Looking for some tower advice

[martinarcher]

custom mades the only way to go this is my 93 skier i had the tower custom fabbed , powdercoated, and installed for under $1200 pm me for more pics if you want http://www.wakesiderides.com/rides/index.p...out&id=1674

Doesn't look too bad. I'm just set on a tower with heim joints. Have you had trouble with the gel coat? Since Titan has heim joints and custom makes the tower for your boat for around the same price you are talking I think thats the way to go.

What did you build your tower out of - stainless?

[Malibudude]

Here is my old SLXI w/ the Titan I collapsed with the prop rod.

[martinarcher]

Here is my old SLXI w/ the Titan I collapsed with the prop rod.

Cool - thanks for the pic!

[martinarcher]

Well - I took the plunge, called Rocky and ordered my Titan Series I tower from Titan. They are building it right now. Rocky was absolutely fantastic to deal with and hooked my up with a tower for the boat at a great price. Their customer service is A+. I ended up buying the tower unfinished to save some $$ and that will allow me to have a polished Series I in the end.

Any advice on polishing stainless tubing?

I'm excited to get it!!!

[uk_exile]

I've got a Titan I on my 02 RLX. Until recently I needed to fold it to fit through the low door in the garage. I would just gently lie the front backwards onto the screen and then the rear forwards onto the folded front section of tower. No props or anything used.

However the tower is bare and only needed to have it lowered for a few minutes while we moved the trailer into the garage then could raise it again for storage.

Have now moved and have a high door and garage :-)

[martinarcher]

Cool - I know the tower fill fit in our garage up, but getting it through the door is going to be another story.

[martinarcher]

Well when i got home tonight the tower was on the porch!!!

I carried it into the basement and gave it a couple hours to warm up (it was 5 degrees outside so the stainless was freakin cold!!

I unwrapped the sections of the tower where the two halves bolt together so I could set it up temporarily in the basement so I can start polishing it (I ordered it unfinished to save a few bones). That's when I noticed the problem. It looks like the UPS freight guys damaged the rear mounting plate because no matter what I try I can't get them to lay flat on each other. I found some hard to see pics that show me the tow spindle on other Titans on the site and it looks like my rear plate is damaged (bent up). Am I right or did I miss something?? The rear plate does face back toward the transom and the front plate mounts over the rear tube right??

By the way - I did measure the front to rear spacing I gave Titan out on the floor and that is how the tower spaced in the pics.

Thanks!

[martinarcher]

Close Up.....

[WakeGirl]

I think that I would email those pics to Rocky & get on the phone with him. I've never owned a Titan, but that doesn't look right to me.

[Malibudude]

The mounting plate on the rear section IIRC is flat front to back on top on the entire tube area approximately 3” wide. So yes this is definitely incorrect and appears from the photo that it was welded in a different location (further back) than I remember it. Call Rocky about it and send the photo, Titan will take care of you.

[Bill_AirJunky]

Ouch. Looks bent to me.

[martinarcher]

I agree - it's certainly not right. I think it was bent, not mis-welded due to the way it looks like the rear edge of the two plates would line up if the rear hoop plate was flat. I could be wrong though.

I emailed Rocky today and talked to Luke. Haven't heard back from them yet.....

[Malibudude]

Any news?

[martinarcher]

Yeah Rocky said it's bent.

UPS called me two days before it was dropped off and said that I would have to home to receive it or fax them a form saying they could leave it on the porch. Since I didn't think it was worth taking a day of vacation I could save for boating season, I faxed them a form I wrote up asking them to please leave it on the porch.

Apparently this means you forfeit your right to inspect and reject the package when they drop it off. I have now been dealing with UPS and their claims process. They are sending a 3rd party inspector to the houe (I still have to take off work ) They say it will cost me around $580 to ship it back since I don't have a UPS freight account and there is no guarantee that they will cover the claim for the shipping costs. Hopefully it won't come to that - we will see after they inspect it and the process goes forward.

Rocky and the guys at Titan have been fantastic and said if I can get it back to them they will fix it for free even though UPS damaged it.

[Boat Rocks]

JMHO, Take a monkey wrench bend it back into place and move forward. The hassle from UPS, and the chance of it arriving bent again are likely. Once again JMHO

[martinarcher]

JMHO, Take a monkey wrench bend it back into place and move forward. The hassle from UPS, and the chance of it arriving bent again are likely. Once again JMHO

Trust me - I almost took my MAPP gas torch to it and bent it back, but I'm worries I will weaken the steel. That plate will take a massive amount of force while wakeboarding so I don't want to take a chance unless I have too. I UPS is going to screw me that's what I'll have to do. Titan also said they would send me a new plate and I could have a local shop weld it on. I think a new plate would be the safest route since I know the weld or the strength of the plate hasn't been compromised by bending. It would sure make me feel better if I knew the passengers on the back seat wouldn't take the rear hoop to the face while someone is riding!

[WakeGirl]

JMHO, Take a monkey wrench bend it back into place and move forward. The hassle from UPS, and the chance of it arriving bent again are likely. Once again JMHO

Trust me - I almost took my MAPP gas torch to it and bent it back, but I'm worries I will weaken the steel. That plate will take a massive amount of force while wakeboarding so I don't want to take a chance unless I have too. I UPS is going to screw me that's what I'll have to do. Titan also said they would send me a new plate and I could have a local shop weld it on. I think a new plate would be the safest route since I know the weld or the strength of the plate hasn't been compromised by bending. It would sure make me feel better if I knew the passengers on the back seat wouldn't take the rear hoop to the face while someone is riding!

I think that's the way that I'd try & go, then see if I could get the cost of the repair out of UPS. Not likely, but you never know.

[greenworks]

JMHO, Take a monkey wrench bend it back into place and move forward. The hassle from UPS, and the chance of it arriving bent again are likely. Once again JMHO

Trust me - I almost took my MAPP gas torch to it and bent it back, but I'm worries I will weaken the steel. That plate will take a massive amount of force while wakeboarding so I don't want to take a chance unless I have too. I UPS is going to screw me that's what I'll have to do. Titan also said they would send me a new plate and I could have a local shop weld it on. I think a new plate would be the safest route since I know the weld or the strength of the plate hasn't been compromised by bending. It would sure make me feel better if I knew the passengers on the back seat wouldn't take the rear hoop to the face while someone is riding!

I think that's the way that I'd try & go, then see if I could get the cost of the repair out of UPS. Not likely, but you never know.

I am suprised Titan isn't paying for the fix even though it is ups fault to keep the customer happy, just based on the customer service I got with mine and help with install they seemed to go the extra mile in my mind.

[martinarcher]

JMHO, Take a monkey wrench bend it back into place and move forward. The hassle from UPS, and the chance of it arriving bent again are likely. Once again JMHO

Trust me - I almost took my MAPP gas torch to it and bent it back, but I'm worries I will weaken the steel. That plate will take a massive amount of force while wakeboarding so I don't want to take a chance unless I have too. I UPS is going to screw me that's what I'll have to do. Titan also said they would send me a new plate and I could have a local shop weld it on. I think a new plate would be the safest route since I know the weld or the strength of the plate hasn't been compromised by bending. It would sure make me feel better if I knew the passengers on the back seat wouldn't take the rear hoop to the face while someone is riding!

I think that's the way that I'd try & go, then see if I could get the cost of the repair out of UPS. Not likely, but you never know.

I am suprised Titan isn't paying for the fix even though it is ups fault to keep the customer happy, just based on the customer service I got with mine and help with install they seemed to go the extra mile in my mind.

To be fair, UPS should eat the cost of any repairs because I'm sure it didn't leave California this way. Titan has been great so far - it's too soon to tell what's going to happen. I want to let UPS look at it and see if they will send it back for free. If so, thats the way I'll do it. If not, I'll have a local shop that can weld stainless tack a new plate on the rear hoop.

[Malibudude]

JMHO, Take a monkey wrench bend it back into place and move forward. The hassle from UPS, and the chance of it arriving bent again are likely. Once again JMHO

Trust me - I almost took my MAPP gas torch to it and bent it back, but I'm worries I will weaken the steel. That plate will take a massive amount of force while wakeboarding so I don't want to take a chance unless I have too. I UPS is going to screw me that's what I'll have to do. Titan also said they would send me a new plate and I could have a local shop weld it on. I think a new plate would be the safest route since I know the weld or the strength of the plate hasn't been compromised by bending. It would sure make me feel better if I knew the passengers on the back seat wouldn't take the rear hoop to the face while someone is riding!

I think that's the way that I'd try & go, then see if I could get the cost of the repair out of UPS. Not likely, but you never know.

I am suprised Titan isn't paying for the fix even though it is ups fault to keep the customer happy, just based on the customer service I got with mine and help with install they seemed to go the extra mile in my mind.

To be fair, UPS should eat the cost of any repairs because I'm sure it didn't leave California this way. Titan has been great so far - it's too soon to tell what's going to happen. I want to let UPS look at it and see if they will send it back for free. If so, thats the way I'll do it. If not, I'll have a local shop that can weld stainless tack a new plate on the rear hoop.

Sounds like the best course of action.

[martinarcher]

Well I got the rear hoop back today! A little over two months later! UPS sure takes their sweet time when you are fighting your way through their claims department! Oh well, I'm just glad thats it's back and not damaged again. Rocky at Titan fixed it right up and had it ready for UPS three days after he got it. Took UPS a few weeks to pick it back up. There sure isn't a hurry on UPS's part when no ones paying for shipping! Time to start polishing so I can have it ready for the boat when it comes out of storage in a week.