How to mount the old ski-pole

[retrota79]

hello everyone, just wondering how to mount the base for the ski-pole are there any special bolts to use? i just got the boat and it came with just the poles. any specific instuctions or tips anyone can give me? boat is a 93 glastron ssv175. it does have the tow ring on the back but im looking for something better. any info would be awesome , thanks

 

[merc850]

Re: How to mount the old ski-pole

The base on my boat is screwed into the floor with large (#3) Philips screws about .250" each and in every hole provided.
I would seal the holes with silicone to waterproof it because water will cause floor rot that you won't really see.

 

[retrota79]

Re: How to mount the old ski-pole

so thats it i just screw it into the floor and seal it?

 

[skibrain]

Re: How to mount the old ski-pole

Really difficult to help without more info about what pylon/pole you have (photos?) and where you intend to mount it. Is this an extended height pole? One that mounts in the middle of the boat? For skiing with an I/O, I'd use the rear tow eye and be done with it.

 

[retrota79]

Re: How to mount the old ski-pole

sorry i dont have any pictures, its the 3 pole style 1 mounts in the middle with a base and 2 other arms that go backwards, the only reason i was trying to use it is to get better lift for skiing and wakeboarding?

 

[skibrain]

Re: How to mount the old ski-pole

If it was 6' tall that would make a difference. If you're comparing your tow eye 18" (?) off the water vs. a pole which is 30-36" (?) I don't think the skier could tell the difference.

From the perspective of hole shot and how the boat handles, a lower tow point is better.

But to answer your question, my last boat was an outboard and had a pylon. The base plate for the pole mounted to the plywood floor with short lag bolts. Stainless would be best. it was behind the back seat and came up through a hole cut in the rear splash well.

For tubing and aggressive slalom skiing I pulled from the transom eyes which were about 12" off the water.

 

[retrota79]

Re: How to mount the old ski-pole

alright alright you convinced me, i dont have much skiing expeirince and i just thought hey it came with the pole but ya i will try the tow eye on the back first, id rather do that than drill holes in the floor and other things to find no differance. thanks for the help!

 

[Starman8]

Re: How to mount the old ski-pole

I am rehabbin an old Starcraft, I fish, then drive the Fam skiing. We have a swiveleze tripod. Since I had the floor out for new plywood, I used aluminum L angle to add support with the stringers. The piece you see is 3/4" marine grade encased in the angle and riveted to both stringers.

Underneath that wood panel is another 3/4" piece running longnitudanal tied to the flooring. Figured 2" of wood cross-grained would help have the entire boat pull the skier versus one small area, in other words, spread the load.

The other 2 legs pin plates will be bolted into backers that are also stringer tied.

 

[Matlok]

Re: How to mount the old ski-pole

Funny I should happen to read this since I am about to tackle the same issue.
Our older fiberglass boat had the pylon pulled right out . Amazingly, when we pulled it up from the bottom of the lake, it was all in one pice and the screws (all of them) were sitting nicely in the base plate holes!!

We are about to work on 1982 Starcraft 16 SS. I was going to follow your plan plus bolt the base plate instead of screws. My thoughts were to get a second plate fabricated with the nuts welded to the underside and then this plate would go under the plywood. Thus there are not any screws to pull out.

 

[Starman8]

Re: How to mount the old ski-pole

that is a good plan

our tri-pole main post plate doesn't run below deck as some other models do, thus my method

when the hole shot starts, hoping the two aft leg braces take most of the torque with vertical pressure until the skier is up at the desired speed. The main post being tied to the entire boat should spread the initial torque as well as during the run