New2Me Boat and some wakeboard tower questions /

[jyungfu]

fellow sea ray owners newb on the board - well I have been hanging around for a while. . . . anyhow I have made a few mods to my boat and now I want to add a tower. My kids are bugging for one and I would like to add speakers as well . .
anyhow, I was going to buy a universal tower but after I saw one on the water this weekend, I was not to impressed . . I have been searching the last couple of days and thinking about getting a tower from a place called samson sports.com

They claim to custom fit the tower to my boat and even match the curves with custom cut and designed moutning hardware. . .

Here are the pics they sent me:

Any of you guys use them? They sent me a link with lots of pics . . does anyone here have one?

http://www.samsonsports.com/photos/v/Sea-Ray-wakeboard-towers/slideshow.html

They also sent some vidoes that show how the hardware matches and I am pretty impressed so far. But I want to hear from others that have this tower.
P.S. they gave me a few names of customers, but I want to hear from other folks besides their referrals.

 

[Lazy Daze]

They look nice. Check their price with the OEM one. By no means will the Sea Ray tower be the least expensive one out there, but it is solid.

Oh, by the way, what boat do you have?

 

[DaBean]

You might want to check out www.monstertower.com. They have a nice tower. I bought one from a local dealer and was able to install it myself... which is quite a feat. Has lots of light and speaker accessories.

 

[billandamy]

You might want to check out www.monstertower.com. They have a nice tower. I bought one from a local dealer and was able to install it myself... which is quite a feat. Has lots of light and speaker accessories.

Monster tower dood. Thats all you should need.

The Samson ones are great, but overpriced imo. At the price they want, might as well go OEM (which is made by Monster under XTP, by the way :smt001)

Either way you will do well, just how much $ you want to spend is the difference. The Monster is every bit as good for way less money, and install is a joke.

 

[Lazy Daze]

That's true, installing is pretty easy. Hang it from a tree, if you don't have other means. Depending on the boat he has, the OEM could be even easier as the reinforcement is already built into the boat in the right place. Maybe the aftermarket's will line up, too?

 

[billandamy]

That's true, installing is pretty easy. Hang it from a tree, if you don't have other means. Depending on the boat he has, the OEM could be even easier as the reinforcement is already built into the boat in the right place. Maybe the aftermarket's will line up, too?

I am not sure about all aftermarket units as far as installation, just the quality of some of them, so all I can really speak of with integrity is the Monster tower, which lines up perfectly (and is adaptable in full) with the beefy parts of the hull already reinforced at the SR factory. On both mine and my buddy Matt's boat, we were able to hit the OEM beefed up sections on our hulls with no problem.

Pics below of my beefed up section of hull where I bolted into, both inside and outside.

If anyone ever needs help or pics of an install of Monster Towers, I have a lot of images and advice having done 2 of them now

 

[Lazy Daze]

all I can really speak of with integrity is the Monster tower, which lines up perfectly (and is adaptable in full) with the beefy parts of the hull already reinforced at the SR factory.

Perfect, that's what I was wondering. Thanks.

 

[billandamy]

Perfect, that's what I was wondering. Thanks.

No Prob, I dont give much advice on this site due to me having a smaller, simple and brand new boat (which hasnt brought me any experience per se with mechanicals etc...) but this is the one thing I feel I have a good handle on and more than willing to help out in any way with tower installs. Feel free to ask away, anytime.

 

[rktktpaul]

Bill, which Monster Tower model do you have??

Edit: Just saw in the other post an MT2. Looks nice!!!

 

[billandamy]

Bill, which Monster Tower model do you have??

Edit: Just saw in the other post an MT2. Looks nice!!!

Thanks...

Wanted speakers, but cant figure how to work it with bimini in the way.

I chose instead to get the H2O iPod waterproof sports kit with waterproof headphones and iPod case. I will like that better, as I can control playlist, volume and everything else personally, out on the water.

 

[jyungfu]

Monster tower dood. Thats all you should need.

The Samson ones are great, but overpriced imo. At the price they want, might as well go OEM (which is made by Monster under XTP, by the way :smt001)

Either way you will do well, just how much $ you want to spend is the difference. The Monster is every bit as good for way less money, and install is a joke.

No offense bro, but that is what I saw on the water. It sounded like a tin can (paper thin) and the guy told me about the install . . . He even said he has to tighten the bolts regularly and he had some stress cracks because the hardware does not match the boat . . . told me that he bought one and wishes he would have got a better quality tower. I am sure it is good if you only use your boat once in a while, but I am on the water ALL summer long!!! He was quoted $2K to fix the holes and gel coat cracking, but he is going to sell the boat.

The samson one is custom built to my boat. Even the hardware curves match my boat. I am pretty much sold now after looking at their vids. Check it out: http://www.samsonsports.com/how_to_install_wakeboard_tower.html

I don't want to drill holes in my boat and then regret it later . .

I would rather pay $800 more for a much better tower. not something I have to piece together and then size to my boat . .

I am trying to decide between:

Forward or reverse arch . .

 

[First Born]

In that case why not order the OEM tower from Monster Tower (if your boat is 06 or older, don't know as you don't have you boat information in your signature) or Sea Ray (if your boat is 2007 or newer)????

 

[Shaymus]

Hi Guys,
Just throwing in my 2 cents but i just purchased a New Dimensions Tower for my '97 210 BR and it fits like a glove! You should check in with them...Chad and Wayne are great and hooked me up large, 6 holes in my boat and im super happy with the look and the ease of installation, curves, hardware all match the lines on the boat perfectly. Serioulsy considered a monster tower and after I saw one in person i didn't like the look on my particular boat, great tower just not for me...(love the calendar though!) New Dimensions Towers would get my buisness again if I had the choice. Hope this helps.:thumbsup:

 

[billandamy]

No offense bro, but that is what I saw on the water. It sounded like a tin can (paper thin) and the guy told me about the install . . . He even said he has to tighten the bolts regularly and he had some stress cracks because the hardware does not match the boat . . . told me that he bought one and wishes he would have got a better quality tower. I am sure it is good if you only use your boat once in a while, but I am on the water ALL summer long!!! He was quoted $2K to fix the holes and gel coat cracking, but he is going to sell the boat.

The samson one is custom built to my boat. Even the hardware curves match my boat. I am pretty much sold now after looking at their vids. Check it out: http://www.samsonsports.com/how_to_install_wakeboard_tower.html

I don't want to drill holes in my boat and then regret it later . .

I would rather pay $800 more for a much better tower. not something I have to piece together and then size to my boat . .

I am trying to decide between:

Forward or reverse arch . .

You have been seriously misinformed from someone who knows nothing about wakeboard towers. I strongly suggest a visit wakeboarder.com and get a real opinion. Monster is renowned in the wakeboard community for one of the strongest and easily installed tower on the market with incredible company support. You can find any number of threads by real boarders who praise Monster up and down. The guy you spoke to did not install the tower well if he has stress cracks, and you will need to tighten any tower once in a while, regardless of what their marketing says.

Check your sources before you throw out nonsense.

The Samson is a very good tower and you will be happy with it, but you are way off on your description on Monster. The looks are different, and thats a matter of taste. Frankly I like the simplicity of the Monster.

And errr....I wakeboard probaby more than everyone else here put together, so it isnt a "once in a while thing." There are 8 or so people in my group of friends who board, and we usually take my boat. It has gone through quite a few sessions:smt001

 

[jyungfu]

You have been seriously misinformed from someone who knows nothing about wakeboard towers. I strongly suggest a visit wakeboarder.com and get a real opinion. Monster is renowned in the wakeboard community for one of the strongest and easily installed tower on the market with incredible company support. You can find any number of threads by real boarders who praise Monster up and down. The guy you spoke to did not install the tower well if he has stress cracks, and you will need to tighten any tower once in a while, regardless of what their marketing says.

Check your sources before you throw out nonsense.

The Samson is a very good tower and you will be happy with it, but you are way off on your description on Monster. The looks are different, and thats a matter of taste. Frankly I like the simplicity of the Monster.

And errr....I wakeboard probaby more than everyone else here put together, so it isnt a "once in a while thing." There are 8 or so people in my group of friends who board, and we usually take my boat. It has gone through quite a few sessions:smt001

wow, like I said bro no offense, but I saw the tower myself. I touched and felt it. It sounds paper thin when you flick it with your fingernail sounds like it can be dented very easily - plus the tower had lots of dents from boards hitting it.

I am not mis-informed, I am self informed. Not to mention they are made in china . . . and I also did not like the way it looks when I see it in person.

I found found these pics below in another forum in my search for a tower. The mounts on the left are "monster paws" and the mounts on the right are samsons. Pretty much everything the guy told me you can find if you search online. BTW, i called monster and they said you CAN"T return it once you fit it to your boat.

I am going to check our new dimension also . . are there any other custom built tower places?

BTW, I started this thread to find other samson owners. I wanted feedback from other owners. I would like to get back to the point of this thread . . .

 

[billandamy]

lol..I dont take offense on internet bulletin boards.

It is just you are the first yet to say they are thin, I just went thorough wakeboarder.com and searched through the threads and nary a complaint. No complaints about samson either, dont get me wrong, but considering the wakeboard community's response on Monster, you are way off from their descriptions and how I would describe it.

Did you actually see and feel a samson yet? All towers have a ting to them if you flick them from a Monster to the stock towers on $60k Nuatiques and up, of which I have been around as well :smt001

I'll but out now...