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Mirrors..... again.


Bill_AirJunky

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Seeing the various mirrors for sale here make me want to get my situation dialed. I went thru this last year... and the year before.... and have yet to get it figured out. Tower mirror brackets don't seem to work right on a Titan II for a variety of reasons. One piece brackets make the mirror sit at a funny angle. 2 piece brackets (like the one I have) are so long that they block the walk thru, or you have to angle them really far forward, or backward, which causes other issues.

Ultimately my goal is to have 2 mirrors, preferably both the same. I had it on my old MC & loved it..... great view for the driver of the whole wake. The brackets I used on the MC were factory Calabria brackets & slipped over the windshield, one on each side. So driving with the walk thru windshield open was no big deal. But those brackets are too narrow to fit over the Malibu windshield frame. At some point I found that Nautique had a package with a windshield bracket that might work, but they are really proud of them & want like $300 each...... and frankly I'm too cheap to pull that trigger. :crazy:

At this point I'm considering a pair of Monster tower brackets. Anyone ever install one on a Titan I or II? Does the mirror sit level?

Some pics to give you an idea of what I want/had.

My old MC with dual windshield mounted mirrors.

dual_mirrors.jpg

My current setup, a Fusion mirror bracket. It's so long that I have to angle forward or backward so it doesn't block the walk way. With it angled forward, I can see both tower legs & the windshield in the mirror. I'd prefer it to be closer to the windshield & the riders so that stuff isn't blocking the view behind the boat. I guess Fusion is out of business anyway.

CIMG0457Medium.jpg

Pretty sweet setup on a Nautique:

CCdualmirrors.jpg

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Bill,

Titan did make these for the their tower. As with many of their products it never got much attention but it appears to have a shorter length than the one your using now.

post-6-12785258317_thumb.jpg

post-6-127852586684_thumb.jpg

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Try this number, menaceking69 spammed here two months ago and posted it all over.

call 916-858-1178. they have old titan inventory

Website:

http://menacewatersports.com/

Way to go, Nate. Got me while I was editing

Hmmmm, $189 each, plus shipping. He does have them too.

Might have to sit & think about that one. A bit more than I'd like to spend.... even if I sell my old mirror, it'll still be over $300.

But thanks for the idea, guys. Might be the way to make it happen.

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Menace is still in the same building as Titan occupied in Rancho Cordova, just a clearance of older product. They have two lengths that may work for you, with the shorter on the drivers side and the longer on the passenger side..... I've looked at these up close and true to titan's name they are great quality...

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Bill, curious why you did away with the mirror on the windshield door? My bimini gets in the way while we're under way and all I see is the riders board :crazy: Can't adjust it down and angle it up any more. I'm hoping an OTT bimini will solve that issue. I'll still have to look over my shoulders though when they carve out wide but I'm fine with that.

Edited by Ndawg12
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Bill,

Titan did make these for the their tower. As with many of their products it never got much attention but it appears to have a shorter length than the one your using now.

Bill

I have this same Titan bracket and my mirror does not block the walkway as yours seems to do.

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Bill, curious why you did away with the mirror on the windshield door?

I bought the boat with the Fusion bracket currently on the boat, and the bracket missing from the windshield. We drive the boat like 1/2 the time with the windshield open (all day today) so that mirror would be worthless.

Looks like these guys have a pretty good selection of mirrors...

http://www.waterskiworld.com/boataccessories/Mirrors/mirrors.html

What about that CIPA Extreme mirror with the adjustable side mirrors on it?? I've heard it gives you a pretty wide view.

I've driven a few other boats with the various Cipa mirrors that have the 3 mirrors in them. The fact that the 2 side mirrors showed a much smaller image kinda sucked. The image from the 3 was definitely wider though.

I looked thru the site you listed, Charlie. I've owned a few of them over the years, either couldn't get some to fit the wider Malibu windshield or didn't care for how unstable they are. Frankly I like the old 7"x14" Comp mirror. Just haven't found the right bracket yet. Thinkin maybe the old Titan bracket is the one, just need to bite off the $400 bullet to get them here. :Doh:

I talked to a guy at Pacific Nautiques today too. $126 each, plus the mirrors & shipping. Probably about the same as the Titan brackets. :crazy:

Ran across this setup today. I haven't driven the boat but I'm not sold that it's very stable. :unsure:

mirrorbracket.jpg

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My boat is currently in the garage with the tower ( Titan I ) off and folded down. I'll be getting it back out and setup Monday night and will put the Monster Tower mirror back on. I'm impressed with the fitment and the fact that it is very, very adjustable allows you to get it set almost anywhere. Add in that it is quick release and I can remove when necessary and just leave the bracket on the tower. This was a big selling point for me since I have to remove the front portion of the tower to get the boat in the garage and the mirror arm doesn't get in the way, it just sits in the boat. :clap: I think you should at least take a look at the pictures that I'll post Monday night or Tuesday before you make a decision. As an added benefit, you can buy just the arm without mirror for about $110 which is a good bit cheaper than the Titan, provided you already have the mirror itself.

Scott

I bought the boat with the Fusion bracket currently on the boat, and the bracket missing from the windshield. We drive the boat like 1/2 the time with the windshield open (all day today) so that mirror would be worthless.

I've driven a few other boats with the various Cipa mirrors that have the 3 mirrors in them. The fact that the 2 side mirrors showed a much smaller image kinda sucked. The image from the 3 was definitely wider though.

I looked thru the site you listed, Charlie. I've owned a few of them over the years, either couldn't get some to fit the wider Malibu windshield or didn't care for how unstable they are. Frankly I like the old 7"x14" Comp mirror. Just haven't found the right bracket yet. Thinkin maybe the old Titan bracket is the one, just need to bite off the $400 bullet to get them here. :Doh:

I talked to a guy at Pacific Nautiques today too. $126 each, plus the mirrors & shipping. Probably about the same as the Titan brackets. :crazy:

Ran across this setup today. I haven't driven the boat but I'm not sold that it's very stable. :unsure:

mirrorbracket.jpg

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You could do a mirror arm from Monster Tower, they make one with a clamp that will fit the Titan (this one is the XTP):

LINK

Add a Cipa Extreme adapter:

LINK

Then you'd be able to use Cipa's big mirror, eliminating the need for 2 mirrors.

LINK

That's what I'd do. I've used the Extreme on my last 3 boats & it would be one of the first changes that I'd make to the next.

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You could do a mirror arm from Monster Tower, they make one with a clamp that will fit the Titan (this one is the XTP):

LINK

Add a Cipa Extreme adapter:

LINK

Then you'd be able to use Cipa's big mirror, eliminating the need for 2 mirrors.

LINK

That's what I'd do. I've used the Extreme on my last 3 boats & it would be one of the first changes that I'd make to the next.

38.jpg

Bill, i have one of those cipa extreme mirror adapters that i could donate to your cause if you go this way. the downside to that offer is i won't have access to the adapter until September. I think i bought it from WG a long time ago.

Edited by Cervelo
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Then you'd be able to use Cipa's big mirror, eliminating the need for 2 mirrors.

I have driven a couple of boats that had the Cipa Extreme on it & wasn't terribly impressed. The small images that the two outside mirrors gave just didn't compare to have two regular sized mirrors.

Thanks Cervelo, I have considered using those adapters depending on which mirrors I decide to go with.

Since Menace is selling off the last of Titan's products I decided to go with a pair of Titan's brackets. My cost is like $375 shipped. I sold the windshield mount for $20, plus I'll try & sell the Fusion for around $100 sometime in the near future. So my cost will be around $255. Not ideal, but I'm hoping it gives me two stable, big images that are out of the way. We shall see soon.

And frankly, even if I'm not thrilled with them, I think I can recoup my cost on these if I decide their not for me.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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Got my mirrors & brackets from Menace today. First effort looks cool, visibility is better, mirrors are rock solid & easy to walk by without hitting them.

0714102009.jpg

Only one problem......... the opening windshield hits the passenger side bracket. :Doh:

I tried raising the brackets & flipping the mirrors but it was getting dark before I got it dialed in.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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Just curious why you would even want two mirrors? I have a Sunsetter VLX with the basically the same windshield and mirror as your old Master Craft, albeit, I have only 1 mirror. During the day, when there are other boats & jet skis out on the water, I find that the windshield mounted mirrors actually block part of your forward view, depending on your seat height speed and subsequent bow position.

I took a boating safety class when I was 14 so I could legally drive a boat and I was later trained by an AWSA tournament driver back when I was 16, when I worked in a ski shop selling Supras in the mid 80's. Bottom line, with a spotter, the focus of the driver is to drive the boat and look ahead, not to be checking out the show going on behind the boat. If that's your goal, I'd suggest mounting a video camera, for later viewing pleasure. With a spotter, the mirror is really not necessary; it's purely a nice to have for the driver to be somewhat aware of what's going on behind the boat. Clearly, tournament drivers use mirrors, but they are also driving in a controlled environment.

With as many bad boat drivers and especially bad Jet Skiers as there are on the water, safety should be your biggest concern. If you're paying too much attention to what's going on behind you, you may miss seeing that jet skier who was heading away from you at 11 O'Clock, who suddenly spun around and is now heading towards your bow; worse yet the lone downed tuber who's driver dumped the second rider 75 yards away and now has two people bobbing in the middle of the lake. Even when your focus is 100% on driving and looking at what's ahead of you, these situations can be tough to see on a choppy day with sun glare.

Bottom line, every percentage drop in your forward focus by looking to see what's going on behind you, exponentially, increases your chances of being in or causing an accident.

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Thanks Pat, I appreciate what your saying. Believe me, it's not just to enjoy the show. We do exhibitions & clinics often & I find that I am better able to see what is going on around me when I have 2 mirrors. Spotters are great & this allows me to see what is goin on behind the boat easier. Just another layer of safety. And when your doing Around the Boats, double Around the boats, hot pick-ups, tandem foil riders, etc., then it's needed.

When I did this on the MC, the mirrors were above the windshield, and I was looking thru it. So the view the mirror blocked was of the sky, not down on the water. The two mirrors allowed me to see the middle & both sides of the wake pretty easily.

The Malibu has a driver's seat bolster & I live in a hotter area than before, so I tend to look over the windshield more often. The tower mounts get the mirrors up enough that the sky is blocked, but I can see the water & where the rider is almost as well. This boat has the rear tower legs mounted further back, and foil racks on both sides, so I don't have quite as good a view to the sides as the MC. But we are finding that it is a big improvement over what we had.

BTW, I drove an X2 with the Extreme on it recently. The rider tried to give me the speed up thumbs up signal, but it was in the small mirror on the side & I couldn't tell what he was saying. With the 2 full size images, I don't have any problem with that.

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How are you enjoying your mirrors? I had purchased the Titan bracket, but have returned them as I felt they stuck too far toward the center of the boat and would get hit continuously with elbows and shoulders walking through the windshield.

Have you had any problems with them getting bumped?

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How are you enjoying your mirrors? I had purchased the Titan bracket, but have returned them as I felt they stuck too far toward the center of the boat and would get hit continuously with elbows and shoulders walking through the windshield.

Have you had any problems with them getting bumped?

I rode last night & Patti commented that she was able to see what was going on a lot more of the time she spent behind the wheel. We have not had a problem hitting the mirrors at this point. But I have them moved way out to the sides of the bracket. So much so that I'm debating on cutting off a good 3" or 4" of the cylinder portion of the bracket.

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The Titan (Menace) brackets just look so refined and and clean, just a great looking product! Believe me anyone that sees bill and his group ride having additional mirrors makes complete sense.

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Funny you mention that.

I sent mine back to the Star One/Menance/Titan and asked them to do two things. First cut off like you mentioned 3-4 inches off the cylinder portion as it stuck out beyond the mirror and secondly to see if they could shave the cylinder portion down to the tower mount side as far as possible so the mirror could stay closer mounted to the tower than the center of the boat.

They would cut off the excess, but said they couldn't make the cylinder portion closer to the tower mount.

So I'm still debating whether to get the mount back or look for an alternative which will allow the mounting closer to the tower arm itself.

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Thanks 'dude. I hear you on how clean & refined these brackets are. They are very much top quality compared to the 3 or 4 other makes I've tried at this point. And I think that having tower brackets as opposed to windshield brackets is a necessity on this boat, partially because of the seat bolster, but also because it's quite a bit hotter where we live now, which means the driver typically sits higher now than we did in the old boat.

Howe, I think the second request you made would take quite a bit of machine time on Titan/Menace's part, even a partial redesign of the CNC plan itself, which may or may not be something they are planning on doing at this point. I would like to see what it did to the view. It might make it harder to see past the back tower leg & any gear/racks on it. :unsure:

Keep in touch with whatever you are checking out though. It's been something I've looked over for a couple years now.... since owning this boat. And this is about the best I've come across so far. One idea a friend of mine had, remember those wide, 5 panel mirrors back in the 80s? Mounted below the front bimini support? The width of the view would be great. Not sure how easy it would be to get by it to the bow, or how high/low you could see. And what a PITA it would be to put it up & down everytime you messed with the bimini :unsure:

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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  • 9 months later...

I have the CIPA Extreme Mirrors on my Skier. I am looking for a new screw any ideas? They make them out of plastic and someone overtightened it and stripped it: Here are some pictures from martinarchers gallery that show the screw that I need:

DSC03166.jpg

DSC03165.jpg

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