Tower boom versus offset boom for 211

[rickharp]

i installed a BI tower boom and had a heck of a time installing it, and then restalling it is a pain. Have you seen anyone do the offset boom for the rear pylon. its a 3' 8" offset. This would allow it to sit on the forward end of the step pad. Remember the pylon doesn’t come up very far though and the 07 has the raised seat cushions. the tower boom was such a pain to put on and store, at least for me. i was use to the ease of a regular ski pylon boom on my old SN196.

I've got to find an alternative. There is no way to climb out under way. it was easy with the old style pylon mount on my old ski boat. The connections were tough to re align. Its awkward to store too.

after messing with the tower boom, i'd be ok walking over the offset bar by far. thanks

[jeffk]

RE: Tower boom versus offset boom for 211

I might be interested in your tower boom.

[rickharp]

RE: Tower boom versus offset boom for 211

jeffk, have you seen one installed or been around when they put it on. if you had a good experience, then i just have to be patient and try it again. with a little practice, it might be the best thing. just seems like with the two extra arms, it makes it awkward to handle and line up. i do it in 3 feet of water with someone inthe water. i'll let you know what i do. thanks.

[gnautiqueman]

Rickharp - i am interested in this thread as I was considering a tower boom for my 211, although if it's total pain, then I'm not going there.

I would also be interested in knowing from the group if an offset boom can go on the pylon in back as the guy at BI said it needed to be a certain height (i.e., I think it needs to be higher than what was there).

[Quinner]

With a boom closer to the rear of the boat I would think the spray would be a problem, it seems you would be in it pretty hard.

[Kenw]

Rick, How are you trying to install the tower boom?
i've been using one for the last 3yrs on my VLX. it isn't that difficult to put on or take off.
It is a 2 person job. And you are right about being able to walk out.

Ken

[rickharp]

i really enjoyed being able to slide out under way, and slide in after a pull, when using the boom without a short rope. this seems impossible with the tower boom. the first time i put it together, i had too much up angle in it, so it was too high. if the offset boom was too far back, getting the skier in the boat spray, then i assume the boom extension would be the right accessory. has anyone out there had experience with both types. i am still willing to reset mine to be level and maybe add alittle grease os they slide into the joining lots easier, and give it another honest effort. it just seems so clumbsy, after having a simple pylon boom.

[rickharp]

KenW, do you have any picures of the rig you could post or share or email.

[jvuotto]

I have had both. First, the pylon on a 211 is not tall enough for the boom it does work loose and it’s not a fun experience. If your going to use the quad boom you will have to buy a 196 pylon, have it cut down to a height high enough to hold the quad boom. Secondly, the chine spray from the back of the 211 will knock 95 percent of the adults and 100 percent of the kids off in fewer than 15 seconds. It bites big time! Third, there is not an extension long enough to get past the chine spray.

We are now using the tower boom, it is not the easiest thing to put up but having the rider on the driver’s side of the boat makes teaching a breeze and footing at least possible on a 211 boom. The one negative to the tower boom that I have found is the geometry. If the (when) the support poles are changed either in storage or on the boat the brackets become very tight and it makes removal and installation very difficult. Mark the adjustable supports or fix them so they can’t be adjusted easily, there are too many angles to keep track of on when mounted to the FCT.
End result. Tower boom all the way. If you have any more questions, call Lane Bowers at the Footers Edge (1-877-685-6270) he teaches with a tower boom, and tell him John Vuotto gave you his number.

As far as durability, the 211 was anchored back in a cove at Barren River this summer with the boom installed over night. We had boats on both sides, but some fool decided to take his pontoon between the boats. No damage to boom or 211 and the pontoon took heavy damage to the front.

[NautiqueOasis]

See a past thread below for some additional information/posts. I love the tower boom; leave the brackets attached. We attach the boom while moored against the dock or from the swim platform on our houseboat. I do miss the ability to attach the pylon boom while in the boat when we had a 196.
http://www.planetnautique.com/index....amp;highlight=

[rickharp]

thanks. the past thread with pics helped me with some ideas to make the install a bit easier. appreciate all the assistance.

[YoungLifeSkiMission]

We run the BI tower boom on our 210, it was a bit scary to start, as it seems to put alot of stress on the tower. But its all good now.
I find it easy to attach the smaller arms first, then the large one, as its easy to move around to get them in.
Stick with it, its a good thing!
Here's a pic from the other day.

[rickharp]

cool. i reset one of my couplings. greased up the connections and pins, put it on 4-5 times, and am pleased with the ease that it goes in adn stores. i'll have to try the idea of placing the smaller rods first. i found a way to install it at the dock, and fold it up till i get out to shallow water. Nice job, thanks to all. i found i could rasie and lower the hight by puttin g water in the respcetive ballast. later

[Kenw]

Rick, you can always move people around in the boat to raise or lower the boom.
Its easier and quicker.

Ken

[mikepol]

OK, I know this post is a little dated, but we have an Air Nautique 230, purchased the tower boom from BI, and it has always been an absolute pain to install (pain is an understatement). We fumbled around in our dock every time, took 3 adults to be able to hold things in place, pull, push, etc. such that pins all lined up. As a result, we just never used the boom unless we had a boat full of beginners.

Just recently, when the boat was out of the water, we spent time trying to figure out a way to make it such that the boom could be installed and taken down while in the water. Here is what we came up with. We noticed that with the three bar linkage (the main pole and the two support bars) it was easy to get the first support bar installed, but the 2nd bar was never easy... it required 1) someone to pull the main pole back 2) someone to slide the rear support bar into the sleeve, and 3) someone to be ready with the pin to slam it in as soon as everything was lined up.

At first we thought that maybe our setup was not correct, that maybe adjustments needed to be made, etc. However, the primary issue that simply could not be circumvented, in order to get the front cable tight, it required some muscle to pull the pole back. We had everything lined up perfectly, where once it was pulled back such that the front cable was not sagging, the pins and sleeves all lined up great, but again, this was a virtually impossible task to perform without having at least one person standing on the outside the boat to be able to pull, yank and sometimes shake things in order to get things lined up. Many 4 letter words were taught to our kids while installing the boom :-)

As we evaluated what the various bars were doing, what we determined was the front support bar was holding the pole up, and the rear support bar was simply keeping the front cable tight as well as keeping the pole from recoiling forward when someone falls. So, here is what we did. 1) We removed the back support bar, leaving only the front bar that basically holds the bar up. 2) We attached a ratchet strap to the pole (at the same point the support bar was attached) and to the rear cleat. 3) we then tighten the strap with the ratchet until the front cable was no longer loose.

With our new configuration, the boom works exactly as it did previously in terms of what the skier/boarder experiences, but we can now very easily install while floating with two people while sitting inside the boat. Also, because there is only one support bar being used, we can even adjust the height of the pole very easily... loosen the ratchet strap, adjust the length of the support bar (which raises or lowers the bar), and re-tighten the ratchet strap. With the modification we have done, I can absolutely recommend getting a boom for a 230.

If anyone is interested, would be more than happy to send pictures of our configuration.