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Most of you know that I am a big fan of covering my boats with the tower down. I have always liked this option, ever since it was first available in 2013.
In 2013, I covered my boat with the tower down often. That year, the factory cover was made so that it could be used in either mode, which was great! I loved the option to use it with the tower either up OR down. The factory bimini in 2013 was also designed to collapse into the bow while remaining attached to the tower and be covered by the factory cover when the tower was in the down position. It was great!
In 2014, the cover options changed, and Nautique and their partner Commercial Sewing began offering two different covers -- A tower-up version and a tower-down version. I bought both covers that year, and continued using the tower-down version most often as I did in 2013.
In 2015, I had a Z5 bimini top, which would not easily fold down into the bow like the standard Factory bimini would. In order to use my tower-down cover, I had to remove the Z5 and place it over the engine compartment, and then install the tower-down cover. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it was slightly inconvenient.
In 2016, I did NOT order a Z5 bimini top, mostly because I wanted to return to collapsing the bimini into the bow when lowering the tower (which was much easier than removing the Z5), so I ordered the standard Factory Bimini. I found that there are a number of issues preventing this from working like it did in 2013, which is disappointing. First of all, they no longer even offer the tower-down cover as an option! Luckily I still have the one I ordered in 2014. Second, they no longer ship the bimini support pole (required to hold the bimini off of the windshield when the tower is down) with the bimini top. I was able to find a member here who was kind enough to send me one, and I thought I was all set. The newer factory biminis come with two gas shocks that are there to help lift the bimini off of the windshield when you lower the tower. These are great for use when going under bridges or something, but they must be removed in order to collapse the bimini into the bow and rest it on the support pole, so I removed them. I got it all set the way I thought it needed to be. The frame of the bimini is just barely off of the windshield, and I padded it with towels, just in case the pole collapsed or something. Here's how it looked.
As you can see, the position of the front of the bimini is much higher in the 2016 picture as compared to the 2013 picture. The frame for the bimini has changed, and will not allow the bimini to sit as low as it did in 2013 due to the frame hitting the windshield sooner. This is a huge problem for what I was trying to accomplish!!
I was forced to remove the bimini completely (a pain, but still easier than removing the Z5 was last year), and then install the tower-down cover without the bimini mounted to the tower. This works, but my hopes of keeping the bimini mounted like I did in 2013 did not work out. Even so, I will continue using my tower-down cover because of the extra protection it provides, lack of bugs on the tower and speakers, and the slight aerodynamic advantage I get when towing like this.
In 2017, the locations of the retractable cleats on the G-series boats changed. This makes it impossible to use a tower-down cover from prior years while the boat is tied up to a dock (unless the cover is modified). The cover still fits the boat perfectly otherwise though.
In 2018, nothing changed from 2017 with regards to how the tower-down cover fits. The cleats still don't line up with the openings, but that's no big deal if you don't use it while tied up to a dock.
In 2019, there was a major tower change, which resulted in a major cover change. The factory is once again offering TWO versions of the Outer Armor by Commercial Sewing Factory Cover -- a TOWER-UP design and a TOWER-DOWN design.
I opted for the TOWER-DOWN design (big shocker, if you've read the rest of this thread).
The tower on the G-series boats is now a power tower, and it folds BACK instead of FORWARD.
The new tower-down cover design for 2019 looks a little funky due to the way the tower folds down, but it works better than most other implementations of the tower-down cover due to several factors. First, it is easier to put the new cover on since you don't have to crawl over the tower in order to install it. Second, and this is a big one, they finally have gone back to integrating the bimini into the thought process for using the tower-down cover. You no longer have to remove the bimini to lower the tower or use the tower-down cover. You simply boot up the bimini like normal, then release the two push pins that hold it in place on the tower. The bimini then folds down and clips into place, allowing you to leave it mounted to the tower with the tower down. This is the best implementation Nautique has had to date. It is so nice to be able to go from having the tower up and bimini deployed to having the tower down and the entire boat cover on within five minutes.
I towed the 2019 PlanetNautique G23 almost 600 miles from Rockledge, FL (where Roswell is located) to my house on Lake Norman near Charlotte, NC. The cover didn't move much at all, and I am very happy with how everything worked.
In 2020, there were no changes to the way the tower-down cover works with the power actuated tower (which folds backwards).
Nautique did start offering the non-actuated tower (which folds forward) again, and I do not believe they offer a tower-down cover for the forward-folding non-actuated tower. Older tower-down covers will still work with this configuration in theory, but the cleat cutouts will not line up with the current cleat placements.
Here's my 2020 with the power actuated (rear-folding) tower and a 2020 tower-down cover.
In 2021, Nautique redesigned the G-Series hull to match the new Paragon. This required a redesign of the factory cover.
In 2021, Nautique only offered a tower-down cover for G-series boats with the POWER ACTUATED tower (which folds rearward), not the standard tower (which folds forward).
I will caution people who have the 2021 tower-down cover that I ran into an issue the first time I towed with mine. When the tower is down, the cover rubs on the vinyl piece at the very top of the tower, which is at the back of the boat with the tower down. My cover wore two holes in the tower vinyl on the way home from Florida, and that vinyl piece on the tower had to be replaced under warranty. The cover suffered no damage at all. I suggest using some sort of padding in that spot if you tow with the cover on like I do.
I also discovered another issue when I mounted the bimini top to the tower. The rear support pole location on my cover is too far back on the cover to allow the support pole to be mounted with the bimini top attached to the tower and folded down onto the boat. The support pole location should have been mounted farther forward, so that the pole wouldn't be blocked by the bimini top. Nautique has been notified about this issue and I am waiting to hear back on how they will handle it.
Here's my 2021 with the power actuated (rear-folding) tower and a 2021 tower-down cover.
In 2022, I was fortunate enough to get a G23 Paragon, which has its own unique tower. Nautique offers a tower-up and a tower-down version of the cover for this boat. I, of course, chose the tower-down version.
This cover is the best of any that I have had. It uses no support poles, relying on the bimini frame to support the cover. That makes it quick and easy to install. It also has a zipper door in the back, so you can access the boat without removing the cover.
Here's my 2022 with the Paragon-specific telescoping tower and the tower-down cover.
In 2013, I covered my boat with the tower down often. That year, the factory cover was made so that it could be used in either mode, which was great! I loved the option to use it with the tower either up OR down. The factory bimini in 2013 was also designed to collapse into the bow while remaining attached to the tower and be covered by the factory cover when the tower was in the down position. It was great!
In 2014, the cover options changed, and Nautique and their partner Commercial Sewing began offering two different covers -- A tower-up version and a tower-down version. I bought both covers that year, and continued using the tower-down version most often as I did in 2013.
In 2015, I had a Z5 bimini top, which would not easily fold down into the bow like the standard Factory bimini would. In order to use my tower-down cover, I had to remove the Z5 and place it over the engine compartment, and then install the tower-down cover. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it was slightly inconvenient.
In 2016, I did NOT order a Z5 bimini top, mostly because I wanted to return to collapsing the bimini into the bow when lowering the tower (which was much easier than removing the Z5), so I ordered the standard Factory Bimini. I found that there are a number of issues preventing this from working like it did in 2013, which is disappointing. First of all, they no longer even offer the tower-down cover as an option! Luckily I still have the one I ordered in 2014. Second, they no longer ship the bimini support pole (required to hold the bimini off of the windshield when the tower is down) with the bimini top. I was able to find a member here who was kind enough to send me one, and I thought I was all set. The newer factory biminis come with two gas shocks that are there to help lift the bimini off of the windshield when you lower the tower. These are great for use when going under bridges or something, but they must be removed in order to collapse the bimini into the bow and rest it on the support pole, so I removed them. I got it all set the way I thought it needed to be. The frame of the bimini is just barely off of the windshield, and I padded it with towels, just in case the pole collapsed or something. Here's how it looked.
As you can see, the position of the front of the bimini is much higher in the 2016 picture as compared to the 2013 picture. The frame for the bimini has changed, and will not allow the bimini to sit as low as it did in 2013 due to the frame hitting the windshield sooner. This is a huge problem for what I was trying to accomplish!!
I was forced to remove the bimini completely (a pain, but still easier than removing the Z5 was last year), and then install the tower-down cover without the bimini mounted to the tower. This works, but my hopes of keeping the bimini mounted like I did in 2013 did not work out. Even so, I will continue using my tower-down cover because of the extra protection it provides, lack of bugs on the tower and speakers, and the slight aerodynamic advantage I get when towing like this.
In 2017, the locations of the retractable cleats on the G-series boats changed. This makes it impossible to use a tower-down cover from prior years while the boat is tied up to a dock (unless the cover is modified). The cover still fits the boat perfectly otherwise though.
In 2018, nothing changed from 2017 with regards to how the tower-down cover fits. The cleats still don't line up with the openings, but that's no big deal if you don't use it while tied up to a dock.
In 2019, there was a major tower change, which resulted in a major cover change. The factory is once again offering TWO versions of the Outer Armor by Commercial Sewing Factory Cover -- a TOWER-UP design and a TOWER-DOWN design.
I opted for the TOWER-DOWN design (big shocker, if you've read the rest of this thread).
The tower on the G-series boats is now a power tower, and it folds BACK instead of FORWARD.
The new tower-down cover design for 2019 looks a little funky due to the way the tower folds down, but it works better than most other implementations of the tower-down cover due to several factors. First, it is easier to put the new cover on since you don't have to crawl over the tower in order to install it. Second, and this is a big one, they finally have gone back to integrating the bimini into the thought process for using the tower-down cover. You no longer have to remove the bimini to lower the tower or use the tower-down cover. You simply boot up the bimini like normal, then release the two push pins that hold it in place on the tower. The bimini then folds down and clips into place, allowing you to leave it mounted to the tower with the tower down. This is the best implementation Nautique has had to date. It is so nice to be able to go from having the tower up and bimini deployed to having the tower down and the entire boat cover on within five minutes.
I towed the 2019 PlanetNautique G23 almost 600 miles from Rockledge, FL (where Roswell is located) to my house on Lake Norman near Charlotte, NC. The cover didn't move much at all, and I am very happy with how everything worked.
In 2020, there were no changes to the way the tower-down cover works with the power actuated tower (which folds backwards).
Nautique did start offering the non-actuated tower (which folds forward) again, and I do not believe they offer a tower-down cover for the forward-folding non-actuated tower. Older tower-down covers will still work with this configuration in theory, but the cleat cutouts will not line up with the current cleat placements.
Here's my 2020 with the power actuated (rear-folding) tower and a 2020 tower-down cover.
In 2021, Nautique redesigned the G-Series hull to match the new Paragon. This required a redesign of the factory cover.
In 2021, Nautique only offered a tower-down cover for G-series boats with the POWER ACTUATED tower (which folds rearward), not the standard tower (which folds forward).
I will caution people who have the 2021 tower-down cover that I ran into an issue the first time I towed with mine. When the tower is down, the cover rubs on the vinyl piece at the very top of the tower, which is at the back of the boat with the tower down. My cover wore two holes in the tower vinyl on the way home from Florida, and that vinyl piece on the tower had to be replaced under warranty. The cover suffered no damage at all. I suggest using some sort of padding in that spot if you tow with the cover on like I do.
I also discovered another issue when I mounted the bimini top to the tower. The rear support pole location on my cover is too far back on the cover to allow the support pole to be mounted with the bimini top attached to the tower and folded down onto the boat. The support pole location should have been mounted farther forward, so that the pole wouldn't be blocked by the bimini top. Nautique has been notified about this issue and I am waiting to hear back on how they will handle it.
Here's my 2021 with the power actuated (rear-folding) tower and a 2021 tower-down cover.
In 2022, I was fortunate enough to get a G23 Paragon, which has its own unique tower. Nautique offers a tower-up and a tower-down version of the cover for this boat. I, of course, chose the tower-down version.
This cover is the best of any that I have had. It uses no support poles, relying on the bimini frame to support the cover. That makes it quick and easy to install. It also has a zipper door in the back, so you can access the boat without removing the cover.
Here's my 2022 with the Paragon-specific telescoping tower and the tower-down cover.
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