insanity pylon, what do you think?

nailem · #1 April 13th, 2008, 04:26 PM

what do you think about the insanity pylon? does anyone have and first hand experience with them? the web site for them is insanitypylonscom

if not any suggestions of a pylon that i would not have to modify my boat? i have a 96 sunnunner 20' with cuddy. this is primarily a family boat 75% of the time but will be used for some wakeboading. i may also look at building a pylon.

amynbill · #2 April 13th, 2008, 05:58 PM

I would think WITH a family that pole in the middle of the boat and all those straps would get in the way more than a tower

Plus putting it up and taking it down looks to be a pain.

tommays · #3 April 14th, 2008, 08:43 AM

We use a simalar flyhigh on a correct craft the only REAL issue is how well the cleats you will be connecting the straps to are installed and how BIG the backing plates are

Generaly the cleats are just there for docking lines and may need better backing plates and through bolts so thay do not pull out

nailem · #4 April 14th, 2008, 12:20 PM

thanks tommays, i will take a look and reinforce if needed.

amynbill, i know what you are saying but it will not be errected in the boat most of the time. i will only install it when i get a chance to go out with the boys. it looks like i could store it on the boat and install does not seem that bad. any other opinions would be great.

amynbill · #5 April 14th, 2008, 03:22 PM

For temporary use I would think then it would be fine. Is there a strict reason not to mount a tower? I was a little on the fence about it at first, but am doing the drilling in about 6 weeks from now for a tower. Frees up a lot of space in the boat. If you get the pylon, do as Tommays suggested...either be sure there is a strong backing plate in the cleats, or disassemble and add a good backing plate of some kind. Pulling a cleat out would definitely suck!

nailem · #6 April 14th, 2008, 09:20 PM

it would be a combination of money, modifications to the boat, and how little i think i'll actually be able to use it. i have 2 girls one 3 and one 1.5. we just bought the boat for a family boat and that is what it will be used for most of the time. but i did some wakeboarding last year and now im hooked. also i like the idea of being able to move it from boat to boat. my broth-in-law has a smaller boat that we can launch in the river were mine sits too deep.

hal2814 · #7 April 15th, 2008, 05:38 PM

I just went from a homemade pylon to a cheap cheap eBay tower so I do have some insight here.

First off, the pylon:

I used a 7' floor jack (like you use in the basement of a house, not the automative kind) mounted on a wood base that was basically a pressure treater 4'x6' with a hole cut in it (using a hole saw and chisel) nailed and glues to a piece of pressure treated 1/4" plywood. The rope was looped through a hole I drilled at the top and the pole was supported by 4 10,000 lbs capacity ratchet straps. Two of the ratchet straps were used to anchor the front (one connected to the second and the second looped around the nose fo the bow). The other two straps were used on either side in the rear connecting the pole to the rear lift rings. I had the lumber and some basic tools so the whole setup only cost me about $50. It did the job but took up a LOT of room inside the boat. Not one permanent modification was made to the boat though since the base was big enough that it didn't move and the lift rings were more than capable of handling the stress. The biggest person we had on there was a 250lb 6'2" guy (my brother). I used it all the time and I am 6'2" and 215lbs.

Now, the tower:

I found a tower on eBay that the seller let go of for $385 plus roughly $40 shipping. It was big enough to fit my 36" tall bimini under and it makes a WORLD of difference in interior boat space. It also doesn't flex nearly as much as the pylon. One day, I'll either build or buy a board rack and get some more space inside. It's the second best boat purchase I ever made (behind the bimini top). I've only used it once so I'm not sure about durability yet.

wcsparky05 · #8 April 19th, 2008, 05:43 AM

i priced them both over the winter and was going to get one, i went with a tower. out of the way, and for another $100 well worth it. plus you get more angle. and the pylons just dont look good with the bow re-enforcement rope and holes in the floor. tower is out of the way and has a nice powder coat. i got mine for $500 from diywake.com. they took care of me for no extra charge. my boat is only 6' wide, but they included a 3' tow bar as well as a 5' bar. this part slides over the vertical supports. no hiccups, all hardware was included and all parts were wrapped in foam and no scratches or blemishes whatsoever. no pretty angles, its basic, but quality construction and instruction for the price. i can't wait to use it!

taylorchix28 · #9 May 11th, 2008, 04:44 AM

greetings nailem, i just had to chime in about the pylon question. i have owned the insanity pylon for a while now and still like it. i bought it on sale over the winter and my family enjoys it pretty well. since im not a pro at the drill or any tools for that matter, i found the insanity pylon to be the the best option for our family boat. ours took less than ten minutes to setup the first time, but that was pretty easy. any time after that only takes us about a minute. i logged in to see if their pricing has changed this summer to find that they have a new iPylon that is priced on sale at $295. but i guess it depends on your situation. i bought the insanity pylon for the convenience and the lifetime warranty aint half bad. as far as rope cleats go, most manufacturers make them pretty strong since they do afterall have to keep the boat tied to the dock, so i don't think that there is any problem with a small load such as the insanity pylon tearing it out. i think it take alot more load to tear it out such as a stormy day yanking it around on the dock. just my 2 cents, but we like ours a lot.

a.t.