Just say NO to inflatables on your tower

A question we hear literally every single day, "is this tower okay to pull a tube with?" As a fellow water enthusiast I could say yes, but the truthful answer is no. Now, let me be a little more specific on that. We carry a lot of different towers and the towers are capable of pulling a tube, but it's not good for them. Let me tell you why.

Did you know that each rope has a breaking strength?

These strengths differ from rope to rope, but one thing that doesn't change: a tube rope is a lot stronger than a ski or wake rope. A couple examples are that a 2 person tube rope is a little over 2,000 pounds and this 4 person tube rope is over 4,000 pounds! That is a lot of weight to be transferring to the tower AND the hull of the boat!

A couple things we have noticed on some of the boats we have installed on is that even the ski eye on the back of the boat has a pull rating. Most are generally about 2,000 pounds. This area is to be used for all towables, including inflatables. 



In some cases the you have a tower that is strong enough to pull inflatables. At this point the question becomes is the hull of you boat strong enough to take the excessive amount of force. If it is not you could see some spider cracking in the gel coat, hull or worse. Most manufacturers tell you not to pull a tube from the tower. There are so many factors in pulling a tube its hard to ensure you are not going to run into issues. I know its the boring thing to do but we recommend playing it safe and continue pulling inflatables from the back of the boat. 

How important is front to back stance when buying a wakeboard tower?

Sometimes its really hard to know what is important when buying a tower. We want to provide information to help aid you in your purchase.

Skylon FST 

Front to back stance is one of those things that can be a big deal down the road. Narrow stance towers can cause a lot of stress in a small area. This stress can cause issues, such as your gel coat cracking. If you want a tower with a narrow stance you need to reinforce the area. Make sure your hull is as thick as the manufacturer recommends. Keep in mind some manufacturers recommend a certain hull thickness and do not provide a bolt for much thicker than that. I personally would be really upset to find I reinforced too much and the bolt wouldn't go through.

The Skylon FST is a great tower with a narrow stance. As long as you make sure you have enough reinforcement you shouldn't have any problems with this tower.

Big Air Predator

The Big Air Predator Tower is a good example of a tower with a wide stance. Just make sure your hull is to the manufactures recommended thickness and you shouldn't have any issues.

Some manufacturers try to keep the front to back stance wide to prevent issues down the road, like gel coat cracking. A wider stance allows the stressed area to be spread out.



Lets just be honest here..... Stance can be a big part of the tower appeal and design. If you don't like, or are worried about the stance, ask questions. Figure out what the manufacturer recommends before purchasing.

Just keep this little factor in mind when purchasing a tower.

Vulcan Vector Tower :Product Review

Vulcan Wake provide's good quality at an amazingly low price. Vulcan Wake is a long standing China based company that was not featured in the US until 2014.

Polished Aluminium
Vulcan Vector Tower

The Vulcan Vector Tower has a bottom bar that was designed to follow the windshield line of most boats. This add a little something different to this tower. Some towers that have this style with the bottom bar have to be completely straight up and down, completely level, and mounted in the exact same spot on both sides for the tower to go together properly. When it comes to the Vector those issues are not relevant and it is definitely not that complicated. Yes, some boat areas for installation may have the bottom bar mounts in the same place on both sides but they can also be tilted in if you like it better that way.



There is a lot of adjustment in this tower. The width is even adjustable too, it will fit 72"-103" wide.  It stands about 5 feet tall. Need to fit under a bridge or garage and worried your boat will be to tall with an additional 5 feet? Problem solved! The Vector is collapsible to near windshield height.

The Vector is available in 2 finishes listed below

• Polished Aluminium 
• Black Powder Coat

It is also a double bar tower, which means there are two bars at the top of the tower. Vulcan says you can pull 1-2 adult riders with this tower. 

This tower also comes with a 5 year manufacturers warranty. If you have any issues with workmanship they will take care of it. 

Overall this is a great tower. It is strong, stylish, durable and reasonably priced. What else do you really need?  

Wakeboarding World Records

Which Wakeboarding World Record would you like to break?

Don't forget to visit our website, Facebook and Twitter for new information and great sale prices.

Should I install my own wakeboard tower?

We get this question a lot!  Seriously. Every. Single. Day.

Installing your own wakeboard tower is as easy as following instructions. If you are fairly handy this should not be a difficult process. This doesn’t mean we don’t want to handle your installation. If you want to bring us your boat we are more than happy to install your tower for you. While we take great care of our customer boats, who is going to take better care of your boat than you?

It is always good to have some help. This is something we always do, even in the shop when installing a tower on a customer’s boat.

To start the process, check to make sure you have access to the inside of the hull of your boat. Be sure to do this before you ever drill a hole. You will be extremely mad at yourself if you drill and you can’t get to the other side to install the nut and bolt. This is also a step where knowing the front to back stance of the tower will be helpful, this will tell you how far apart your mounts will need to be. All towers are different. For instance, a Big Air Vapor tower has a set front to back stance, while the Vulcan Boost has an adjustable front to back stance. Make sure you have clear access to all 4 mounting points.

This is a customer install photo from their blog.
This is a Big Air Ice Tower Mount from a
 couple years ago. Big Air has recently
updated the mount style.

As our Roswell Wake Air representative stated “the hardest part for most people is drilling into their own boat”. This is mostly just nerves. You are about to drill into something you spent a lot of money on. Keep in mind, you are improving it.

Place some painters tape or masking tape down so you can mark where you need to drill without damaging or marking on your boat. Use the mount as a template if possible.




Be sure to “measure twice, drill once”. This is something I have always been told and is a good rule to go by.

From there on out, as I said before, it is as easy as following the instructions. If you have a problem or question at any point of your installation, just give us or the manufacturer a call. We will help as best we can or point you to someone who can. Some manufacturers even have installation videos you can watch.

           Helpful Links

Big Air: How to drill into fiberglass 

The Big Air Wave Tower Review

Wakeboard tower company Wake Essentials offers a variety of affordable, high-quality wake towers, but the Big Air Wave Tower is by far the best model that they offer.  The new, high-tech design has been in the works for a while, but just looking at it, it’s easy to tell that they really took their time to get it right. 

The Big Air Wave Tower comes standard with wakeboard racks to hold 4 wakeboards, saving consumers the time and hassle of having to buy and install racks separately.  Of course, buyers have the option of replacing any number of wakeboard rack spaces to hold knee boards instead.  With universal mounts and the ability to be installed on any boat between 70” and 103” in width, it’s a great choice for almost any boat owner wishing to take his or her lake time to a whole new level of excitement.

The tower is constructed of 6061 T6 aircraft grade aluminum tubing, so it’s both light and sturdy.  The forward braces feature an extremely thick, and mean looking (in a good way) design that definitely sets it apart aesthetically from any other wake tower on the market.  The Wave Tower can also quickly and easily be folded to below windshield height for easy storage. 

Because of the aircraft grade aluminum materials, new anti-flex extrusions, and large diameter tubing, the Wave tower mounts securely and operates reliably enough to avoid rattling and moaning sounds when in use.

Installation options are versatile as it can be mounted on the side or top of the gunnels, and initial installation can be done yourself in about 2-3 hours.  Most biminis will also fit the Big Air Wave Tower, but Big Air sells biminis that will definitely fit it if you happen to have a third party bimini that won’t.  The best part?  The Big Air Wave Tower only runs about $1,400, which is around $500-$1,000 less than other brands (like Monster or Barewest) of comparable wake towers.  This translates into a cost-effective, high-quality adrenaline rush for any level of wake jockey from beginner to advanced. 

Where to buy: http://www.wakeessentials.com

Why: High-quality, great aesthetics, great bang for the buck

Wakeboard Tower Review: Big Air Ice Tower

Wakeboarding is fun, challenging, and physically demanding, but it can be an expensive hobby. By the time the costs of a boat, wakeboards, gas, a tower installation, maintenance, and all of the other needed accessories are figured in, you’re looking at many thousands of dollars. Luckily, the Big Air Ice Tower can help to lower that cost and not to the detriment of the wakeboarding experience. 

Big Air Ice Tower

The Big Air Ice Tower is one of, if not the most affordable wake towers on the market at $699 retail. It’s designed not only to be durable, but easily assembled and installed. While the Big Air Ice Tower has looks and style, the most important features of any tower are the functionality and construction. Fortunately, the Big Air Ice Tower has it all. The construction design allows the tower to have a universal fit and the welds are high quality. The tubing is 2.25 inches and constructed from 6061 T6 aircraft grade aluminum, so it’s light, yet strong. The tower can be installed with no advanced measurements, provided your boat’s dimensions fall within the 62” – 98” width spectrum, and most biminis will also fit the tower.

The Big Air Ice Tower  has the benefit of being collapsible down to near windshield height, which is quite handy when you want to store your boat in a garage. When you consider that the materials are so high-grade and the design is capable of providing an ultra-rigid, stable pull from behind your boat, the only thing left is the price, which as previously stated, is incredibly low. For excellence in construction, convenience, performance, and affordability, you can’t go wrong with the Big Air Ice Tower.

Where to buy: www.wakeessentials.com

Why: It’s only $549.00 FOR A LIMITED TIME

Top 5 Wake Towers for This Summer Season

Looking to upgrade your current wakeboard tower or purchase one for the first time? Awesome – we’ve got the rundown on today’s best wake towers for riders of all skill levels.

 

What to Consider When Buying a Wakeboard Tower

There are many different wakeboard towers to fit the style and preference of every type of rider. Below are a few factors to consider when evaluating your options:

Price - All wake towers do essentially the same thing – create lift rather a forward pull motion which makes popping up easier, helping riders get more height on jumps. However, there are significant differences in sturdiness, design “sexiness”, and durability. These factors will vary at different price points.

Width Fit - The width fit is important because it determines whether or not a tower will mount properly to your boat. Some towers have a fixed width, some are adjustable to work on most any boat. The width of your boat will determine which options are viable for you.

Materials - Most towers are made of aircraft grade metal, providing a strong and light foundation for pulling wake boarders of any size and reducing the load put on the boats engine. This equates to more power and more speed

Design and Color Options - While the color is a purely aesthetic factor, design can make a big difference, particularly for advanced wake boarders.  Extra welded support brackets are usually found on more expensive towers, and also provide more sturdiness than their cheaper counterparts. 
 
Finish – This is another aesthetic component, but it can greatly influence the longevity of the paint color. The wake tower will certainly still work, but it can become weathered if it’s not powder coated or anodized.
 
Additional Features - These are all the extras that can be a deciding factor: warranty, mounts and racks, speakers, and lights.  Many sellers offer towers with some or all of these extras.
 
Big Air Wave Tower  

Big Air Wave Tower 

• WakeEssentials Price: $1,099.00  
• Width Fit: boat between 70" and 103" width; 60"-70" or 103"-113" fitting options possible
• Materials: 6061 T6 aircraft grade aluminum tubing  
• Color Options: n/a  
• Finish: Polished aluminum finish  
• Additional Features: 5 year limited warranty, integrated racks for up to 4 standard wakeboards, 2.25" large diameter - flex reducing aluminum tubing, most biminis fit under the tower  

Big Air H2O Tower  

Big Air H2O Tower

• WakeEssentials Price: $799.00  
• Width Fit: boats with 55" to 116" beam width  
• Materials: 2" OD 304 Stainless Steel Tubing (legs), 2 3/8" OD 6061 T6 Al (top cross member)
• Color Options: Gloss black, gloss white and custom color powder finish options available 
• Finish: Standard – brushed finish; Powder Coat finish options available  
• Additional Features: 5 year limited warranty, swivel joint attachments on base plates to prevent stress cracking, most biminis fit under the tower

 
Big Air Ice Tower  

Big Air Ice Tower

• WakeEssentials Price: $549.00  
• Width Fit: boats between 62"-98" wide  
• Materials: 6061 T6 aircraft grade aluminum tubing
• Color Options: Polished aluminum or black  
• Finish: Polished aluminum or black powder coat finish  
• Additional Features: 2.25" large diameter - flex reducing aluminum tubing, most biminis fit under the tower, multiple mounting options

Roswell Classic 51 Tower  

Roswell Classic 51 Tower 

• WakeEssentials Price: $2,849.00  
• Width Fit: 74" to 114" beam widths  
• Materials: 2 3/8" tubing  
• Color Options: n/a 
• Finish: Brushed aluminum finish  
• Additional Features: 3 year warranty

Monster MTE Tower  

Monster MTE Tower

• WakeEssentials Price: $499.00 *INSTALLATION ONLY 
• Width Fit: boats with 60” to 102” beam width  
• Materials: 2-1/2" diameter 6063-T6 bright-dipped aluminum
•  Color Options: n/a  
• Finish: Polished aluminum finish 
• Additional Features: 2 year warranty, quick release front mounts, swivel tow point

About the Author: Wake Essentials sells and installs name brand wakeboard towers, biminis, wakeboard speakers, racks, mirrors, lights, and other wakeboarding accessories at competitive prices. Their products can be purchased via their website: www.wakeessentials.com.

How to Install a Wakeboard Tower: Part II

Step 4: Install the back brackets

Now attach the backing plates, base pads and bases of the back brackets.

• Put the backing plate and one of the base pads behind the front of the boat, with the base pad resting against the boat.
• Put the other base pad against the front of the boat and place the base on top of the pad.
• Lubricate the bolts before screwing everything into place.
• Tighten these in place by hand.
• Check to ensure that the base is firmly in place. Tighten further if needed.

Step 5: Get the wake tower in place on the back brackets

• Attach the rear legs to the back brackets
• Put the wakeboard tower in the up position and move the front legs in place at the front of the boat.
• Double check the previously determined markers for the front legs. Remark if necessary.

Step 6: Drill holes for the front brackets

Repeat the steps for drilling the holes for the back brackets.

Step 7: Install the front brackets

Repeat the steps for installing the back brackets.

Step 8: Make final adjustments

• Use a ratchet strap to pull in the tower corners before drilling the holes. This helps give the tower a pre-load, which provides it with more stability and rigidity.
• Measure to make sure the tower is centered when in the up position by measuring from one corner at the top of the tower to the base mount on the opposite side.
• Measure again from the other top corner down to the opposite base.
• When both sides are within ¼” tighten all the screw sets so the tower is stiff.

Optional Last Step: Set up Your Wakeboard Speakers & Wakeboard Mirror

Of course no wake tower is complete without a set of wakeboard speakers that can kick out beats while you wakeboard and a wakeboard mirror so that you’ll know when to circle around and pick up your friend after a wipeout.

• Speakers/mirrors should be installed after the tower is up and in place.
• Mount the speakers to the top bar of the tower.
• Drill holes for the speaker wires in the bottom of one of the legs.
• Snake the wires through the back leg up to the speakers.
• Put a protective cover over the wires.
• Wakeboard mirrors simply wrap around the tower bar with adjustable fasteners that keep them in place.
• The wakeboard mirror can be adjusted by hand after installation, giving you the perfect viewing angle.

Watch this wake tower installation YouTube video for a visual demo of the steps listed above, and feel free to let us know if you have any questions.

What is your favorite brand of wakeboard towers? Why?

How to Install a Wakeboard Tower: Part I

At WakeEssentials.com, our motto is ‘spend more time on the water, rather than on the web. With this essential wake tower installation guide you can get everything set up and ready so you’re good to go before the summer wakeboarding season kicks in high gear.

Tools you’ll need to Install a Wake Tower:

• Reversible Drill
• Set of Allen Wrenches (if not provided in tower kit)
• Torque wrench
• Lubricant or general purpose greaser
• Tape Measurer
• Dry Erase Marker
• Protective Eyewear
• At least one handy friend

Step 1: Read Manufacturer-Provided Installation Instructions

Your wake tower should come with an Owners Manual and installation instructions that are specific to your wake board tower – whether it’s a Big Air wake tower, Monster wakeboard tower, or other. Note the following when reading:

• List of parts – make sure you have everything and the correct quantity of each part
• Parts diagram - this will give you a visual of everything on the parts list and how they interconnect.
• Company contact – look for a phone number to call in case you have any issues during installation.

Step 2: Pre-Assemble the Wake Tower

Pre-assembling the tower before putting it up will allow you to better plan where the brackets should be placed and how the tower will sit. This is particularly important if you have a tower that folds down.

• Keep protective wrapping on tower legs and top section as much as possible.
• Use lubricant to grease the bolt threads to prevent hardware from locking up.
• Attach the rear legs to the top section using provided hardware.
• Screw the leg ends into each leg and attach the rear bases/brackets.
• If you have a folding tower now is the time to decide where to locate the back brackets so that the tower folds down into the position you prefer.
• Use a cloth or tape to protect the surface of your boat.
• Put the pre-assembled tower in the folded position.
• Try various locations until you find where you want the folded tower to sit.
• Make sure there are no wires or other obstructions in your preferred location.
• Make sure there is at least 3/8” fiberglass to drill through. If not additional support will need to be added.
• Mark the spots where the back brackets should sit.
• Measure from the spots to the back corner of the boat to ensure that the spots are positioned the same on each side.
• Now attach the front legs to the top section along with each leg base/bracket.
• Determine the approximate location of the front brackets by again putting the tower in place on the boat, making sure the back brackets sit in their pre-determined spots. You will need the help of a friend or two to hold the tower in place while you examine the placement of the bases.
• Mark the spot for the front bases.
• Measure from the front bases to a reference spot on the front of the boat and from the front bases to the rear bases to ensure that the front bases are evenly placed.

Step 3: Drill Holes for the Back Brackets

• Remove the front and back bases/brackets from the legs.
• Measure from your base points to a reference point again before you begin drilling.
• Mark where to drill the two holes through the deck.
• Center punch each mark to make the drilling go more smoothly.
• To first get through the hard gelcoat outer layer, run the drill in reverse with a 1/8” drill bit to make the hole all the way through the fiberglass.
• Next use a larger sized drill bit to widen the hole to the correct size, again drilling in reverse.
• Use the base/bracket backing plate to double check the position for the second hole, then drill the second hole using the same steps listed above.
• Repeat the process for the bracket on the other side of the boat.

Stay tuned for Part II: How to Install a Wakeboard Tower!