skydiveD30571
Lieutenant Junior Grade
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2012
- Messages
- 1,042
This is my first post on iboats, and I'd like to share what I learned since it was my first tower install. Even though there is great advice on this forum, I would have really liked a detailed write-up from someone. In the spirit of helping, here is mine. PLEASE PLEASE add your own comments and experiences so that those after us will have the most information possible!
I have a Black/White 2007 Seaswirl 210 Br and purchased the polished aluminum Aerial Airborne this winter when H2Osportswarehouse was offering 2 free racks. I'm not very mechanically inclined, so i made sure to do my research beforehand! I stayed away from the black coated tower because some people say the finish wears off pretty quick.
The airborne was on my list of possible towers from the beginning, along with the MT2, Assault, and a couple others like the big air Vapor and Krypt towers. In the end, I really liked how the airborne follows the windshield lines, it makes for a really sweet side view of the boat. When I saw that there was a deal for 2 free racks with the purchase of the airborne (a $500 value) I started emailing marine shops that install this specific tower and asked for their input. The overall consensus was that it is one of the strongest universal towers out there when installed correctly. I just couldn't pass up on the deal. I'll say this though, getting a wakeboard tower shipped to you in the middle of December is basically torture. It sat in my living room and I stared at it every day anticipating getting to use it!
Getting Help:
As for the install, I used a lot of advice I got here. I convinced a couple buddies to help by bringing a case of beer and some pizza (sad what it takes to get help sometimes).
Locating the position for the mounting feet:
We held up a side rail to see where it would best follow the windshield, and I noted approximately where the feet would be. I used painter's tape to cover these areas before we started measuring.
I checked these areas inside the hull and made sure they were accessible with no wires or anything in the way.
NOTE: The bottom of the mounting feet WILL scratch your gel coat so before they make contact with your boat be sure there's tape there.
My boat basically has no flat spots anywhere up at the front. I decided that finding the flattest point for the front feet was more important than anything else, so I used one of the backing washers and slid it around on the (taped) area where the front foot would go and found the flattest spot for it. I marked where this location was, then we held up the side rail again and placed the front foot on the marked position. It still followed the windshield nicely so that wasn't an issue. At this side rail position, the rear foot was on a location that was a little too curvy for my liking, so it was moved up about half an inch or so and that position was marked also. Again, the side rail was held up with both feet in their marked positions. It still followed the windshield nicely so we decided it was a good position.
From the marked side of the boat, I took measurements to both marked feet locations from factory installed components like cleats and windshield lines, and transferred the locations to the other side. They needed adjusting a little bit once we realized the windshield was anything but symmetrical. I believe the former owner busted the windshield and the replacement is definitely not exact. Like the first side, we held up the side rail and made sure it followed the windshield and was as close as possible to being symmetrical to the other side.
Drilling Holes for feet:
The instructions that were sent with the tower do not match the online instructions in respect to what parts are needed. The paper version did not list a 5/8" drill bit, but that's what is needed for these holes. The drill was run in reverse for probably half of each hole (until I was certain I was through the gelcoat). I did not have a countersinking bit, so we used a small piece of sandpaper to ease back the gelcoat away from the hole. We scrubbed the corners of the holes until the gelcoat was brought back far enough that the bolt would not contact it no matter how it moved.
Backing Plates:
In advance I had no idea what thickness my fiberglass was, but I planned on using backing plates anyways for the extra security. I crawled inside with some paper, held it up to the area where the plate would go, and drew a quick layout of it. These drawings were then traced out on 3/8" plywood then cut out. As for how large the plates should be, I could have made mine much bigger, but I figured that a 6"x8" piece on a relatively flat part of the hull was better than a 12"x12" piece that had to cover some really curved areas.
Once cut out, I held the plates up where they would be installed and a buddy stuck a marker thru the drilled hole from the outside and marked where the bolt would come thru the plywood. These holes were then drilled, the inside of the plywood was covered in pl adhesive, and they were set into place.
For us, the easiest way to do this was have two guys hold the backing plates up (front and rear and one side) while I lifted the side rail up and held it in position (with the bolts thru the hull). The guys on the inside, while holding the plates, put loctite on the bolts and installed the large washer/lockwasher/nuts. They cranked down the nuts enough to snug everything up but not enough to bend the wood. The adhesive needs time to set up and cure so that it can be solid enough to support the pressure when they are torqued down. The same was repeated on the other side so that both side rails were installed and leaning against the windshield. I thought this part would take hours but it seriously took about 20 minutes total and makes me feel much better that it will all be strong enough.
Adjusting side rails:
This is the main part that I messed up on. The ground where my boat was sitting wasnt level, and the boat wasnt exactly level on the trailer either. We didn't have a level with us (stupid I know) so we had to guess. Eventually the thought that crossed my mind was "Let's not worry about it. Once we get all the legs and H-section set up it'll all work out." This isn't true! Spend the time and make sure the side rails are 90deg straight up and down, and that they are equal to eachother. Most people set up one side rail and measure its distance from the windshield and use that to set up the other side. As stated earlier, my windshield isn't even so this wasnt a possibility for me. Tighten everything down enough so that the rails stay at 90deg.
Installing legs and H-section:
This part definitely helped to have several people around. The easiest way for us was to install both rear legs but leave the bolts loose enough to allow movement. They were both inserted into the H-section at the same time. Then the front legs were installed the same way while someone held the H-section and stood on the back seat since it'll end up pretty high above the floor.
This part was difficult for us because I didn't have the side rails at 90deg (actually about 5-10deg outwards). You can imagine that if the side rails are leaning out, then the top of the leg where it inserts into the h-section isn't parallel to the floor either. This made it difficult to get it together, and once it was together, it was even harder to adjust and get set where I wanted.
NOTE: Aerial's manual touches on this, but sliding the legs in and out of the h-section will scratch them up. There are plastic inserts in the h-section to protect the polished finish during this step.
Squaring everything up:
Once all 4 legs are in the h-section, the whole structure really holds itself together pretty well even with the bolts all loose. I got in and out of the boat about 20 times during this part, sliding the legs in and out and then checking how even it all looked from all angles. With properly adjusted side rails the h-section will want to pivot during this step so it helps to have someone holding it. The final measurement is the cross measurement that the manual talks about. Measuring from the tow point to an identical point on both sides of the boat (like the mounting feet) will ensure that the tow point is in the middle of the boat. Once everything was even I marked where the 8 bolts in the h-section would go to hold everything in place.
Drilling and bolting h-section:
I did this part alone and didn't struggle too much. A big piece of advice that is probably common sense...make sure to use a drill bit specific for hard metal. I went and bought a 3/8" cobalt drill bit for 9 bucks and it went right thru the aluminum legs. If you have access to a right hand drill, it would come in handy here also. I drilled both inside and outside holes by just going straight thru, but I had to be very careful to drill straight and not at an angle or I would miss the hole on the back. I also inserted a bolt after each hole was drilled instead of drilling all holes first. This way the h-section won't move on you while drilling all the holes. Make sure to use loctite before tightening up the bolts.
This is basically the step that clamps everything together, and makes the tower useable only at these exact measurements and dimensions, so take some time and make sure it looks and feels the way you want before doing this.
Installing racks:
The racks went on uneventfully. They are pretty self-explanatory and don't take much work. I made sure to loctite all bolts here too, it's one less thing to worry about. The only issue I read about was that people had trouble with the rubber inserts that match it to the tower diameter. I had no trouble with mine, and think they actually look kind of good since the boat is black too.
Running speaker wire:
I used a cobalt 1/2" drill bit for the holes for the speakers wire up at the top. Once the holes were drilled I inserted fish tape and fed it down the right rear leg. Some people drill their hole at the bottom of the leg and then struggle getting the fish tape thru that small hole. I just took out the bolt that attaches the rear leg to the side rail and removed the hinge hardware from the bottom of the rear leg. The tower will support itself with the other 3 legs so its no big deal, and since the leg is hollow it was now extremely easy to fish the tape right out the bottom of the leg. I then drilled the hole a few inches from the bottom of the leg (make sure to put it high enough that the hinge can be inserted again without impeding the hole) and ran the wires out thru it by hand. I then reinserted the hinge, lined the leg back up where it goes, and reinstalled the bolt that secures it. Now the wires are ran thru the leg and out the holes at the top and I never had to mess with trying to get a fish tape thru a small little hole all by myself.
Installing speakers:
This obviously changes depending on what speakers you have. I have the Kicker KMT06 speaker pods which were fairly simple to install. I cleaned up the wiring by covering it with black split loom even though only about 2 inches shows from the tower to the speakers. I had loads of trouble inserting rubber washers into these holes in the tower, so instead i just made sure the split loom was long enough to cover the wire up into the tower an inch or so to protect it from the sharp metal edges. I used loctite on the mounting hardware also for extra security.
Getting the tower up and secure took 3 of us about 7 hours, but we also had the whole day planned for it. Take your time, you only get 1 good shot at it. A couple days later I came back and torqued everything, ran wires, and finished other misc stuff in about 5 hours.
Random notes:
ONE BIG WARNING! They specifically say not to collapse the tower without drilling and bolting the h-section first. I knew that but I was alone so I had to do it alone at the time. As I lowered it down holding the left front leg, the right front leg pivoted down and slid out of the h-section on its own....and onto the concrete. Polished aluminum doesn't really like coming into contact with concrete and it scuffed some of that leg up pretty good. Its not too noticeable unless I point it out to someone, but I know its there and it drives me crazy. Do not lower or collapse the tower without the h-section bolts in and tight!!
All I have left is to drill a hole in the fiberglass to run the wires inside the boat, and then pull every bolt and screw out 1 by 1 and loctite them all before reinserting them.
I couldn't find marine grade plywood smaller than 4'x8' sheets and those were like $80. Instead I got regular exterior plywood, and in the next week or two I plan on applying a layer or two of resin over the wood to help protect it from the elements.
Almost everyone talks about their tower getting loose the first few times out, and then not being a problem afterwards especially when using loctite. I called Aerial a couple times for advice (they were extremely nice and helpful each time) and they explained why this happens. When you install the tower you'll notice that the set screws that hold the hinge hardware to the bottom of the legs are shaped like spikes almost. When these screws are tightened down they dig into the metal to help hold it better. However, your hands are only so strong. During the first couple trips on the water, the forces and vibration of the tower will force these screws even deeper (and will work them out slightly which is why the tower seems loose) but after a couple times tightening them again afterwards, they will have dug deep enough into the metal to provide a firm hold for the life of the tower.
The thing is rock solid on this boat, and when I grab it and shake it the whole boat rocks on the trailer. I can even do pullups on it and it doesnt budge (and I'm about 230lbs). It feels basically like a roll bar on a car.
My only worry now is spider cracking. This is something I won't know about for another 6 weeks or so until I can get it on the water. Hopefully the steps I took to prevent these cracks will prove worthwile.
I plan to take pictures the next time I get a chance, and post them on here afterwards. Thanks to everyone who gave tips on earlier threads, it was extremely helpful to me. Hopefully this can become a thread of good advice for installing this and other towers, so that noobs like me will better understand the process and get the most out of their money.
I have a Black/White 2007 Seaswirl 210 Br and purchased the polished aluminum Aerial Airborne this winter when H2Osportswarehouse was offering 2 free racks. I'm not very mechanically inclined, so i made sure to do my research beforehand! I stayed away from the black coated tower because some people say the finish wears off pretty quick.
The airborne was on my list of possible towers from the beginning, along with the MT2, Assault, and a couple others like the big air Vapor and Krypt towers. In the end, I really liked how the airborne follows the windshield lines, it makes for a really sweet side view of the boat. When I saw that there was a deal for 2 free racks with the purchase of the airborne (a $500 value) I started emailing marine shops that install this specific tower and asked for their input. The overall consensus was that it is one of the strongest universal towers out there when installed correctly. I just couldn't pass up on the deal. I'll say this though, getting a wakeboard tower shipped to you in the middle of December is basically torture. It sat in my living room and I stared at it every day anticipating getting to use it!
Getting Help:
As for the install, I used a lot of advice I got here. I convinced a couple buddies to help by bringing a case of beer and some pizza (sad what it takes to get help sometimes).
Locating the position for the mounting feet:
We held up a side rail to see where it would best follow the windshield, and I noted approximately where the feet would be. I used painter's tape to cover these areas before we started measuring.
I checked these areas inside the hull and made sure they were accessible with no wires or anything in the way.
NOTE: The bottom of the mounting feet WILL scratch your gel coat so before they make contact with your boat be sure there's tape there.
My boat basically has no flat spots anywhere up at the front. I decided that finding the flattest point for the front feet was more important than anything else, so I used one of the backing washers and slid it around on the (taped) area where the front foot would go and found the flattest spot for it. I marked where this location was, then we held up the side rail again and placed the front foot on the marked position. It still followed the windshield nicely so that wasn't an issue. At this side rail position, the rear foot was on a location that was a little too curvy for my liking, so it was moved up about half an inch or so and that position was marked also. Again, the side rail was held up with both feet in their marked positions. It still followed the windshield nicely so we decided it was a good position.
From the marked side of the boat, I took measurements to both marked feet locations from factory installed components like cleats and windshield lines, and transferred the locations to the other side. They needed adjusting a little bit once we realized the windshield was anything but symmetrical. I believe the former owner busted the windshield and the replacement is definitely not exact. Like the first side, we held up the side rail and made sure it followed the windshield and was as close as possible to being symmetrical to the other side.
Drilling Holes for feet:
The instructions that were sent with the tower do not match the online instructions in respect to what parts are needed. The paper version did not list a 5/8" drill bit, but that's what is needed for these holes. The drill was run in reverse for probably half of each hole (until I was certain I was through the gelcoat). I did not have a countersinking bit, so we used a small piece of sandpaper to ease back the gelcoat away from the hole. We scrubbed the corners of the holes until the gelcoat was brought back far enough that the bolt would not contact it no matter how it moved.
Backing Plates:
In advance I had no idea what thickness my fiberglass was, but I planned on using backing plates anyways for the extra security. I crawled inside with some paper, held it up to the area where the plate would go, and drew a quick layout of it. These drawings were then traced out on 3/8" plywood then cut out. As for how large the plates should be, I could have made mine much bigger, but I figured that a 6"x8" piece on a relatively flat part of the hull was better than a 12"x12" piece that had to cover some really curved areas.
Once cut out, I held the plates up where they would be installed and a buddy stuck a marker thru the drilled hole from the outside and marked where the bolt would come thru the plywood. These holes were then drilled, the inside of the plywood was covered in pl adhesive, and they were set into place.
For us, the easiest way to do this was have two guys hold the backing plates up (front and rear and one side) while I lifted the side rail up and held it in position (with the bolts thru the hull). The guys on the inside, while holding the plates, put loctite on the bolts and installed the large washer/lockwasher/nuts. They cranked down the nuts enough to snug everything up but not enough to bend the wood. The adhesive needs time to set up and cure so that it can be solid enough to support the pressure when they are torqued down. The same was repeated on the other side so that both side rails were installed and leaning against the windshield. I thought this part would take hours but it seriously took about 20 minutes total and makes me feel much better that it will all be strong enough.
Adjusting side rails:
This is the main part that I messed up on. The ground where my boat was sitting wasnt level, and the boat wasnt exactly level on the trailer either. We didn't have a level with us (stupid I know) so we had to guess. Eventually the thought that crossed my mind was "Let's not worry about it. Once we get all the legs and H-section set up it'll all work out." This isn't true! Spend the time and make sure the side rails are 90deg straight up and down, and that they are equal to eachother. Most people set up one side rail and measure its distance from the windshield and use that to set up the other side. As stated earlier, my windshield isn't even so this wasnt a possibility for me. Tighten everything down enough so that the rails stay at 90deg.
Installing legs and H-section:
This part definitely helped to have several people around. The easiest way for us was to install both rear legs but leave the bolts loose enough to allow movement. They were both inserted into the H-section at the same time. Then the front legs were installed the same way while someone held the H-section and stood on the back seat since it'll end up pretty high above the floor.
This part was difficult for us because I didn't have the side rails at 90deg (actually about 5-10deg outwards). You can imagine that if the side rails are leaning out, then the top of the leg where it inserts into the h-section isn't parallel to the floor either. This made it difficult to get it together, and once it was together, it was even harder to adjust and get set where I wanted.
NOTE: Aerial's manual touches on this, but sliding the legs in and out of the h-section will scratch them up. There are plastic inserts in the h-section to protect the polished finish during this step.
Squaring everything up:
Once all 4 legs are in the h-section, the whole structure really holds itself together pretty well even with the bolts all loose. I got in and out of the boat about 20 times during this part, sliding the legs in and out and then checking how even it all looked from all angles. With properly adjusted side rails the h-section will want to pivot during this step so it helps to have someone holding it. The final measurement is the cross measurement that the manual talks about. Measuring from the tow point to an identical point on both sides of the boat (like the mounting feet) will ensure that the tow point is in the middle of the boat. Once everything was even I marked where the 8 bolts in the h-section would go to hold everything in place.
Drilling and bolting h-section:
I did this part alone and didn't struggle too much. A big piece of advice that is probably common sense...make sure to use a drill bit specific for hard metal. I went and bought a 3/8" cobalt drill bit for 9 bucks and it went right thru the aluminum legs. If you have access to a right hand drill, it would come in handy here also. I drilled both inside and outside holes by just going straight thru, but I had to be very careful to drill straight and not at an angle or I would miss the hole on the back. I also inserted a bolt after each hole was drilled instead of drilling all holes first. This way the h-section won't move on you while drilling all the holes. Make sure to use loctite before tightening up the bolts.
This is basically the step that clamps everything together, and makes the tower useable only at these exact measurements and dimensions, so take some time and make sure it looks and feels the way you want before doing this.
Installing racks:
The racks went on uneventfully. They are pretty self-explanatory and don't take much work. I made sure to loctite all bolts here too, it's one less thing to worry about. The only issue I read about was that people had trouble with the rubber inserts that match it to the tower diameter. I had no trouble with mine, and think they actually look kind of good since the boat is black too.
Running speaker wire:
I used a cobalt 1/2" drill bit for the holes for the speakers wire up at the top. Once the holes were drilled I inserted fish tape and fed it down the right rear leg. Some people drill their hole at the bottom of the leg and then struggle getting the fish tape thru that small hole. I just took out the bolt that attaches the rear leg to the side rail and removed the hinge hardware from the bottom of the rear leg. The tower will support itself with the other 3 legs so its no big deal, and since the leg is hollow it was now extremely easy to fish the tape right out the bottom of the leg. I then drilled the hole a few inches from the bottom of the leg (make sure to put it high enough that the hinge can be inserted again without impeding the hole) and ran the wires out thru it by hand. I then reinserted the hinge, lined the leg back up where it goes, and reinstalled the bolt that secures it. Now the wires are ran thru the leg and out the holes at the top and I never had to mess with trying to get a fish tape thru a small little hole all by myself.
Installing speakers:
This obviously changes depending on what speakers you have. I have the Kicker KMT06 speaker pods which were fairly simple to install. I cleaned up the wiring by covering it with black split loom even though only about 2 inches shows from the tower to the speakers. I had loads of trouble inserting rubber washers into these holes in the tower, so instead i just made sure the split loom was long enough to cover the wire up into the tower an inch or so to protect it from the sharp metal edges. I used loctite on the mounting hardware also for extra security.
Getting the tower up and secure took 3 of us about 7 hours, but we also had the whole day planned for it. Take your time, you only get 1 good shot at it. A couple days later I came back and torqued everything, ran wires, and finished other misc stuff in about 5 hours.
Random notes:
ONE BIG WARNING! They specifically say not to collapse the tower without drilling and bolting the h-section first. I knew that but I was alone so I had to do it alone at the time. As I lowered it down holding the left front leg, the right front leg pivoted down and slid out of the h-section on its own....and onto the concrete. Polished aluminum doesn't really like coming into contact with concrete and it scuffed some of that leg up pretty good. Its not too noticeable unless I point it out to someone, but I know its there and it drives me crazy. Do not lower or collapse the tower without the h-section bolts in and tight!!
All I have left is to drill a hole in the fiberglass to run the wires inside the boat, and then pull every bolt and screw out 1 by 1 and loctite them all before reinserting them.
I couldn't find marine grade plywood smaller than 4'x8' sheets and those were like $80. Instead I got regular exterior plywood, and in the next week or two I plan on applying a layer or two of resin over the wood to help protect it from the elements.
Almost everyone talks about their tower getting loose the first few times out, and then not being a problem afterwards especially when using loctite. I called Aerial a couple times for advice (they were extremely nice and helpful each time) and they explained why this happens. When you install the tower you'll notice that the set screws that hold the hinge hardware to the bottom of the legs are shaped like spikes almost. When these screws are tightened down they dig into the metal to help hold it better. However, your hands are only so strong. During the first couple trips on the water, the forces and vibration of the tower will force these screws even deeper (and will work them out slightly which is why the tower seems loose) but after a couple times tightening them again afterwards, they will have dug deep enough into the metal to provide a firm hold for the life of the tower.
The thing is rock solid on this boat, and when I grab it and shake it the whole boat rocks on the trailer. I can even do pullups on it and it doesnt budge (and I'm about 230lbs). It feels basically like a roll bar on a car.
My only worry now is spider cracking. This is something I won't know about for another 6 weeks or so until I can get it on the water. Hopefully the steps I took to prevent these cracks will prove worthwile.
I plan to take pictures the next time I get a chance, and post them on here afterwards. Thanks to everyone who gave tips on earlier threads, it was extremely helpful to me. Hopefully this can become a thread of good advice for installing this and other towers, so that noobs like me will better understand the process and get the most out of their money.
