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Supporting the tower when it's in the down position


MalibuNation

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2003 21’ Sunscape LSV, Titan II tower.

What do you uses to support the tower when it’s lowered, like when it’s in a boat lift or garage - so it doesn't rest on the engine cover. My first year I used a ratty piece of wood. Next 2 years I used a piece of laminate shelving, worked pretty good, but now it’s chipping.

I’m thinking of getting a piece of oak shelving and putting some urethane on it. Maybe mounting a piece of steel on it so the tower doesn’t dig into the wood. Any other ideas? Thanks.

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titan make a support that I got for that exact reason. it includes a bracket that fits around the tower perfectly and a bar that goes to the floor with a little rubber foot. talk to your dealer.

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You could take a good piece of wood and completely cover it in carpet or a towel or something that will not hurt your cover or the tower. With the wood covered, it should last forever.

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I used to use a 2x2 cut to length just to keep it off the windshield with a doweled out section at one end for the nut of the tower ball mount to fit into so as to prevent it from slipping and the other end went into the table hole in the floor since you have the v-drive. Cheap, easy, and reliable.

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Here's a pic of the prop that I made out of PVC which slides down over the ski pylon on the older v-drives. Titan Support Rod

I also made another pvc support later that used (2) 90 degree elbows to make an "S" pattern. One end went over the ski pylon again, and I took the "T" used in the picture above and put it on the other end of the "S" one and supported the tower just as in the picture above. The "S" design one allowed the tower to rest lower and allowed me to back it into the garage with it supported. The first design was too tall for that, but allowed me access to all 3 storage compartments while it was stored. I can probably get a picture of the "S" design if you need it.

JV

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JV, do you just let the front support rest on your windshield?

It's my front windshield that keeps me from putting it in the garage. That and the fact that I'd only have 2 inches on each side of the Bu to back it in... Yikes!

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JV, do you just let the front support rest on your windshield?

It's my front windshield that keeps me from putting it in the garage. That and the fact that I'd only have 2 inches on each side of the Bu to back it in... Yikes!

2 inches on each side? That's what I call roomy. I have about 1/2 inch on each side of my truck to get it out of the garage.

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I've got backing skills, but to get the Bu in it's place I'd have a 90 degree angle to get it in there. 23' boats don't do that very well, especially in my wacky driveway.

I just wouldn't trust myself with that.

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2003 21’ Sunscape LSV, Titan II tower.

What do you uses to support the tower when it’s lowered, like when it’s in a boat lift or garage - so it doesn't rest on the engine cover. My first year I used a ratty piece of wood. Next 2 years I used a piece of laminate shelving, worked pretty good, but now it’s chipping.

I’m thinking of getting a piece of oak shelving and putting some urethane on it. Maybe mounting a piece of steel on it so the tower doesn’t dig into the wood. Any other ideas? Thanks.

I have a Titan III and for the back bow I just put a white boat cushion underneath it. Simple, very easy to store when I am done with it. I don't do anything for the front bow and just let it rest on the windshield for the short time the tower is down. I haven't had to give that much thought since my garage ceiling is tall enough to allow to put the tower up once the boat is backed in.

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I've got backing skills, but to get the Bu in it's place I'd have a 90 degree angle to get it in there. 23' boats don't do that very well, especially in my wacky driveway.

I just wouldn't trust myself with that.

Whimp! Tease2.gif

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Unfortunately the roller door at my storage is about 100mm too low to get in without lowering the tower. Keeping it simple I just fold the front frame backwards and allow it to sit on top of the screen then fold the rear frame forwards on top of the front frame. Seems to work ok however I only need to do this briefly as the tower is re-erected once in the garage.

Is this ok or am I risking the screen breaking ? I'm assuming it ok for my bare tower but perhaps not if the tower were loaded with racks or speakers, lights etc.

The storage facility owner is going to make the roller doors a little higher and wider on any new units. It's tight geting in & only have about 75mm spare each side. OK when fresh but not great when tired after a day on water or when it's getting dark. He's had a turn a few people away due to door height or width issues.

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I've got backing skills, but to get the Bu in it's place I'd have a 90 degree angle to get it in there. 23' boats don't do that very well, especially in my wacky driveway.

I just wouldn't trust myself with that.

Whimp! Tease2.gif

Well, it sounds like Andy doesn't want to be that guy from the Miller High Life commercial from a few years ago. Can't blame a person for knowing & recognizing their limitations. Me, I don't do any of the tow rig driving unless it's absolutely, positively necessary. I can get it done, but I don't like to do it. The boat, that's another story. :)

As for the OP's question, the Illusion X comes in contact with the dash when completely collapsed & I've gotten in the habit of putting the throw cushion under it.

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JV, do you just let the front support rest on your windshield?

It's my front windshield that keeps me from putting it in the garage. That and the fact that I'd only have 2 inches on each side of the Bu to back it in... Yikes!

When I had my RLX I would let the front wishbone rest on the windshield. When I moved up to a VLX the boat sat up too high for the garage door with the front wishbone resting on the windshield so I had to flip the front forward. I'd back the boat in, and then I had a piece of PVC that I used to prop the tower from the garage floor and the tow spool.

JV

Edited by jvianco
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When on the Shore Station, I have a couple of Bungie Straps that I wrap around the ribs of the Shore Station and then wrap around the tower. Nice thing is that as the lift is raised or lowered, the tower moves with it, always staying off the vinly, and away from the canopy of the Shore Station.

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Here's my Titan prop rod. It is a piece of 2" ABS with a cap on one end and a tee cut apart on top. It is 'just' long enough so that the rear hoop folds forward and the front wishbone lays on the rear hoop instead of the windshield. I had to fold forward due to structural components of the garage, if I want to open the tower inside garage.

post-50-1158783574_thumb.jpg

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I have an illusion tower and I have my boat on a lift at my lake. For the winter I'm wanting to store it there with the cover on and tower down so I can raise the boat a little higher in my lift.

Any thoughts on how to keep the tower from folding into the cover? I was just planning to use a strap (like one you would use to tie a boat down on a trailer) from a beam near the top of my boat house to the tower. I've not tried it, but my thoughts would be that the tower would naturally fold down with a strap as I lifted the boat in the lift, or help raise it as I lowered the boat. ??

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  • 10 years later...
On 9/21/2006 at 8:10 AM, wakeup said:

I have an illusion tower and I have my boat on a lift at my lake. For the winter I'm wanting to store it there with the cover on and tower down so I can raise the boat a little higher in my lift.

Any thoughts on how to keep the tower from folding into the cover? I was just planning to use a strap (like one you would use to tie a boat down on a trailer) from a beam near the top of my boat house to the tower. I've not tried it, but my thoughts would be that the tower would naturally fold down with a strap as I lifted the boat in the lift, or help raise it as I lowered the boat. ??

 

On 9/20/2006 at 2:19 PM, Faceplant409 said:

Here's my Titan prop rod. It is a piece of 2" ABS with a cap on one end and a tee cut apart on top. It is 'just' long enough so that the rear hoop folds forward and the front wishbone lays on the rear hoop instead of the windshield. I had to fold forward due to structural components of the garage, if I want to open the tower inside garage.

Titan_prop_1r.jpg

I use a crutch to support the tower.  They are aluminum, already padded, height is easily adjusted, they are cheap and easy to find.   

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I use a cruth (2x4 knotched) on my new boat.  On the 2002 malibu I had some pull tie downs I hung from my rafters & just used those to pull the tower off the cushions 

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