Tower or No Tower

[akale15]

Our club is preparing to order our new promo and we are having a discussion on tower or no tower on the new 2017 Malibu. Tower and wedge cost an extra $5,000 but could this become a deal breaker when we go to sell it?

[igkya]

You could always order it with a tower and wedge if you have concerns for realize later, but I'd take them off for normal club use.

[Jody_Seal]

I guess it all boils down to what kind of service this boat is going to be utilized in. If you all mostly slalom and jump then no tower, however if wake hopping and the other tower needed water sliding activities are what is required then yes get the tower.

[bigskieridaho]

I say tower just due to the fact of versatility. However, if it is a club boat and you won't have anyone to utilize it then I don't see the point in having. Kind of a toss up. Don't think it will effect resale either way.

[disland]

tower?? Horton should ban you

[disland]

I remember the year all the master craft promos had towers. Not good to put it nicely

[LZywicki1]

For a club ski boat, possibly the wedge bracket only and no tower.

Tower and wedge for a non club boat. Our personal boat has both. The tower is great, (mini). We don't wakeboard offen, but do skate and ski from it. It's great to have the bimini attached to it, don't need to take it down when covering up.

[swc5150]

I think trying to sell a TXi with a tower would make it more difficult. These days, I think fewer and fewer tower seekers are buying direct drives.

[jjackkrash]

Buy the boat with only the features you are going to use and with non-crazy/good resale colors, IMO.

[eleeski]

Towers rock! Club members, even snooty slalom specialists, have kids. Kids love towers. They also like the kind of entry level skiing that go well with towers. Anything that encourages new skiers is a good thing.

 

Tower mounted biminis are much nicer than the rattle trap alternative.

 

No downside to a tower if you measure actual tournament scores.

 

Resale is unclear but a LOT of people wakeboard. Cut out a huge potential market?

 

I love my tower and personally train with it a fair amount.

 

Eric

[dbutcher]

Will a tower fit in your boat house or slip?

[JAG]

We made a member sell his tower equipped boat years ago. We couldn't bare to see it going through the course. :)

[gt2003]

I'm saying tower just because it may give you the option of bringing some club guests into the fold even if they start out on one of those super wide, short sticks. I've also seen first time slalom skiers use the tower rope attachment to help them get out of the water quicker. Plus, where u gonna put the speakers and how much fun are you missing when someone hits their head on it?? :)

 

[BrennanKMN]

I think @swc5150 is dead on. Towers and direct drives are a combo few people want.

[swc5150]

Lost me at $5k.

 

My Prostar bimini smokes any tower mounted version. If the new TXi has a similar design, no advantage there.

[unksskis]

What will the tower really provide you? If you're simply doing it for resale, then no.

[h2onhk]

My previous boat was a Malibu direct drive with the G3 tower. Rope came in contact with the tower at -28 on down. looks like the new tower design has corrected this problem but does it impede the drivers visibility? After owning boats with towers and now a boat without I have to say I love simplicity of not having one to mess with.

 

 

[ScottScott]

Even if just for the storage capabilities its worth some consideration....if you ever set out with more than 1 or 2 people's skies having the tower racks is nice, especially if you'll be lugging a wakeboard or 2 on it. Nothing worse than tripping over boards and skis when you move around in the boat.

[eleeski]

A properly engineered tower will not affect your buoy count or jump distance. Even if the rope touches the tower the vector loading is negligible. And it is a smooth transition off the touch - just by the geometry.

 

My factory Mastercraft tower requires the rope to go past 90 degrees to touch. I've seen a couple jumpers get that far but there's no load on the rope. A slalom skier isn't ever close.

 

Some pure wakeboard boats have stupid towers that will interfere with the rope. But that's not a tournament boat. And the tower is the least of your problems trying to slalom behind one of those beasts.

 

It's sad that so many people are unwilling to outfit their boats to accommodate different skiing tastes. Of course, the 5K is a valid reason to forgo the tower and its benefits - if you are absolutely slalom only.

 

That wakeboard kid that gets converted to slalom might keep your club going in a couple years. The tower will certainly pay off then.

 

Eric

[ozski]

@eleeski Are you sure there is even a cure for wakeboarding?

 

[208skier]

When buying a new boat, I look almost exclusively for a boat without a tower. Personal preference but I am with @swc5150 on this one. I much prefer the look of no tower.

[Brodie_James]

I was never keen on towers until I purchased a boat with one and now have a very different learned view, it offers great versatility. I will look for a boat with a tower when I upgrade.

 

It allows you to get some of the equipment off the floor and into the racks, provides a higher pulling point for beginners, allows those who prefer boards to join in, gets the ropes up and out of the way when there are a few more in the boat and the purpose if just to have some fun out of the course.

[Wayne]

I have a tower on my Response LXI with a bimini that mounts over the top. I've used it most for teaching new skiers.

 

For a club boat I don't think it's useful and it only helps resale for specific buyers. I would however get the wedge bracket installed. They are expensive to do after the fact and are not seen as a negative by any buyer and a positive to some.

[swc5150]

With the ski racks built in the sides, I think Bu helped eliminate the clutter on the floor. I know we'll see a huge difference going from a 196 to Prostar with 4 racks. I guess, to me, it just seems like today's buyers who want to ski and have a tower are moving over to a VTX or GS series boat? Obviously there are exceptions, as demonstrated here.

[bigskieridaho]

I think it is funny how many tower haters there are. I am the only one at my ski lake that has one and half the people call me the token tower guy. My wife loves to surf and I wakeskate sometimes when we are in open water, therefore the tower is necessary. I personally don't think it effects resale at all. There is always a market for the boat either way. I just sold my old boat in less than 24 hours after listing it for $500 less than I bought it for 9 years ago. Oh, and it had a tower;)

[greghayes]

Definitely get the wedge plate - since that can't be added later. The next owner can decide whether they want the wedge and/or tower. Why take the upfront risk/depreciation on something that won't be used by the club?

[jimski]

I have a tower on my 200 and although its not a club boat I do use it quite a bit for camps at our club. For me its a definite asset. for kids learning how to get up on a slalom ski it gives them that extra little boost they need. For trick skiers trying that new trick or flip for the first few times the added height helps out and there's always a few kids who want to wakeboard. In my opinion a multi purpose boat is going to sell before a hard core 3 event boat or slalom boat. For resale you never get your money out of a used boat the value is in how much use you or your club get out of it

[Dano]

Towers. It's a love hate thing for me. Mine can be removed from my boat very easily so it spends most of it's time in the dirt, cause I really don't like it when I'm skiing with my ski partners. On the other hand, If I have my wife and kids and maybe a friend or 2 out for the day who all want to wakeboard, It's basically a necessity. It gets the rope up high and makes the back seat usable while the wakeboarding happens. Its much more enjoyable to drive a boat that doesn't have 6 people crammed onto the spotters seat.

 

[LLUSA]

Never owned a Mastercraft promo boat in 33 years that had a tower, the biminis on the tower boats are useless, sit in one all day in the Florida sun and you will agree. If you're into short line slalom any boat with a tower will roll side to side, not good. It's hard enough at 38 and shorter to keep the boat dancing down the pond, but no towers on my lake period.

[fu_man]

I just don't like the way they look. Personal preference. It is easier to add an after market tower than remove a factory one.

[eleeski]

@LLUSA Don't hook the deep shortline skiers to the tower!

 

My MC with the tower pulled the Pro-am and got some pretty deep performances. It's quite driveable. Evaluating it next to my old MC with on tower, the tower seemed to flatten the deep shortline wake a bit - at the expense of making the slow speed wakes bigger. A legal way to add weight to the front of the boat? Better for slalom?

 

There's more to skiing than pure shortline slalom. Towers open possibilities.

 

Eric

[ForrestGump]

I think the beauty of the TXI is its versatility. Tower and wedge all the way. We ski, grab some lunch, drop the wedge and then wake board and surf all afternoon. On a private lake, at that.

[RichardDoane]

aftermarket towers are a fraction of the cost, and are easily added IMO

[LoopSki]

@RichardDoane does anyone make an aftermarket tower for the new prostar? one that is basically a copy of the factory? not some cheesy universal

[RichardDoane]

in Washington state, the best towers are built by Samson IMO, I'm not sure what they're building for the ProStars

 

here

 

 

 

 

[oldjeep]

Tower and wedge if you want a big resale market.  Decent aftermarket tower is not cheaper and reduces resale value. Roswell is the only aftermarket tower I would consider on an expensive boat, they are the ones designing for many oems.

[gregy]

From the few pictures I've seen I didn't like the looks of the 2017 with tower. Its really bulky and looks like it would obstruct the drivers view. I think I would like something more like @RichardDoane is talking about.

[socalskier]

Tower for sure.

I had a tower on my LXi and loved it. The old LXi tower was a slalom/jump dream. No rope interference at all. Didn't ever notice it was there and really used it when the kids were younger. I now have a 200, the 200 tower/Bimini combo is a disaster. It is such a shame that a top boat wouldn't have a tower that would make 99% of the people happy. I only know of only one 200 with a tower. Regardless of whether the rope hits or not, the design is just wrong so I opted out of a tower. I miss it everyday.

[DanE]

Never used a tower but it should be easier getting first timers up on skis?

[gt2003]

Yes @DanE , my wife had never been up on slalom but was close from the stern of our bowrider. We went to Texas Ski School and Allen hooked her up to his tower and she got up on the 2nd try. It does have some benefits.

[liquid d]

whew...thought we were voting on CP!

[6balls]

If your pursuit is recreational...anything other than comp slalom gets pulled off the tower keeping the rope up high and making your back seat useful. Board n ski racks come in handy, tower speakers sound good. If hanging out in the middle of the lake a backflip or two off of the tower is pretty good fun.

If your pursuit is die-hard slalom...no way on the tower.

Malibu wedge is a no brainer for versatility regardless if buying a Bu.

I have no complaints with a buddies 197 that has a tower running 28-into 39 slalom. 28 is a little stiff, I imagine slower/longer is worse.

It's all about your mission and intended usage. Would not do only for resale.

[slow]

Buddy has a 200 with a tower. Nautique could do alot better than what they offer in regards to how i looks on the boat

[ToddF]

It is your money. Buy what you think works best for the club.

 

Take advice and ignore meritless opinions

 

 

 

[Mad_Footer]

For longline barefooting, the tower is a must. Just purchased a promo Malibu Response TXI and only looked at boats that came with a tower installed.

[escmanaze]

I'm a big tower fan, for any and all reasons previously mentioned. However, if I were buying a club boat, I wouldn't buy a tower just because I think the resale will be better. I can't imagine getting the full value of the tower, and then some when I go to resell it.

[Waternut]

Tower or not....get the wedge and take it off and put it in the boathouse if it's a dedicated slalom boat. It's much harder to get that added since you can't just buy it from Malibu and install it yourself.

[Joeprunc]

I can't answer for you or your club, but if it was my boat, I would want a tower.

 

I've had my boat with and without a tower, and greatly prefer a tower. Keeps gear out of the way, place to hang towels, teach people to ski/wakeboard, object to safely grab if someone is coming in hot to the dock, bimini out of the way and nicely secured. The wedge is really really nice as well to allow for alternative sports. With that said I am an average Joe who will not be buying a boat newer than 10 years old, but when I upgrade next, my boat WILL be a DD with a tower and wedge. It cost me $5k (and 4 weeks of no boat) to add a tower, new bimini, and cover.

 

However I'm sure I use my boat significantly different than your club does.

 

One thing that you might want to weigh in also is, does the club have kids/wives/members that want to learn, trick ski, wakeboard, or wakesurf....or is you club one that doesn't allow anything other than experienced buoy skiers? Having a tower helps gets more people on the water and exposed to the sport.

 

[sixball]

Ski boats don't have towers. My boat has the mounting hardware for a wedge but it will never see one as long as I own it. Dealer put it on for free. Said it would help resale. Hay I am an old fart I may die with this boat.