Titan 3 vs. Illusion X

[sliver]

PLEASE don't vote unless you have experience with both towers. This should reduce bias in the results.

There should probably be a question regarding the accessories for each tower but, the poll is limited to 3 ?s...

Hopefully this will help potential buyers decide which tower they want.

Thank you for your participation

Edited to correct a redundancy in the second question.

Edited August 3, 2007 by sliver

[larrys]

I have owned both the a Titan 2 and 2 Illusion X towers. My shed mate has a Titan 3 on his current boat and his last boat. So, I speak from experience! I don't think this is a fair poll other than what your preference is.

I prefer the Illusion X for several reasons. I like the design of the tower. I like the bimini for the height and function. I like the way all the accessories are pre-wired and internal. And finally, I think it gives the Malibu its signature look. You are limited to accessories that are designed for this tower. But, it has not been a problem finding what I want.

The Titan has a lower bimini which some prefer. You can also mount larger speakers higher on the tower so they don't blast the passengers. This is a huge plus if you are into that.

I think the quality of both tower is equal. I have seen anomalies with both. When it comes to precision it's hard to compare. Do to the nature of the Illusion precision is more important than with a tube tower. For instance, when mounting a rack or speaker on the Illusion using the factory mounts, the tolerances are tight. If things are slightly off it does make things difficult. With the Titan, everything is mounting to the tube with some sort of clamp. You can put it anywhere.

Everyone always says that the Titan is stronger and more solid. I can say from experience. I have 4 Wetsound Pro60Xs and for board racks carrying 6-8 boards all the time. I have never been concerned with the sturdiness of the tower. My shed mate has 4 Wetsounds Pro80Xs and 2 board racks loaded. Last week out I noticed just as much flex in that tower as I see in mine.

Also, I have seen and experienced more stress cracking around the mounts of the Titan than the Illusion. Out of the boats I have owned I had stress cracks around one of the Titan mounts. None on either of my Illusions.

I'm sure everyone will be replying with their own experiences that may differ or compare to mine. Which supports my first comment. It really comes down to preference. They are both great towers which both have their pros and cons.

Get the one you like!!!

Edited August 3, 2007 by larrys

[goochy]

I'm old school , Titan !!! I do not like the Illusion , Bimini top is to high ( not enough shade ) , I do not like the look , do not like where the speakers hook up to tower, I do think both towers are strong . Like LarryS said get what you like. Both are great. We just like the polished " old school " tower look . 2007 LSV with Titan III tower and 4 Pro 80s Wet Sounds !!!

Edited August 3, 2007 by goochy

[sliver]

I love our polished Titan II. I think it really sets off the billet accents and chrome trim throughout the boat. However, I have no experience w/ the Illusion X. It seems to be much more convenient when it comes to adding accessories due to being pre-drilled. I think this gives it a more integrated/finished look.

I never have to raise or lower my tower so that's not an issue to me. Though, the preload adjustment on the Illusion X would seem to make it easier to do by yourself.

I too dislike the bimini on the Illusion X that is on the 23's and 247's. It seems too high to do any good. However, the VTX I demo'd had the Illusion X and it was much lower. The coverage was nearly identical to the Great Lakes bimini on my Titan which I love as well. The bimini on the Illusion X was just tall enough for me to stand up underneath it with my head barely brushing it, I'm 5'5".

One other thing I dislike about the Illusion X is the placement. Anyone entering the boat is limited to the rear sundeck, swim platform or bow. This could be interesting pulling along side a dock with handrails where the openings are usually in the middle for pontoons. Whereas with the Titan, you have very easy access to and from the cockpit in about any direction.

I'm torn... and with the way the poll is looking at the moment...so are fellow 'Bu Crew members...

[bareftskier]

Hopefully this will help potential buyers decide which tower they want.

Potential buyers, like me, will have a difficult time using the poll results since we can't see them unless we vote. Since we don't have experience...

[larrys]

This is one of the great things about Malibu! Options... How many different towers do you see on a X-Star? But with options come decisions. And that will keep you up at night until you finalize the order. Then you fret over your decisions until the boat arrives. Then you and everyone else loves it for what it is. A great Malibu!!!

I like to try different things. My 5th BU will be here at the end of the month. I have gone from the Skylon, Titan II and now the Illusion X. When I first say the Illusion X I said I would never have one. Now I've had 2. I would have never thought I would have liked it! I considered going back to the Titan III for '08 but it was a 3-1 vote by the family. So, the Illusions won again. Who knows, maybe next boat will have the new funky Illusion which I don't like right now. Maybe Titan will come out with a IV that is even cooler than the III?

Who knows what the future will hold?

[larrys]

Hopefully this will help potential buyers decide which tower they want.

Potential buyers, like me, will have a difficult time using the poll results since we can't see them unless we vote. Since we don't have experience...

I was able to see the results before I voted. The problem is... I wanted to vote my preference and not answer the other 2.

[NorCaliBu]

Potential buyers, like me, will have a difficult time using the poll results since we can't see them unless we vote. Since we don't have experience...

You can see the results without voting by clicking the "Show Results" button.

[WakeGirl]

There have been a fair number of members recently reporting stress cracks around the mounting feet of the Illusion X, including mine. I've never seen very many (if any) reports of that on any of the Titan towers, on this board or MBO. As much as I love the way that the Illusion feels in the boat, I'd have a hard time going back to it because of that.

[lib135]

Titan III for the following reasons?

1.) Clearance, I couldn't even walk through illusion without hitting my head, no problem on TIII. (Most important)

2.) I knew I would have a high end tower speaker setup and didn't want to drown out people in the boat. TIII makes a great setup for tower speakers.

3.) IMO, and I have used both, the TIII is a much sturdier tower, and there is much more room for adjustment of accessories, if you want to raise, or lower racks, move speakers up down, left right, etc...

Edited August 3, 2007 by lib135

[sliver]

There have been a fair number of members recently reporting stress cracks around the mounting feet of the Illusion X, including mine. I've never seen very many (if any) reports of that on any of the Titan towers, on this board or MBO. As much as I love the way that the Illusion feels in the boat, I'd have a hard time going back to it because of that.

This has always been a concern in the back of my mind. I think it came from nearly purchasing an '03 VLX with the original "tube" Illusion tower...that thing scared me....

[larrys]

Titan III for the following reasons?

1.) Clearance, I couldn't even walk through illusion without hitting my head, no problem on TIII. (Most important)

2.) I knew I would have a high end tower speaker setup and didn't want to drown out people in the boat. TIII makes a great setup for tower speakers.

3.) IMO, and I have used both, the TIII is a much sturdier tower, and there is much more room for adjustment of accessories, if you want to raise, or lower racks, move speakers up down, left right, etc...

1.) Let's be fair... If both have bmini's up, which where I boat it never comes down, the Illusion has more clearance.

2.) This is a major advantage for the Titan over the Illusion!!! I almost went back to the Titan this time so I could go with Pro80s!

3.) 2 weeks ago I would have agreed with you. After riding in a boat with 4 Pro80s installed on a Titan, I can honestly say I disagree. Loadboth towers down with heavy speakers and lots of boards, there is not a lot of difference.

[larrys]

There have been a fair number of members recently reporting stress cracks around the mounting feet of the Illusion X, including mine. I've never seen very many (if any) reports of that on any of the Titan towers, on this board or MBO. As much as I love the way that the Illusion feels in the boat, I'd have a hard time going back to it because of that.

It is always personal experiences that drives future decisions. I'm for 1 on stress cracks around my Titan and 0 for 2 on stress cracks around my Illusions. And, Goochy already has a stress crack around his Titan III. Anyways I have had stress cracks appear somewhere within the first year on every Malibu I have owned. My pink/black boat being the worst! But, they are all repairable and never came back.

[sliver]

Titan III for the following reasons?

2.) I knew I would have a high end tower speaker setup and didn't want to drown out people in the boat. TIII makes a great setup for tower speakers.

2.) This is a major advantage for the Titan over the Illusion!!! I almost went back to the Titan this time so I could go with Pro80s!

Can you explain this further? We'll use the Wetsound Pro 80s for example as that's what I'd like to have. How do these speakers on an Illusion X drown out passengers any more than when placed on a Titan III? I'm guessing the speakers are a little higher and closer to the rear of the boat on the Titan III but, how can it make that much difference?

Also, I've seen Pro 80X's on Illusion X towers...

[larrys]

Can you explain this further? We'll use the Wetsound Pro 80s for example as that's what I'd like to have. How do these speakers on an Illusion X drown out passengers any more than when placed on a Titan III? I'm guessing the speakers are a little higher and closer to the rear of the boat on the Titan III but, how can it make that much difference?

Also, I've seen Pro 80X's on Illusion X towers...

First off if you mount for 80s on an Illusion you will be hitting your head on them. 2 mount to the factory location and 2 to the rear cross bar. They will just hang down to low. But, many have done this. I went with the 60s on my Illusion so they could be mounted in the factory location and being a little smaller they are not a head room problem. They still sound awsume!!! Goochy went with 40 80s on his TIII. They mount above the height of the bimini but stick out further than the bimini. So, you willl hit your head on them if you don't duck a little soon than you would if going under the bimini. Since the 80s on the TIII are higher and furher back they will project better to the rider and not be as loud in the boat. Don't get me wrong... They both setups are load in the boat, but the Illusion setup is noticable louder even with 60 and a little less power. If the TIII is on a VLX it would even make a bigger difference since the 80s would alomst be above the rear seat. Again, this is from personal experience. I store my boat next to Goochy's. My(used to be mine) VLX has a Illusion with 4 Pro60xs and Goochy has a LSV with TIII and 4 Pro80s.

Goochy's pic is earlier in the thread.

Edited August 3, 2007 by larrys

[sliver]

I only plan on using a single pair of Pro 80's. I've heard them and that's plenty for me...

If I mount them in the high location on the Illusion, I doubt I'd have an issue given my height. Then again, the Illusion X on the VTX is shorter than on the VLX, 23 & 247.

[larrys]

I only plan on using a single pair of Pro 80's. I've heard them and that's plenty for me...

If I mount them in the high location on the Illusion, I doubt I'd have an issue given my height. Then again, the Illusion X on the VTX is shorter than on the VLX, 23 & 247.

If I were doing 2 Pro80's that's what I would do. I was talking to Tim at Wetsounds trying to decide what to do on the '08 and he recommended the 4 60's over 2 80's. So that's what I doing again. But, the 2 80's should sound great!

[Ozresponse]

Titan 3 for me. I love the look of the illusion, but I have never seen one I like when the bimini is on. Plus the polished look really set off all the other polished bits on the boat as well.

[Cbrown]

I voted for the Titan on all three but agree with larrys on the last two questions. Both towers are strong but when the Illusion X flexes as larry talks about those are your actual gunwales flexing as compared to the titan which does not flex your gunwales but rather on the heim joints. I have seen more Illusion X towers cause stress cracks than any Titan tower especially pre 06 before the Illusion X received the new mounting system.

My family has had the Illusion X tower and a Titan III. The Illusion X had to be replaced after the first season due to a machining problem. Where the cross bar goes into the tower seperated internally and caused a crack in the tower.

As far as accessories when we ordered our 05 with the Titan III there were more accessories available for the Titan and at a cheaper price but at this point I think it is an even playing field in this area.

Edited August 3, 2007 by Cbrown

[chathamsolutions]

There have been a fair number of members recently reporting stress cracks around the mounting feet of the Illusion X, including mine. I've never seen very many (if any) reports of that on any of the Titan towers, on this board or MBO. As much as I love the way that the Illusion feels in the boat, I'd have a hard time going back to it because of that.

I don't have a TIII, but I've had the TII for 3+ years now. We've towed some SERIOUS weight from the tower. A Big Mama tube and a doughnut tube with 12 kids - all at the same time, from the TII. The drag on your boat / tower with a tube like that is enormous.

Also many a large guy. Two large guys at once actually.

No stress cracks from the TII. Thank heaven.

That thing is SUPER solid. Never a rattle. Not even from the break away racks.

[SacRiverRat]

We've towed some SERIOUS weight from the tower. A Big Mama tube and a doughnut tube with 12 kids - all at the same time, from the TII. The drag on your boat / tower with a tube like that is enormous.

Just out of curriosity.. why would you do that, vs towing the tube from the pylon? Just seems like a lot of stress on the tower, risk of the tube rope ending up in the cabin, if it slacked for some reason.. etc.. Just currious, and I like to give you a hard time Andy

[Cbrown]

Just to pop in here as being part of the tower industry- In my own humble opinion I would STRONGLY disagree with the above comments (for towing from a tower) for the following reasons.

The pressure from a tube submerging upon start and the angle with which a tube can be wipped out to the side are dangerous issues.

If a rope were to break while tubing (typically when a tube goes under upon starting or on a strong whip) and it is attached to the tower there is a much greater risk of the rope itself entering the passenger area as compared to towing off a lower rear tow point.

Whipping the tube out to the side while having it attached to a higher tow point can drastically change the driving capabilities of the boat- Wakeboaring cannot create the angles that a tube whipping out to the side can. It is also pulling from a higher leverage point with MUCH greater force than a rider will ever pull.

I would highly suggest you NEVER pull from any tower.

Just my 2 cents...

Marc Poirier

This is from the guy that is involved with Roswell Wake and I personally would trust someone that builds towers for a living.

[chathamsolutions]

The above reasons are EXACTLY why I pull tubes from the tower. Well, all except the fact that the rope can break and whip into the cabin - which I've had happen pulling the Big Mama BTW - but it didn't flip back into the cabin. The Big Mama has a front and rear pulls and we were using the rear and the tube submerged. It was like pulling a tank through the water. One of the large 6 man ropes broke. Frankly, if you're towing from any point at the back of the boat and the rope brakes ALL the angles are toward people in the cabin, so I don't really see it being any more dangerous.

But it is much easier to give kids a bit more of a ride while pulling from the tower. That said, I believe that I'm a capable driver and am VERY cautious while towing a tube. Typically drive at 15 MPH and only go above for very short bursts. Watching the whip angles are always constant in my mind.

I was just asked back to a youth camp for being a good safe driver, after they've had their share of frightening ones.

All that said, I'll try it again from the stern and see how it goes. I was always concerned with the over exertion it put on the tower.

[lib135]

Titan III for the following reasons?

2.) I knew I would have a high end tower speaker setup and didn't want to drown out people in the boat. TIII makes a great setup for tower speakers.

2.) This is a major advantage for the Titan over the Illusion!!! I almost went back to the Titan this time so I could go with Pro80s!

Can you explain this further? We'll use the Wetsound Pro 80s for example as that's what I'd like to have. How do these speakers on an Illusion X drown out passengers any more than when placed on a Titan III? I'm guessing the speakers are a little higher and closer to the rear of the boat on the Titan III but, how can it make that much difference?

Also, I've seen Pro 80X's on Illusion X towers...

What I mean, is on the Illusion the speakers are further towards the front of the boat, so they are blaring at everyone in the cabin, vs on the titan, they hang about even with the cooler, so they only hit people on the very back bench of the boat.

[Malibudude]

Definitely a Titan fan but I’m concerned w/ the TIII simply how much angle bend in the piping can the tower have before it starts to affect the stability and rigidity. Titan’s I & II versions are ROCK solid regardless of how much people have piled on them, I can’t say the same for any illusion tower. Not to say that the flex of the tower is a problem just not something I’m not crazy about.

Larry’s pointing out that the Titian has created spider cracks was the first I’ve heard of from any of their products. Assuming that the tower was installed correctly and no defects with the boat either.