Why all the hate for monster towers?

[matt k]

I'm looking into a tower (right now I have a skylon, which works, but I'd like the addrd rigidity, and also the storage of a tower).

The 3 options on the table are:

A monster tower - cheap, but i'm not wild about how they look. And apparently people seem to really dislike them.

A boat-specific new dimension - I'd love to go this route, but $1800 is a lot of money to me, and then if I have it professionally installed (which I'd like to do, since I want to have the fiberglass reinforced), it'll be even more.

A DIY tower that is somewhere between supra-whacko's very well done DIY tower and a knock-off of the new dimension towers. This is seeming more and more likely, since I can bend and weld well enough, and 1.5" schedule 80 steel pipe is pretty cheap.

thoughts?

[wotan2525]

If you can go the DIY route, do it. In my experience though, they never are as nice or as stable as a professionally made tower. AND after the materials, time, powder coating, hardware and headaches -- you'll probably wish you had spent the $1800. AND finding nice feet has gotten fairly difficult.

I think Monster tower makes a very nice product. They support it really, really well. They are solid and inexpensive and every dealing I've ever had with the company has been exceptional. The looks? Not really for me. Though... I think that a Monster would look great on a Comp!

When I first started building my boat I was cheap on every accessory that I could be cheap on. Now that I'm doing things over for the 2nd (or in some case 3rd time) I'm going with what I should have done the first time. When I decide it's time for a new tower, I'll be ponying up for the New Dimension (or a custom made one.)

[haugy]

I just don't like how they look, and the fact that they have so many hinge/connection points.

I like New Dimensions because they are solid as a rock, look great with the boat, and have options with them. The tower added anchor light is awesome. And you can mount a factory Supra bimini to it, big plus.

Do not use poop pipe for a tower. It's not designed for that kind of load. I see guys building roll cages with it, and it will hold up to a light tip over. But a hard roll and it's toast. It's just not load bearing pipe. No matter how well you make the welds look. So I know it won't handle a localized load from a tow point. If you do, take video when you ride behind it so we can watch.

[riderite]

How about looking at a Menace Watersports / Star One Wake's tower.. Build racks OEM for Moomba, Supra, Chaparral, Sanger, Supreme, Calibria, and also build OEM towers for Supreme, Sanger and Calibria.. Look at the Series 2 tower its one of the most solid towers on the market today.. Take a look at the Malibu Crew forum and you will see the guys over there preach Menace / Star One built...

[haugy]

Looks just like a Monster tower to me. Except for the backwards one, yeah, no thanks.

[Mani]

I feel a disturbance in the force.

[wotan2525]

<threadjack>

Speaking of Menace/Star One (who I'm actually a fan of, too) I just ordered these cans: http://www.menacewatersports.com/sho.../full4_0_6.jpg

Ahem.... speaker cans!

</threadjack.>

[Memmer99]

Nice Cans!

[michael hunter]

Keep the pics coming you are starting to convert me.

[oldman]

This is seeming more and more likely, since I can bend and weld well enough, and 1.5" schedule 80 steel pipe is pretty cheap.

thoughts?

Just wondering if anybody has a tower on a boat made of schedule 80 steel pipe?