Anyone installed a Flight Control Tower? Question!

[AirJeff]

Not to get off topic, but...I called them a month ago on a heater and they quoted me $419 and some change, now %15 off of that(about $356) is nothing close to the $262+shipping of the group buy...so I'm seeing if I can dig up a better deal.

Back to the topic...do you guys think the plastic pads would be a good idea? Would they not conform enough and create presure points on the gelcoat that could lead to spidering?

[Dr.John]

It seems that one of the feet is beyond "nudging" to get it to fit the deck! Has anyone had this much mis-alignment?
Also, the dealer said that they use the lifting eye as a reference point and measure to both front feet (approx. 66 1/2") to insure proper centering. I can't seem to get closer than 1 1/2" difference, i.e. when I measure 66" on one side, it will measure 64 1/2 on the other. If I put both at 66" the rear feet are almost off of the deck!

Again, when I picked up the tower, the box was crushed, but the dealer said they all come in this way! :roll:
What should I do at this point :?:

:cry:

[JWAT]

I wouldn't measure from the lifting eye. My front feet are just behind the grab rails on the bow of the boat. Just put both feet in the same spot on the bow and then set the back down. Then just center the tower so both rear feet are the same distance away from the side of the gunnels. After you have the tower where you think it's centered, look under the boat to make sure you aren't going to screw in to anything.

Honestly, I had some decent sized gaps on my tower feet too. The feet will bend quite a bit, but you don't want to over do it. But anyways, like I said, your not going to hurt the boat if the tower is mounted a little farther back or forward from what the dealer suggests. Just make sure that the front bars follow the lines of the windshield and then center the tower on the boat. After that, bend the feet to the deck and drill the holes.

[JWAT]

Oh yeah, one more thing. Make sure and mount the tower fully assembled with the tower in the up position and screwed down. That way you know that it will line up correctly.

[Dr.John]

JWAT, well, my problem is that when I align the front feet, i.e. same distance from the lifting eye and windshield, then the rear feet are off the deck! Just seems like a lot of distortion to tweek :evil: And yes, I am doing this fully assembled.

[JWAT]

Oh, I see. In that case you may have a problem. You can't really force the legs in or out because then it would throw the tower alignment off and wouldn't fold right. If it's off that bad, I would take a picture of it and send it to the place you got the tower from. I don't think it should be off that much. If I have some time tonight, I will try and take some pics of where my tower is mounted on my boat, so you have an idea of what it should look like.

[Dr.John]

Oh, I see. In that case you may have a problem. You can't really force the legs in or out because then it would throw the tower alignment off and wouldn't fold right. If it's off that bad, I would take a picture of it and send it to the place you got the tower from. I don't think it should be off that much. If I have some time tonight, I will try and take some pics of where my tower is mounted on my boat, so you have an idea of what it should look like.

Thanks JWAT :!:
I can use all the help I can get!

[Chopper]

Dr.John,
Your thermosetting sealant sounds like a good idea. To prevent your "difficulty in removing the tower legs" you could place plastic tape on both the boat deck and the tower legs until the sealant cures.

After it has cured, the tape will come off the deck and leg bases, and you can peel it from the sealant. That way, the sealant won't bond to the deck or the tower, so future removal should be easy.?

P.S.
By plastic tape, I mean the sticky stuff on the roll. (aussie term sorry) Sticky tape, PCV tape, race tape, etc.

Aussie Andrew.

[mike-d]

rear pad

you will have to bend it with a hammer, wrench etc. etc. When you bought the tower, did you do a mock up on the boat? before it was powdercoated? I remember when I had a fct put on my old supersport, the guy banged the **** out of the rear mounting pads, contoured them sort of at a angle? I was taken back at the sight, but every tower is different, and every boat is different etc.
Mike
nice job on the red powder coat, I might have to switch over to red during the winter.

[Dr.John]

Mike-D, do you have the Dark Red color? If so, I can give you a pretty good color match (you have to mix two powders).

I took the boat and tower to my dealer yesterday. The installer just told me to "tweak" the heck out of it and "torque it down"! Arrrgh :twisted:

Still my concern is if I "torque it down", will it line up when I loosen it to fold. Well, I'll let you know what happens :roll:

[JWAT]

Just make sure when you "bend" and "tweak", you are bending and tweaking the foot pads, not the actual tower legs. As long as there is no pressure on the actual legs, the tower should fold right. I hope that makes sense???

[mike-d]

Dr. John,
I have a bright red san, currently with a blue tower, I think the red would look better? let me know the color codes for the two powders.

start hammering slowly, mock the tower up on the boat, the tower will have load on it when in the up position, if it didnt, it would flex and sway some.

[Dr.John]

"the tower will have load on it when in the up position, if it didnt, it would flex and sway some."

Now that does make some sense, I will go ahead with it and hope for the best!

My color's official CC name is Dark Red, it's one of the "classic" colors. I think most powder manufacturers comply with a defacto standard. I used Tiger DryLac RAL 3003, which is slightly lighter, therefore a blend of 3003 and 3004 would be ideal. http://www.tigerdrylac.com/pdf/ralcolors.pdf

Thanks for the advice!

[mike-d]

tower

let us know how it comes out, I am anxious to see the boat with the tower on! what color bimini will you use?

Mike
recent pic.

[Dr.John]

Now that the FCT is mounted, this is the amount of misalignment on the starboard side. I cannot get it locked down now! :twisted:

I have tried to "pull and tweak", however, I can assure you this tower is solid, and refuses to move!

I am now thinking that the hinge point tabs may have been located wrong during the welding operation. It takes very little movement there to cause a lot of movement at the rear sockets. For instance, if I remove the little nylon bushings that are supplied for the hinge, I can correct the missalignment alot. Still not good though :cry:

Still trying to figure this one out :!: