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G4 Tower?


Sride

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Do I understand correctly that the G4 tower was designed and built by Protomet, or was the tower designed by Protomet and is now manufactured by Malibu in house like the G3?

Is the vision eventually to retire the in-house G3 towers and replace with G4 designs? I don't understand the strategy right now with the towers.

Edited by Sride
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I think the strategy was to give people who didn't think the g3 was expensive enough the opportunity to spend more $$

Saw my first g4 on the water Saturday, visually I don't get the appeal.

  • Like 3
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There are some very nice features built in. Forward lights, dome lights, 100% prewired etc. I like the style, time will tell.

Those are the same features that come with the tige Alpha z tower too

Edited by CJAY
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The ability to trailer with the tower stowed in the collapsed position (to keep it bug free on long road trips) is a very nice feature. If you store your boat outside, I'm told they will be coming out with a mooring cover that covers the tower when collapsed. Again, this would be a nice feature if I stored my boat outside to keep the weather off the tower.

Collapsing is very ease (easier than the G3.2, but the G3.2 isn't bad in this respect either).

The other features (forward LED lights and interior downward facing lights) are nice also.

I personally prefer the styling of the G4, but that is subjective.

As oldjeep mentioned, if you just like spending money, then that is a feature as well.

Edited by Cory
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Yes, better garage clearance over the G3 (mentioned by IXFE) is a major feature I should have highlighted above. Actually, I'm not sure my boat with the G3.2 tower would have fit under my garage door.

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I should add... I've owned several G3's and they are great towers too. Just not as heavy, strong, and convenient as the G4. Some might argue the G4 is overbuilt / overkill. Maybe it is.

Just wanted to clarify that I'm not pooping on the G3. I love that tower too. But the G3 has a few annoying characteristics that the G4 addresses. The downside is obviously the expense... I'm confident that any of us buying a new Bu could afford it, but each of us has to decide if the added functionality is worth the price (just like any option). That's where we all come to differing outcomes... and that's fine. This is why it's an option, and not the standard.

  • Like 1
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The folds easily with one person makes me laugh everytime someone mentions it. My daughter can raise and lower my g3. Garage clearance is a good one though, my g3 required the optional hoop to fit in a standard garage.

No doubt that there is some impressive machining in the g4, the look is either great or meh depending on the beholder.

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The only complaint I have with the g4 tower is that the base is SO big. When sitting near the base of the tower you lose vision of the skier when the edge outside of the wakes. It takes up all you vision. Everything else about it is pretty nice.

@oldjeep - Once nice thing that you can read from that statement is that now you can unlock the tower but the tower doesn't move till you pull on it. Previous experience with the g3 is that once the tower was loose it would start to lower with any effort anyone's part.

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I should add... I've owned several G3's and they are great towers too. Just not as heavy, strong, and convenient as the G4. Some might argue the G4 is overbuilt / overkill. Maybe it is.

Just wanted to clarify that I'm not pooping on the G3. I love that tower too. But the G3 has a few annoying characteristics that the G4 addresses. The downside is obviously the expense... I'm confident that any of us buying a new Bu could afford it, but each of us has to decide if the added functionality is worth the price (just like any option).

What is the expense? I just spent $600 on a PTM 140 mirror and CNC bracket so obviously paying for quality is sometimes important to me. That was a tough invoice to swallow. :vomit:

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The folds easily with one person makes me laugh everytime someone mentions it. My daughter can raise and lower my g3. Garage clearance is a good one though, my g3 required the optional hoop to fit in a standard garage.

No doubt that there is some impressive machining in the g4, the look is either great or meh depending on the beholder.

Do you have tower speakers? If so, how many? And are they factory or aftermarket?

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.

@oldjeep - Once nice thing that you can read from that statement is that now you can unlock the tower but the tower doesn't move till you pull on it. Previous experience with the g3 is that once the tower was loose it would start to lower with any effort anyone's part.

No tower noise makers on mine, so it doesn't move - but makes sense for those who have them.

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What is the expense? I just spent $600 on a PTM 140 mirror and CNC bracket so obviously paying for quality is sometimes important to me. That was a tough invoice to swallow. :vomit:

Are you sitting down...?

MSRP in 2015 is $5,833. Obviously if you have any sort of negotiation skills you won't pay MSRP for your new boat or any of the options. This includes the same bungee cord racks as the G3. The PTM clamping racks are extra.

In 2016 the G4 comes standard with the PTM clamping racks, but I don't know the MSRP. I'm sure it's more, just not sure how much.

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No tower noise makers on mine, so it doesn't move - but makes sense for those who have them.

So now do you acknowledge the issue some of us have with the G3... or are you still "laughing" every time we bring it up...?

  • Like 2
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I don't think so

Compare them side by side, feature to feature and they are one in the same.

I'm not saying the alpha z tower is a bad tower. It's just that I always preferred the G3 over it for multiple reasons. The one thing they did get right over the alpha Z on the g4 is that it can hold 4 racks. The forward facing lights are worthless, they do more to blind the other boat drivers than they do to help you see, the shape isn't great IMO, they have bimini issues. All things I see in the g4 also. The dome light is a nice feature.

My thought is unless you need to put the tower down to store the g4 isn't really any better, and in my opinion worse, than the g3. it's uglier, the strength thing isn't even a factor, I've yet to have any strength issues with a G3 or heard of any. You have to buy after market adapters if you want to run 4 rev10s, you can't have a mirror from the tower, and I've yet to see a decent Bimini that allows you to put it down when it's attached. So if the two were the same price I'd still go g3, with it being 5k more the choice isn't even close.

It's just my opinion, but I think the g4 is aesthetically and feature wise a waste of money unless you need to use the feature where you tow with it down or have to stow it tower down

Edited by CJAY
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In the spirit of full disclosure, there is ONE thing that really bugs me about the G4. Matter of fact, it's the been the #1 pain in my a$$ this summer...

The fact that Malibu still does not offer a bimini (other than the uber expensive Z5) that allows the G4 to fold all the way down. I have to manually remove the CS slider bimini every time I put the boat away in my garage. Then I have to put it back on every time we go out. This is a major pain cuz it's super awkward and requires two people performing a delicate balancing act.

I didn't mention this before because supposedly a new bracket is forthcoming that will allow the tower to fold with the bimini attached. But it's almost August and after months of empty promises there's still no bracket. Honestly, this one item is the only thing that makes me slightly regret the G4 upgrade.

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http://www.tige.com/features/alpha-z-tower

I'm still skeptical Mr. CJay...honeycomb cnc construction? Also, doesn't have that cutting edge look...

The honey comb on the inside does what? Makes it stronger? Is this to fix all the huge issues the G3 towers had with being weak??( reminds me of a MC selling point) I'm not sure I see blocky as cutting edge looking, but aesthetics are subjective, so that ones just my opinion.

Edited by CJAY
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I have to admit, when G4 was first revealed it did nothing for me. After seeing it on a few different boats I am beginning to like it more. It is a well engineered piece of metal, and the folding ability to tow really is a great feature. My tower gets killed with bugs towing during certain times of the year. I still like the G3.2, it is solid as a rock and I think will hold it's own for awhile. If I were ordering a new boat not sure I would be able to swallow the upgrade charge of the G4 but its definitely a legit tower and growing on me.

Dave, if you get quad clamping racks on the G4 will they clear wakeboards when boots are opposite of eachother? It looks like the upper racks are not at a different angle like the upper fixed racks are on the G3.2. And how wide of a surfboard will fit in the clamping racks?

Edited by Fman
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