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Malibu installed the wrong Illusion tower on my boat


darthXTi

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About a year ago I brought my 2007 Ride XTi into the dealer for regular warranty/maintenance work as well as to address an issue with my Illusion tower base. The tower base was stripped on top and appeared to have shifted on the gunnel on one side of the boat. The dealer ordered a new tower base from Malibu, but when they went to install it, it became apparent that Malibu had installed the wrong tower on my boat.

I had always wondered why the tower rattled and creaked loudly, especially when I was towing a rider or a skiier. Luckily it hadn't come loose or even detached from the boat as the results could have been catastrophic.

At this point, it appears that I will be getting a new tower, but my question surrounds the replacement process. According to my dealer (who has been great throughout this whole process) they will have to re-glass the mounting holes on the gunnels and then mount the new tower. The old tower was also mounted in the wrong position on the boat and thus the new tower will most likely have to be mounted very close to or on the re-glassed portion of the gunnels.

I'm quite concerned about this as I feel that the new mount will be weaker/compromised from the beginning since it will be attached to repaired fiberglass. What do you guys think?

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About a year ago I brought my 2007 Ride XTi into the dealer for regular warranty/maintenance work as well as to address an issue with my Illusion tower base. The tower base was stripped on top and appeared to have shifted on the gunnel on one side of the boat. The dealer ordered a new tower base from Malibu, but when they went to install it, it became apparent that Malibu had installed the wrong tower on my boat.

I had always wondered why the tower rattled and creaked loudly, especially when I was towing a rider or a skiier. Luckily it hadn't come loose or even detached from the boat as the results could have been catastrophic.

At this point, it appears that I will be getting a new tower, but my question surrounds the replacement process. According to my dealer (who has been great throughout this whole process) they will have to re-glass the mounting holes on the gunnels and then mount the new tower. The old tower was also mounted in the wrong position on the boat and thus the new tower will most likely have to be mounted very close to or on the re-glassed portion of the gunnels.

I'm quite concerned about this as I feel that the new mount will be weaker/compromised from the beginning since it will be attached to repaired fiberglass. What do you guys think?

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Take and keep lots of pictures of the before and after. Even some pics of the repair process just-in-case. I can’t speak for the repairs making a weaker area for the new tower but that does sound logical. Have you simply asked for a new boat? I realize that’s a long shot but you never know. I guess worst case if the repair doesn’t hold up and then you have a real good argument for a new boat.

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I would think if they have a good glass person whom puts a good backing plate under gunnel for mounting, it should be okay

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So what Illusion tower did they put on the boat? And which one were you expecting?

We've had the holes patched on old conventional tower installs, then mounted newer designs on the boat. But never with a swoop forward tower, always a regular 4 leg tower. It was never a problem & the gelcoat was blended so well you couldn't tell it had ever been patched.

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So what Illusion tower did they put on the boat? And which one were you expecting?

We've had the holes patched on old conventional tower installs, then mounted newer designs on the boat. But never with a swoop forward tower, always a regular 4 leg tower. It was never a problem & the gelcoat was blended so well you couldn't tell it had ever been patched.

agree. it is unfortunate you had a wrong tower for a season or so, but repairing fiberglass is old news in the boat biz.

Let your dealer handle it and enjoy the boat when you get it back.

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martinarcher

Ask if they will throw a Titan III on the boat. The mounting point would be farther up the gunnels on original gel since the T3 swoops back instead of forward. Heck I would pay the difference if it costs more than the correct Illusion just to have a Titan and no more worry about the tower strength or gel coat cracking at the gunnel mounting points.

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About a year ago I brought my 2007 Ride XTi into the dealer for regular warranty/maintenance work as well as to address an issue with my Illusion tower base. The tower base was stripped on top and appeared to have shifted on the gunnel on one side of the boat. The dealer ordered a new tower base from Malibu, but when they went to install it, it became apparent that Malibu had installed the wrong tower on my boat.

I had always wondered why the tower rattled and creaked loudly, especially when I was towing a rider or a skiier. Luckily it hadn't come loose or even detached from the boat as the results could have been catastrophic.

At this point, it appears that I will be getting a new tower, but my question surrounds the replacement process. According to my dealer (who has been great throughout this whole process) they will have to re-glass the mounting holes on the gunnels and then mount the new tower. The old tower was also mounted in the wrong position on the boat and thus the new tower will most likely have to be mounted very close to or on the re-glassed portion of the gunnels.

I'm quite concerned about this as I feel that the new mount will be weaker/compromised from the beginning since it will be attached to repaired fiberglass. What do you guys think?

Your not towing a water skier from the tower are you? Towers are only for wake boarding, knee boarding and surfing. If you tow a tube or a skier, you will have problems with your tower.

-Paul

Ask if they will throw a Titan III on the boat. The mounting point would be farther up the gunnels on original gel since the T3 swoops back instead of forward. Heck I would pay the difference if it costs more than the correct Illusion just to have a Titan and no more worry about the tower strength or gel coat cracking at the gunnel mounting points.

The Titan 3 is awesome, but it is no longer available. You can get the full story from this thread.

-Paul

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Your not towing a water skier from the tower are you? Towers are only for wake boarding, knee boarding and surfing. If you tow a tube or a skier, you will have problems with your tower.

-Paul

Ah HEM!!! :rockon:

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If the reglassing is done correctly you’ll be just fine. They could add additional fiberglass reinforcement after the backing plate is install for extra measure. Get the new tower and go enjoy it.

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Take and keep lots of pictures of the before and after. Even some pics of the repair process just-in-case. I can’t speak for the repairs making a weaker area for the new tower but that does sound logical. Have you simply asked for a new boat? I realize that’s a long shot but you never know. I guess worst case if the repair doesn’t hold up and then you have a real good argument for a new boat.

I've thought about asking for a new boat...but I will wait to see the quality of the 'repairs'.

I will definitely take pictures of the before, during and after.

Thanks for the tips!

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Darth,

I see you are in Scottsdale. Just curious who you are going through now that Paradise is out of business.

The work is being done by 'Action Watersports', the new Malibu dealer in Phoenix. Paradise originally ordered the replacement tower base but closed up shop before I could get the boat in to have it installed. Action Watersports discovered that the wrong tower was installed on the boat and ordered a new tower from Malibu.

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If the reglassing is done correctly you’ll be just fine. They could add additional fiberglass reinforcement after the backing plate is install for extra measure. Get the new tower and go enjoy it.

If the glass shop is good, you'll never know the difference.

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Your not towing a water skier from the tower are you? Towers are only for wake boarding, knee boarding and surfing. If you tow a tube or a skier, you will have problems with your tower.

-Paul

The Titan 3 is awesome, but it is no longer available. You can get the full story from this thread.

-Paul

Hey Paul! You guys sold me the boat which I then took with me to Arizona when I moved here :-)

The only skiers I've ever towed are friend's kids on two skis. They weigh a fraction of what the average male weighs and are on two skis; so the amount of force they put on the tower is negligible compared to a male wakeboarder.

The Titan tower is not an option for a number of reasons, including the fact that my accessories wouldn't fit.

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What tower did Malibu install on your boat? Didn't all Malibu boats in 2007 have the Illusion X tower and then in 2008 the non-Ride series boats started getting the Illusion XS towers? I could be wrong, but the wakeboard rack mounts on the Illusion X and XS are different, so your accessories may not mount on the new tower you're getting.

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The other thing is that the symptom of "rattled and creaked loudly" is not that unusual among the Illusions. I'm not saying it was common but the bushings & pin inserts had a tendency to wear to some degree & cause this. Which would make me wonder if it was indeed the "wrong" tower.

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The other thing is that the symptom of "rattled and creaked loudly" is not that unusual among the Illusions. I'm not saying it was common but the bushings & pin inserts had a tendency to wear to some degree & cause this. Which would make me wonder if it was indeed the "wrong" tower.

The rattling and creaking were the least of my worries. The tower is literally wearing down the right base. There are metal filings inside the boat and the base is, and never has been parallel to the lines of the gunnel.

How many Illusion tower designs were there in 2007?

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What tower did Malibu install on your boat? Didn't all Malibu boats in 2007 have the Illusion X tower and then in 2008 the non-Ride series boats started getting the Illusion XS towers? I could be wrong, but the wakeboard rack mounts on the Illusion X and XS are different, so your accessories may not mount on the new tower you're getting.

I have no idea what they installed. How many Illusion tower designs were there in 2007?

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Wouldn't they have had different models/sizes for boats with different beams?

Is it possible they put the wrong size on his boat?

Yes, they have different widths for different beams. But I don't think they are even remotely interchangeable. Hard to put a 95" wide tower on a boat that is 100" wide. Not impossible, but not likely.

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