Installing my new tower

[bryan632]

I just bought an Aerial Airborne tower complete with speakers, racks, and LED anchor light mounted on top of the tow point. My question is with the backing support for in my gunwales. A lot of people are using wood but, being an Aircraft mechanic, I have a lot of sheet metal at my disposal. Is there a reason everyone uses wood or would it be more beneficial to use 2 layers if 1/8" 6061 Aluminum, Titanium, or Stainless steel? Also for you Sunsport owners, are the insides of the Gunwales pretty flat or will I have to do some bending? I get the tower in the mail on Wednesday so I'll post up some pics when I get it installed.

[Okie Boarder]

I've been told metal isn't recommended because it could actually try to lean when it is pulled on and make a small point contact on the underside of the gunwales. Since it is harder than the fiberglass, it could cause problems. That may be why so many people use wood.

[Kip]

I used wood and metal on my tower install. I used a 4 1/2" X 8" piece of treated plywood, which I had to cut a groove in to accommodate the hump where the stripe/ groove was. then I used a piece of 4 1/2" X 8" piece of 1/4" steel. We have put about 20 hours of use on it with absolutely no issues or movement.