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Gel coat stress cracks around tower mounts


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I am looking at a 2004 vlx that is in excellent condition except for stress cracks around both front tower mounting plates. It has the swoop tower. Is this something I should be very concerned about?

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Just a guess on my part, but I imagine it's fairly cosmetic. But without seeing it, and dismantling the tower foot, I'd never say for sure.

If it was mine, or the price was really right, I'd take it apart over the winter & fabricate top AND bottom plates to bond & sandwich the fiberglass, then install a Titan tower on it. Rockon.gif

One more guess.... they have been tubing behind the boat & tied off the tower :Doh:

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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Even if it is only cosmetic I would think it would only get worse over time. I would hate to see if the first time you put stress on it you watched the cracks grow. With all the boats out there I would have to pass and keep shopping.

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Even if it is only cosmetic I would think it would only get worse over time. I would hate to see if the first time you put stress on it you watched the cracks grow. With all the boats out there I would have to pass and keep shopping.

I've talked to a couple of engineers about this when a project boat came up a while back. And the use of bonded top & bottom plates should easily stop this. It will transfer the stresses from around the foot, to around the plate.

In fact, it was mentioned that this should be standard practice on any boat not designed for a tower from the factory.

The price would definitely have to be right for me to take it on.

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It's a common problem with that tower. That tower is very easy to take off (as opposed to an Illusion). You can have a gel/fiberglass repair guy fix the cracks, then install the tower with backing plates on the inside of the hull. If you do it right, problem solved. I'd get an estimate to get it repaired by a reputable shop, then negotiate the price on the boat accordingly.

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Thanks for the info. The salesman told me the owner had pulled a tube with the tower that caused the cracks. The boat only has 170 hours on it, what would be a decent price with this defect? It has all options, wedge,ballast, heater, shower, perfect pass, 6 tower speakers etc. and a dual axle trailer. This will be my first v-drive.

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I'm hesitant to speculate on that since things are so different economically depending on the region of the country. That aside, I'd have a fiberglass shop take a look at it & get a quote on fixing it first. FWIW, whether he towed a tube from that tower or not, it likely wouldn't have mattered. It was a pretty common problem with that tower.

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Yea, like WG said, price is very regional & tough to speculate, especially not seeing the boat. Nada says about $25k - $29k, which is by no means set in stone, but a starting point. Check BoatTrader.com, OnlyInboards.com & Craigslist.org for boats for sale in your area & compare prices.

I'd deduct $1500 for a new Titan tower, plus like $1000 - $2000 for the glass repair. Do the repair & install yourself (like I explained above) & your money ahead.

Take it into a shop & have an estimate done for the glass repair. Bring that with you when it comes to bargain time. Along with a printout from Titan's site on the cost of a I or II.

Take the boat to a good mechanic & have the entire boat looked over, engine, trans, v-drive, electronics, steering, any additional fiberglass problems, prop, shaft, etc. It'll be the best $100 you spend on that boat. The fact that it only has an average of 38 hrs per year on it is bad. Gaskets, belts & hoses dry out. Oil & gas do funky things. A mechanic will be able to tell you if it's taken it's toll yet.

Also the six speakers could have easily contributed to the fiberglass problem.

Good luck.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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Yea, like WG said, price is very regional & tough to speculate, especially not seeing the boat. Nada says about $25k - $29k, which is by no means set in stone, but a starting point. Check BoatTrader.com, OnlyInboards.com & Craigslist.org for boats for sale in your area & compare prices.

I'd deduct $1500 for a new Titan tower, plus like $1000 - $2000 for the glass repair. Do the repair & install yourself (like I explained above) & your money ahead.

Take it into a shop & have an estimate done for the glass repair. Bring that with you when it comes to bargain time. Along with a printout from Titan's site on the cost of a I or II.

Take the boat to a good mechanic & have the entire boat looked over, engine, trans, v-drive, electronics, steering, any additional fiberglass problems, prop, shaft, etc. It'll be the best $100 you spend on that boat. The fact that it only has an average of 38 hrs per year on it is bad. Gaskets, belts & hoses dry out. Oil & gas do funky things. A mechanic will be able to tell you if it's taken it's toll yet.

Also the six speakers could have easily contributed to the fiberglass problem.

Good luck.

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Thanks for your help. I decided not to purchase this boat. I am now the proud owner of a 2005 V-Ride with the illusion tower with all the options.

Congrats on the boat and enjoy!

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Thanks for your help. I decided not to purchase this boat. I am now the proud owner of a 2005 V-Ride with the illusion tower with all the options.

Apparently all the options except for the stress cracks that those towers are prone to cause. Whistling.gif Congrats and good luck with the new boat, I love my vRide. Just don't put too much stress on that tower (tons of speakers or pulling tubers from it).

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