! Any boat with a modern 2 point tower can be lowered and raised by a girl nowadays!

Seriously though your right that tower is a beast to fold! It's easy in the sense only requires the 2 hand nuts be loosened but u need to be a 6'4 mr Olympia for it to be easy! I know I have the same tower with 2 ws485's hanging off it! I have to take 1 speaker off everytime I fold it. Its really not that hard with speakers off. Can u easily removed speakers when folding? Try it with your speakers removed. If u find it much easier maybe invest in new tower speakers with quick disconnects?

Other option is look for a new fct 5? 2 leg tower. From all I've read it's not that bad a swap. Rear leg holes covered by new tower base and front holes are turned into cup holders. I almost pulled the trigger on this about 2 yrs ago but after it would have been all said and done I'd had over $4k into it with new board racks.

So with that all said if still doesn't work for u I'm afraid your going to be looking for a newer boat with a 2pt tower.

[scottb7]

I have to defend nyryan on this one, except you don't need a power tower necessarily, but you definitely have a long term permanent problem with that tower. I have that tower. I could figure out no way to do it myself. And quite frankly it is pretty difficult with 2 adult males. There is a point where it is so high that you can't walk it across you basically have to have each guy basically catch it. I had to get higher legs and raise my canopy.

PS. And i did not have tower speakers...

You could replace the tower with a 2 point tower that is easier but a pretty big job and as others said changing out the tower and fixing the existing holes would probably effect resale value.

[Quinner]

In 07' or 08' CC offered a different factory tower that was easier to fold, could be an option, and the newer single mount tower would definitely work although likely quite a bit pricier, don't feel either of those options would detract from value. Search Mike Hunters orange 210 out on here, should be pics and he has the 07' or 08' tower I was referring too.

[nyryan2001]

WTH kinda advice is that???? Don't need no power tower! Any boat with a modern 2 point tower can be lowered and raised by a girl nowadays!

I'm going to assume you are joking some here. imagine every time you go out on the water-- no bimini (as that would require an extra 5min PITA to fold the tower) and the PITA train wreck and stress of worrying about dropping the tower onto the windshield or wherever it would land, or onto your passengers. Or you forgot to rotate racks an they hit, or any other number of issues.

If

A. you bought the house on a lake that has low bridges that you must pass under

B. you want a newer wakeboat

C. don't want the hassle and risk or dropping the tower a minimum of 2x+ every time you hit the water

then look at Mastercrafts with a power tower, they are slick how they work and most of the bugs have been worked out of them. Start lowering the tower 20seconds prior to the bridge and idle right under, take off and raise it back up.

[jeff.k]

Thanks for the input fellas.I'll look for Mike's. I've been thinking about it for awhile without any real solutions so figured I'd ask. I'll see what taking the speakers off will do but the height and shape of it just makes it so awkward to try and do by yourself that I doubt that's really going to solve it.

[jeff.k]

any suggestions on quick release clamps for speakers that I could try?

[obd666]

fyi, here's a sick tower upgrade a member did to an 02 210. will give you an idea of what is involved ...

http://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/fo...-on-a-2002-san