To ensure you maximize your investment in your boat, you must use it as often as possible. It is a great tool for getting the whole family together for shared fun and the chance to learn new skills while creating memories that will last a lifetime.
To choose a wakeboard, consider the following.
- What do you need a wakeboard for?
- What is the boat size?
- What material is it made from?
- What finish do you want?
- How is the boat stored?
A wakeboard adds a new dimension to boat ownership. It provides an opportunity for the wakeboarders to learn new moves and tricks and frees up space in the boat, making more room.
Factors To Consider When Choosing A Wakeboard Tower
When choosing a wakeboard tower for your boat, don’t trust everything the salesman says. Rather research to find the optimum solution for your boat and family or friends.
What Do You Need A Wakeboard Tower For?
Although you see so many boats fitted with wakeboard towers, the reality is that not all boaters need one.
A ski pole will continue to serve you well if you are happily pulling skiers behind the boat and no one is trying anything too adventurous.
The same applies to pulling slalom skiers’, kneeboards, and tubes behind the boat.
Similarly, if you are pulling someone on a wakeboard, it is possible to continue using the ski pole. Perhaps this is the first step until the wakeboarder wants to get more adventurous!
How Does A Wakeboard Tower Help Your Wakeboarding?
Once the wakeboarder decides that they want to do more than simply crossing the wake, Jumping the wake, and Surface 180s, it is time to look for a suitable wakeboard tower.
When a wakeboarder uses the conventional ski pole at the back of the boat, the low tie-off point effectively continues to pull you downwards, so jumps and other tricks are always executed with the tow rope pointed downwards and away from the height of the jump.
The effect is that jumping high is much more difficult because the rope is always working against you and pulling you back down.
Another problem is that if there is any slack, the ski rope will get caught in the boat’s turbulence, making it harder to get up on the wakeboard and do tricks.
By raising the tie-off point, a wakeboard tower overcomes these issues. Instead of pulling the wakeboarder down, the higher tie-off point helps raise the height of jumps.
The rope will always be higher and not affected by the rough turbulence behind the boat.
The higher you get, the more time you have to do tricks.
A wakeboard tower makes the process so much easier for newbies who have just started the sport and are still struggling to get up on the board.
In summary, as soon as you want to develop your wakeboard skillset further, it is time to install a wakeboard tower.
The Other Wakeboard Tower Benefits
While none of these would be a reason by themselves to get a wakeboard tower, once you have made the decision, some wonderful benefits come with it.
Now you have a place to store your wakeboard without always lifting the rear hatch (if your boat has one). The wakeboard tower comes with convenient wakeboard racks into which you slot the board when you come out of the water.
It is now out of the way while also being easily accessible to use.
A wakeboard tower also gives you a location on the boat to install those 450-watt speakers because you know that all the other boaters are desperate to hear your music!
A Bimini shade cover can be installed to help protect you and your passengers from the sun’s ravages.
Finally, you also install lights that give you excellent visibility in low light conditions.
What Is The Size Of Your Boat
It seems pretty obvious, but you must get a wakeboard tower that is correctly sized for your boat.
There are two broad types of wakeboard towers.
- Custom-fit wakeboard towers.
- s.
Custom Fit Wakeboard Tower
A custom-fit wakeboard tower is set up to the specific dimensions of your boat.
Pros of Custom Wakeboard Towers
- Custom Wakeboard Towers will fit your boat exactly.
- They can generally be powder-coated to your choice of color.
- They are normally more stable because they are designed around your boat.
Cons of Custom Wakeboard Towers
- Custom Wakeboard Towers are almost always more expensive
- The delivery lead time will be slightly longer because they must be fabricated.
The Self Adjustable Wakeboard Tower
An off-the-shelf adjustable wakeboard tower can be adjusted, within a certain range, to fit your boat.
To ensure your boat and the wake tower are a good fit, you will need to measure the widest part of the beam.
The pros of an off-the-shelf adjustable tower are.
- Because they don’t have to be made up for a specific boat, the manufacturer should have stock that makes them immediately available.
- They normally cost less than custom towers.
The cons of an off-the-shelf adjustable tower are.
- You will have a smaller choice of color options.
- The final fitting may not be perfect because they are designed to fit many boats; however, they will function as intended.
What Material Is The Wakeboard Made From
Wakeboard towers take a lot of beating and operate in harsh conditions.
They must be made from very durable and strong material so that they can cope with the environment.
The optimal material used for wakeboards is aircraft-grade aluminum alloy 6061-T6. This material is as opposed to 6063, which is also used for wakeboard towers but has a significantly lower ultimate tensile strength.
Wakeboard towers are also available, made out of Stainless Steel. Stainless steel is substantially heavier and also generally costs more.
The recommendation is to select a wakeboard tower made from aircraft-grade aluminum alloy 6061-T6.
What Finish Do You Want?
If you select to go with the custom fit model, there are several different finishes which you can choose, as follows.
- Polished Aluminium
- Powder Coated
- Anodized Aluminium
- Anodized Brushed Aluminium
The finish will depend on your taste and budget.
How Is The Boat Stored?
If the boat is stored in an enclosed space and you have to move it through a garage door, selecting a folding wakeboard tower is important.
If you choose a folding wakeboard tower, it can generally be moved through a standard garage door.
Depending on the tower, there are often multiple folding methods.
Some wakeboard towers require some screws to be removed, while others use quick-release buttons, which are more convenient.
Conclusion
A wakeboard tower is a fun addition to any boat, and not only does it make wakeboarding easier, and it opens up a new horizon in terms of the type of tricks and skills the wakeboarder can learn. It is essential that the correct size wakeboard tower is chosen and that it is securely attached to the boat to provide maximum stability.
