Extended ski pylon durability.

[samt]

Hey guys I'm looking at trading into a boat with a ski pylon right forward of the motor. (Blue water direct drive) I'm wondering first how durable is the ski pole? And then I see these extended poles with cables to the front. I read conflicting articles about what they can handle. Me and my brothers do some light wake boarding, lots of knee board and some skiing. 2 of us are 300lb. Can the stock ski pylon handle us and what are the rules with an extended one? Nothing crazy far outside the wake?

I may get a tower eventually but the pole seems easier to store the boat and tarp it. Since it removes in seconds. I just done know if it can handle us. I wouldn't want to do any damage to the stringers I assume where it mounts.

 

[rallyart]

The stock ski pylon should be very strong. The load from a good water skier is much higher than the load from a wakeboarder, even a heavy one. The extended pylon adaptors that are braced around the bow and to the sides are strong but, frankly, getting a tower is a better plan unless you want to keep the classic look. They let you store gear out of the way.

You can certainly learn to wakeboard just being towed from the ski pylon. The extra height can help rookies on starts and can provide extra height on jumps if you are spending a lot of time in the air. Pros can do rolls on flat water behind a jet ski, so the tower is not critical, especially early on.