1989 Saltare - My god Spock, what have I done???

syber - welcome to the club! Love the post lol we are all crazy I think. Is it too early to talk about dock/boatlift maitenance and put in/pull out arggg so much stuff to do but so worth it!

You boat looks great, congrats! I am amazed at the size of that boat hehe huge! I really think it would look great with a black tower and the handrails still chrome. Remember that the board racks are chrome, and with lots of other small chrome parts I think it compliments nicely since your main scheme is already black.

I love my Monster Tower but at the time I didn't know the Titan folded completly flat which I need to get into the boat lift. That is a great stiff design and shouldn't need tightening like the MT once and a while. I wouldn't worry about it being hot - you'll touch the vinyl much more than the tower. Even that grey vinyl will get smokin hot!

I admit seeing a torn interior does make me think what happened to cause that and what does it mean about the floor/stringers. If it is just sun damage that is not so bad but if it was left out for years, chances are...

I would totally do the wetsand yourself unless you dont have time but can afford it to be done for you. It's pretty simple.

Oh and make sure the tower is tall enough for you. Even after tower speakers which you do not YET have :) The MT1 is a little short but the MT2 is over a foot taller.

Good luck, keep postin those pics!

Thanks for the kind words - no need to sugar coat it, though. She's definitely rough around the edges, but I agree, the potential is there for something special. Yeah, it's big (no, I won't comment further on the black color distorting the size...) - still not sure it's gonna fit into the garage (sorry again, length and width are not an issue) since I've only got 7' clearance under the door beam. Gonna be close. May have to unhook and lower the tongue wheel to get the windshield to clear.

That will further complicate my tower search. It's gotta drop no higher than the windshield - the Titan won't do that if the wishbone is laid down on the windshield. Haven't talked to Titan yet to see what folding the front forward would look like? or some quick connect knobs (like Monster) on the front mounts. Probably have to make a decision and pull the trigger early on so I can more easily locate and glass in supports while the interior is out for floor & hull repair.

Finally, Mikey (& other surfers) - any recommenations on a good rookie board for my novice "wannabe wake surfer chicks" daughters? Both can ride the typical knee to waist high, Texas summer, gulf surf (ya know the real saltwater stuff) on long boards. Still novice surfers but a wide range of experince skiing, kneeboarding, snowboarding, etc. About 85 and 110 lbs each. I'm old school slalom and kneeboard with a little wakeboard, so not much help wake surfing. Christmas is around the corner & figure if I spring for a board for them, I'll defininetly have to get my butt in gear to finish the boat for next spring.

I'm playing around with some ideas for the new interior at the back for ballast (not ready to tackle underfloor system, although the engineer in me is just dying to go purevert - we're just not that hardcore surfers - yet). My preliminary calcs are looking at just over 1000 lb in the rear & I can balance with many 100's more up front under the playpen, so from what I've gathered here & elswhere - knee to waist high with a loaded Salt is possible?

I was told the titan has a pin at the apex of the tower that allows it to first fold over the bow, then collapse totally flat if needed. I have not really been able to verify and I never called Titan. But it is a nice looking tower for sure. No cross bars is how I like it. The monster definitly folds totally flat. Monster will have sales throughout the winter on different models $1-200 off so hold tight.

Belly button wave is a reality with SunSport or Saltare - check my thread for vids. Only takes 1500lbs maybe a lil more for saltare. Gotta get most of it in the rear corner though ie floor.

Will have to look into boards tomorrow. :)
Inland surfer, Phase 5, many great brands
check out the general store at wakeoutlaws.com a TX based group and boardersmall.com

With girls that size you should be able to get them anything.... I'd look for a Phase 5 Oogle (would be a good beginner board for lighter riders) or try and track down a Coex (will give bigger guests a chance to try it out.)

Good luck!

I have an '89 Saltare. Great boat, you'll love it. Tons of room for family and friend, pulls like crazy, and sucks gas like you owned an oil company. The only thing I've done to mine was to put in an electronic ignition. If you have questions, all of us are here to help.

Thanks for the board suggestions. Santa will definitely have to brush up on the whole wakesurfing thing before I, er he, goes shopping for the kids (really honey, it's just for the kids). We do have a 5'-8", soft top, Liquid Shredder, "real" surfboard with tri-fin setup that's just used for surf themed room decoration. Could that be worth trying out?

Wow OUI, another 89 Salt. Thanks for the encouragement. Do you have any pics or specific lessons learned you could share? I saw you put a Mallory electronic ignition in, but couldn't find which one... I've found a few different options (Mallory & others) in my brief searching. Do you remember the specific model. I plan on a complete distributor, coil, & wire kit.

Thanks

DON'T USE THE SHREDDER! If Its the purple one with sandle shoes. they will F*%K up your knee. they were notorious for that back in the day. If your foot came out of one of the sandles then the fins would turn the board right or left and twist your knee into splinters! i use to ride that board and it is fun but i always had that in the back of my mind. I have it hanging in the garage..Ha ha ha. Jet

I got a Titan Series one tower for my Mariah and i Love it. It colapses fast and low if are storing in a garage. Very sturdy as well. Good Luck.

snibb I heard if you want the Titan to collapse completly flat (like to get it under a boat lift canopy) it has a pin in the top center you can pull? Is this true?

syber I have an ocean surfboard it is a 5'8" custom tri finn (no sandles lol) and it works great behind the boat. It is a not a board you do a lot of tricks or even slaysh at the wave very hard, due to the fins and board shape. But it's fun! It rides fast, meaning it is always wanting to run into the back of the boat. One caution, I had a newb ride it and he fell off backwards and kicked the board into the transom of the boat. The boards tip exploded. :( Epoxy saved her but it's not quite the same.

I would also offer a different opinion on smaller riders and board choice. If the rider is small and the board is for a big guy, the rider does not stand in the correct spot on the board and therefore the board does not perform well for them. Yes is is more bouyant but the edges and fins are not working ideally.

Imo put them on a board that is intended for their weight range for best results. Yes you can still choose a skim board or a surf style board. If you have a smaller wave you should slightly oversize your board. But there is a difference between a longboard and a board that's just too big!

Like if you put them on a Hyp Landlock or even a Broadcast they will probably be too little for it. P5 Oogle might be okay, but I would argue a Hyp Coex, LF Custom, or P5 Prop would be better. IMHO

If you find yourself constantly using 'the brakes' ie applying weight to rear foot because you keep racing towards the boat, you probably need to add some bow weight to lenghten the pocket.

[QUOTE=87SunSportMikeyD;24523]snibb I heard if you want the Titan to collapse completly flat (like to get it under a boat lift canopy) it has a pin in the top center you can pull? Is this true?

Yeah, it takes all of a minute to collapse the whole tower. There is a thumb bolt (has a plastic handle so no tools required) that hold the front and rear piece together. Remove the bolt and the rear horsehoe drop all the way down to cover level and the front "v" pivots back to rest on the wind shield. it winds up being slightly higher than the wind shield, but my cover still fits no prob. Very sturdy too. And very reasonably priced. I got mine through Wakeside.