Ill fitting tower

duscarter · Jul 10, 2009

My buddy bought a used steel tower for his boat. It almost fits perfect. The angle is a little off where the tower bolts to the boat. We tightned it down as tight as we could, and still have about a half inch gap at the bottom of the plate. The top part bolted up tight. The rack is on snug now.

It's because the angle is off.

Should we just try to fill the gap with something that would make it look cosmeticly correct?

Since it is steel, can a welder heat the medal to get it to go down flush?

Any other ideas?

Hogger · Jul 10, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

I sure wouldn't be tightening it as much as you could if it doesn't fit. Now you have a lot of additional stress on the hull, and may weaken the area around the mounting holes. Since the holes are usually close together, that whole mount area may be fatigued and could fail.

I would take the tower off, and take a lot of measurement to be sure the tower is square. If it truly is square than you probably have a bad foot.
Do not try to heat the tower to bend the foot to the right spot. That will change the properties of the steel and could make it weak and or brittle.
I think the best would be to cut the foot, or both feet off, then re-measure the angle where the new one needs to go. And weld them on.

Hansolo99 · Jul 10, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

A pic would help, but I will try and answer. I am not sure about a welder being able to bend the end. It would be bad to weaken that area with heat and comprimise the stregnth that is needed when pulling someone. I would suggest maybe a machined peice of aluminum (like a wedge that would fit nicely) or a solid peice of ABS. Whatever you decide make sure the the bolts and backing on the inside are FLAT and secure. I got a solid piece or wood (the good stuff not press wood) put gorilla glue between the HULL and the WOOD and tighted everything down secure. It held up like a champ with NO loose fit and made for a beefed up mounting area I was satisfied with. Just my thoughts hope it helps.

lowkee · Jul 10, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

Call me crazy, but why not just bend it to fit? Assuming you can't get it to bend using whatever means, making a shim will allow you to add surface area, which is needed to spread the stresses out. Be sure you have a fairly big backer board on the other side which conforms well, as those towers put a lot of stress in a small area. You don't want to be asking how to fix a hole on your boat tomorrow.

duscarter · Jul 10, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

Here is a pic of the worst one. We were thinking of trying to bend it too. We are going to add a board backer in addition to the metal backer it already has.

It would be really tough to get the angle on a shim. Let me know what you guys think.

lowkee · Jul 10, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

Honestly, that tower leg looks as though someone made it out of exhaust pipe and put some clear coat on it. Heck, the weld isn't even flush, so time wasn't even taken to make it look pretty.

If you can weld (or know someone who can), I would just cut that and re-weld it.

Hansolo99 · Jul 10, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

That is bad! I agree cut and weld a whole new piece (a nice strong weld for sure).

Hogger · Jul 10, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

The hull looks contoured, so make sure that your new foot matches the contour of the hull. Your backer plate also needs to be contoured, don't use a flat piece, you won't have proper distribution of weight/forces.

Utahboatnut · Jul 10, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

Looks like right where the weld is it is kinked some if it were straight it might be a pretty good fit. I would cut and re weld as stated might even use a collar on the inside of the pipe to add some strength. A good nylon or hard rubber pad under the foot and reinforcement plates on the inside of the hull.

superpop · Jul 10, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

Unless you do not care about gel coat cracking around the mounts, I would get that tower off and get the right mounting feet for the contour of the boat. Remember, you are dealing with a very brittle structure, it is very strong but the pressure from the mounts needs to follow the contours of the boat, and no, rubber or wooden bushings are not going to fix the problem. You will develop cracks and crazing around the mounts unless it is done right. If you are going to use steel or wooden plates on the backside I would also recommend bedding them in with some fiberglass so they sit flat. If you go to www.samsonsports.com they have a great video that explains the installation process and why it is important. If it is an old beater boat then it may not matter as much, cant really tell from the pics.

redone4x4 · Jul 10, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

Utahboatnut said:
Looks like right where the weld is it is kinked some if it were straight it might be a pretty good fit. I would cut and re weld as stated might even use a collar on the inside of the pipe to add some strength. A good nylon or hard rubber pad under the foot and reinforcement plates on the inside of the hull.

this is what i noticed...looks like it was originally designed to match the hull more, but the weld wasnt square. what does the rest of the tower look like? any more shortcutting on the fabrication that should be reconsidered?

duscarter · Jul 12, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

He sold that tower and ordered an adjustable one. Neither of us can weld, and the expense of getting someone to would have been too much. Thanks for everyone's feedback.

I will post pics of the new tower once it is installed.

duscarter · Jul 21, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

Here is the new tower. It fits much better

We reinforced the mounting points with wood too. Just ran the speaker wire last night.

lowkee · Jul 21, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

Very nice looking tower! That is exactly the one I'd like to get for mine. Simple yet flowing design.. perfect!

duscarter · Jul 21, 2009

Re: Ill fitting tower

They are very reasonable. Just Google Avenger wakeboard towers. $699 with free shipping right now. The aluminum is high quality too. It takes a lot to drill though it. I enjoy follwing the progress on your boat.

We just ripped out all the carpet this morning. Going to sand it, and put down a non-skid paint. We had to Marine Tex a couple of holes we made for the other tower. If you have to break out the paint, mind as well do it all.

Ill fitting tower

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