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Wakeboard Racks


Matt_Alger

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I will soon have an 08 VTX with the Titan III tower and want to add wakeboard and wakesurf racks. I have read a lot here and other places and about various racks but since these will be my first wakeboard racks, I still have several (probably very basic) questions.

I am looking for opinions on racks, spinners, and bungees. I personally don’t like the bungee system. They seem like they are a pain to hook up and unhook the boards. I prefer a mechanical lock like Mastercraft has (I know I will wash my mouth out with soap) but the only ones that I found that are something like that are the Skylon Airlock Rack which actually uses an air bladder for the mechanical lock (doesn’t give me a lot of confidence that the bladder won’t leak and the boards come flying out) and the Fly High Pro-X Series Board Rack (Not sure if anyone has any experience with them).

Tower: Titan III

My Stupid Questions Are:

1) What are lift offs and can the be used with spinners?

2) Do you prefer the bungee systems vs a mechanical lock like Mastercraft has and why?

3) Are the bungees a pain like I think they will be or not?

4) Thoughts on the following racks or recommendations?

Skylon Airlock rack (No bungee, airbladder to lock in the boards)

Skylon “S” Plate “NO SNAP Bungee” Rack – what the #$!! is “No Snap bungee”?

Titan Lowrider II with Titan Spinners (I know many will recommend these but why?)

Fly High Pro-X Series Board Racks – Not sure if they can swivel but have a mechanical locking system vs bungee. http://www.fatsac.com/FlyHigh/FlyHighProducts.html#14

Thanks for helping out a wakeboard rack novice.

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I will soon have an 08 VTX with the Titan III tower and want to add wakeboard and wakesurf racks. I have read a lot here and other places and about various racks but since these will be my first wakeboard racks, I still have several (probably very basic) questions.

I am looking for opinions on racks, spinners, and bungees. I personally don’t like the bungee system. They seem like they are a pain to hook up and unhook the boards. I prefer a mechanical lock like Mastercraft has (I know I will wash my mouth out with soap) but the only ones that I found that are something like that are the Skylon Airlock Rack which actually uses an air bladder for the mechanical lock (doesn’t give me a lot of confidence that the bladder won’t leak and the boards come flying out) and the Fly High Pro-X Series Board Rack (Not sure if anyone has any experience with them).

Tower: Titan III

My Stupid Questions Are:

1) What are lift offs and can the be used with spinners?

2) Do you prefer the bungee systems vs a mechanical lock like Mastercraft has and why?

3) Are the bungees a pain like I think they will be or not?

4) Thoughts on the following racks or recommendations?

Skylon Airlock rack (No bungee, airbladder to lock in the boards)

Skylon “S” Plate “NO SNAP Bungee” Rack – what the #$!! is “No Snap bungee”?

Titan Lowrider II with Titan Spinners (I know many will recommend these but why?)

Fly High Pro-X Series Board Racks – Not sure if they can swivel but have a mechanical locking system vs bungee. http://www.fatsac.com/FlyHigh/FlyHighProducts.html#14

Thanks for helping out a wakeboard rack novice.

I have experience with the Mastercraft mechanical ones, and they ROCK. Best rack i have used. Issue is, haven't seen anything comparable for aftermarket.

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My Stupid Questions Are:

1) What are lift offs and can the be used with spinners?

2) Do you prefer the bungee systems vs a mechanical lock like Mastercraft has and why?

3) Are the bungees a pain like I think they will be or not?

Lift offs are designed as a two-part system with the base plate/clamp mounted to the tower. The

board rack itself is mounted to a mating apparatus that slides into the clamp. Once in place, the

racks fit pretty solidly with very little play or noise. The advantage to these is that, with a simple

lift of the clamp handle, the racks can be removed. They do not make it any easier or more

difficult to load or unload your boards. They simply provide any easy means to remove the racks

for trailering or storage. The racks then aren't exposed to the elements 24/7 so they are less likely

to tarnish, and the bungees should last much longer and not bleach out with sun exposure.

The spinners' advantage is that they look really cool and fold inward to make board loading and

unloading easier (although it seems that I've read that most folks with the spinners rarely bother

to use them in this fashion) and to make pulling into a boat slip easier (you'll probably still need to

unload the boards on narrow slips with a roof, but you won't need to worry about ramming your board

racks against a pillar). I'm not sure, but I don't think lift offs are compatible with the spinner.

Personally, I don't have a problem at all with the bungee system. I haven't had to replace a bungee

strap since mine are stored indoors 99% of the time (I have lift offs), but I don't think it would be

difficult to do at minimal cost.

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My Stupid Questions Are:

1) What are lift offs and can the be used with spinners?

2) Do you prefer the bungee systems vs a mechanical lock like Mastercraft has and why?

3) Are the bungees a pain like I think they will be or not?

1. I have no experience with lift offs, but spinners are nice for the vertically challenged like my little brother, I don't really use them unless it's rough out and I don't want to balance out over the side.

2. The bungees are not really not a problem. The MC one is pretty cool, but my little brother had trouble operating them due to lack of weight.

3. The bungees are fine, they hold the boards in, they would be easy to replace if they break, and for the most part board will stay in them even if not strapped down.

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Thanks for the info so far. How about question #4:

4) Thoughts on the following racks or recommendations?

Skylon Airlock rack (No bungee, airbladder to lock in the boards)

Skylon “S” Plate “NO SNAP Bungee” Rack – what the #$!! is “No Snap bungee”?

Titan Lowrider II with Titan Spinners (I know many will recommend these but why?)

Fly High Pro-X Series Board Racks – Not sure if they can swivel but have a mechanical locking system vs bungee. http://www.fatsac.com/FlyHigh/FlyHighProducts.html#14

Also, for anyone with spinners: Do you use them a lot or just reach out and load / unload the boards?

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Thanks for the info so far. How about question #4:

4) Thoughts on the following racks or recommendations?

Skylon Airlock rack (No bungee, airbladder to lock in the boards)

Skylon “S” Plate “NO SNAP Bungee” Rack – what the #$!! is “No Snap bungee”?

Titan Lowrider II with Titan Spinners (I know many will recommend these but why?)

Fly High Pro-X Series Board Racks – Not sure if they can swivel but have a mechanical locking system vs bungee. http://www.fatsac.com/FlyHigh/FlyHighProducts.html#14

Also, for anyone with spinners: Do you use them a lot or just reach out and load / unload the boards?

I've got the Titan Spinners on my 07 VLX and they work great. I use the feature about 90% of the time and it's a simple push of the release button to swing them into the boat. I also picked up a set of rack sox from Speakersox.com and they help keep the sun from tarnishing the rack and bungee's as well as keeping the bugs off when trailering. You can simply through them in the wash.

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Another vote for the Titans. Fit and finish is second to none. There is a reason they are so popular.

As for the lift offs, I love them. I have them in all four locations and never have the racks on unless we are actually going out. Also another big advantage (at least for us) is I have 4 wakeboard racks and 1 surf rack, so depending on what we are doing I can set it up accordingly.

Using the bungees is no big deal, but I have not personally used other types than the bungees. All the other guys with boats we go out with all have bungee types as well. (Tige w/sampson, Supra w/Roswell, and a SAN)

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Another vote for the Titans. Fit and finish is second to none. There is a reason they are so popular.

As for the lift offs, I love them. I have them in all four locations and never have the racks on unless we are actually going out. Also another big advantage (at least for us) is I have 4 wakeboard racks and 1 surf rack, so depending on what we are doing I can set it up accordingly.

Using the bungees is no big deal, but I have not personally used other types than the bungees. All the other guys with boats we go out with all have bungee types as well. (Tige w/sampson, Supra w/Roswell, and a SAN)

do the lift-offs rattle much or at all? You're doing exactly what I want to do with my new LSV when it arrives in April. 4 wake racks and 1 surf rack...and swap the surf rack in if needed. I was thinking of getting two spinner racks and 2 lift-offs....or possibly 4 lift-offs like you. I'm not sure that I would ever use the spinners except for possibly tying up...and maybe if they cause an issue when I back the boat into it's storage unit. Any thoughts anyone?

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srab - do you know if the lift-offs rattle more or less than the spinners?

Can't help you on this. I vacillated back and forth on whether to get the lift-offs or the swivels

and finally opted for the lift-offs. My boat lives on a lift at a marina and I thought the swivels

just might walk off (on the Illusion X tower, they are mounted with just a single hex bolt each).

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The lift offs work great. No rattleing at all, they are built very well. When all my Titan stuff arrived last year, the first thing that impressed me with the quality of the workmanship.

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My Stupid Questions Are:

1) What are lift offs and can the be used with spinners?

Lift-offs actually have a seperate base plate that is bolted to the tower and rack is held on by a pin. Your pull the pin and Lift off the rack. I think there are several manufactures that combined "lift-off" and de-tatch with the spinner.

2) Do you prefer the bungee systems vs a mechanical lock like Mastercraft has and why?

Bungee is better. I have used the mastercraft system and I wasn't amazed by it. The bungee is cheaper to replace when it wears out.

3) Are the bungees a pain like I think they will be or not?

Bungees work great, just don't put your face/head in line with the cord in case your miss the hook.

4) Thoughts on the following racks or recommendations?

I haven't used any of these products yet.

Skylon Airlock rack (No bungee, airbladder to lock in the boards)

Skylon “S” Plate “NO SNAP Bungee” Rack – what the #$!! is “No Snap bungee”?

Titan Lowrider II with Titan Spinners (I know many will recommend these but why?) Titan makes a great product.

Fly High Pro-X Series Board Racks – Not sure if they can swivel but have a mechanical locking system vs bungee. http://www.fatsac.com/FlyHigh/FlyHighProducts.html#14

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You guys forgot about the Nice Racks.

Being that you have a Titan tower I would stay with Titan but I like the look of the Nice racks and how they have the drop down bracket.

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You guys forgot about the Nice Racks.

Being that you have a Titan tower I would stay with Titan but I like the look of the Nice racks and how they have the drop down bracket.

Both Titan and Nice Racks are superior in quality to Metcraft imho.

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Let me see if I can provide some insight:

1) What are lift offs and can the be used with spinners?

This depends a little bit on which company you're talking about, but I'll assume you mean Titan based on the terminology you used. On a Titan tower the Lift-Off option can be combined with the Spinner. On the IX and IXS towers, this is not possible because they use a different system.

2) Do you prefer the bungee systems vs a mechanical lock like Mastercraft has and why?

Mastercraft's mechanical system is definitely slick, but it's also a lot more complicated, and MUCH more expensive. For something as simple as securing boards in the racks, I'm not sure it's worth that much complication.

3) Are the bungees a pain like I think they will be or not?

I don't think so, but YMMV.

4) Thoughts on the following racks or recommendations?

Skylon's Airlock does not exist (yet). They've been trying to bring it out for two years now, I have no idea what the latest status is.

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2) Do you prefer the bungee systems vs a mechanical lock like Mastercraft has and why?

Mastercraft's mechanical system is definitely slick, but it's also a lot more complicated, and MUCH more expensive. For something as simple as securing boards in the racks, I'm not sure it's worth that much complication.

There is another thread lurking around mentioning these... probably not as expensive as the MC but pretty cool looking, and supposedly coming out with a spinner mount.

http://fundamentalindustries.com/wake_boat.html

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Skicrave,

The Skylon Airlock is available at Overtons for $530.

Will Skylon racks fit a Titan I? Any suggestions for a lower cost, possibly used alternative for equiping an older boat with this type tower? Thanks.

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Skicrave,

The Skylon Airlock is available at Overtons for $530.

Yes, they are on the website, but if you look, the status is currently listed as back-ordered. I'm not pretending to know what Skylon's stock levels are, but I will say that I have never seen one of these production racks in real life.

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Skicrave,

The Skylon Airlock is available at Overtons for $530.

Yes, they are on the website, but if you look, the status is currently listed as back-ordered. I'm not pretending to know what Skylon's stock levels are, but I will say that I have never seen one of these production racks in real life.

Skicrave,

Thanks for the correction / info.

I learn somethign every time I am on the malibucrew.com. I wonder how long it will be before I can give some knowledge back. Maybe if I think really hard... Blowup.gif Nope, not yet. That hurt too much.

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Matt here is something to think about lets say your in the water and you decide you want to board or surf and you ask your wife, kids,girlfriend,mom 95 year old grandparent whatever and they can't lean out a grab your board off the lift off or its to heavy and they drop it on your boat or upholstery and there is a scratch or chunk out of your boat or better a slice in your upholstery. I my self opted for the spinners well worth the money even just for that reason alone

Cheers.gif

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Having had both....Titan > Skylon IMO.

I've got 4 Titan Cruisers all set up with lift offs, & have been running them for the past 2 summers. The lift offs are rock solid - no movement from them at all. One other reason that I went with Titan is that the Cruiser comes with chromed forks instead of polished (the Wakeside Battlerack is manufactured by Titan & it is fully chromed). I haven't had any of the chrome peeling problems that others may have had on their boats & I don't want anything more on my boat that I need to polish, so Nice Rack was out for me (from what I could see at the time, all of their stuff was fully polished). The last boat had Skylon fully polished racks, & I will never, ever have that kind of rack again. They were such a royal PITA to keep looking good, but these chrome forks are easy. Just a wipe with some detail spray & they look great.

One thing that I will say that Nice wins on is board clap. They build their racks with a thicker center fork, & it virtually eliminates any board clap regardless of how the boards are loaded. I can all but eliminate it with the Titans, but I have to really pay attention to how the boards are loaded.

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Personally, I don't have a problem at all with the bungee system. I haven't had to replace a bungee

strap since mine are stored indoors 99% of the time (I have lift offs), but I don't think it would be

difficult to do at minimal cost.

If i can replace them (bungees) ANYBODY can, super easy. Some racks are very easy to remove, if you need to to park side by side on the water so they won't hit.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have the titan Spinners and I really like them.... I ran into a problem the 1st day I got the boat in that with the tower (Ilusion X) folded down I could not get it intot he garage because the racks were the highest point and they would hit the garage header. I sent an email to Titan and one of their guys called me within about 30 minutes.... I was inquiring about adding a lift off to the spinner and he was not sure if it would work and he did not recommend it. So, I just unblot them each time I pull the boat out... not a big deal as someone mentioned before it is just 1 bolt and only takes a couple of minutes.... I do like the spinners, and use them a lot. They do make loading the boards a lot easier and you do not have to hang off the side of the boat to get the boards in the rack. I am thinking of getting a Titan lift off to put on the upper mount for the surf board.... The reasoning is that the upper mount rack bolt is blocked by my speakers and I would have to remove the peaker to get the rack off..... But, with the titan tower that should not be an issue......

Good luck

my vote is titan spinner (if you want to spend the $$$) and bungies are fine

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