This has been discussed in a couple of other forums, but to make things easier I thought I'd center the discussion into its own thread.
My new 24Ve didn't come with a tow ring (for towing inflatables). I do not want to use one of those straps that connects to the two transom lift rings because that arrangement puts enormous side load stress on the two attachment points; the leverage actually multiplies the straightline load. (Doing that is a common mistake when setting up a top rope anchor for rock climbing and has led to many failures, injuries, and deaths.) I don't want to put that kind of lateral stress on the transom, especially when it can be avoided with something as easy and proven as a dedicated tow ring.
Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of unused area in the center of my transom:
The grab handle is pretty high, and the Tige logo basically takes up the rest of the space down to the swim platform.
Then user "lwndr" here referred me to this photo:
...and its integrated handle/ring setup. The beauty here is that this arrangement would not take up any more room on the transom. If I could get one of these handles made with a tow ring integrated into it, the new handle would install into the existing holes and not take up any more room on the transom.
So I contacted Tige, and in another example of their absolutely awesome customer service they gave me the name and number of the company that makes their grab handles (they don't buy an off-the-shelf handle from one of the typical brands). That company called me back, and after explaining what I wanted they quoted me less than $90 for a new custom handle with an integrated tow ring. I consider that a very fair price.
However, there is a catch. If you look careflly at the reflection behind the handle on the Moomba, you'll see that there are two more mounting posts to give additional strength on either side of the tow ring. Tige's fabrication shop insisted that was necessary and theirs would have those two new bolts too. This means I'd still have to drill two more holes in the transom, and avoiding that was one of the reasons the integrated handle was so attractive.
Moreover, I believe my battery isolator is mounted directly behind my grab handle, up on the transom. If so, I'd have to relocate the battery isolator to make room for two new bolts, backing plates, washers, and nuts. Generally the heavy-gauge cables associated with batteries and isolators aren't left any longer than necessary, so there's probably not much slack available to just shift the isolator to one side.
(Another alternative is to just tow from the grab handle itself. I'd need to check its backing plates to see if there is sufficient strength there.)
My next step is to visit my 24Ve in storage and dig into the transom area to see how things are actually arranged. Since I'll have to drill two new holes anyway, if the isolator is where I remember then the logical thing to do is to remove the Tige logo and put the tow ring just below the isolator. I might instead be able to squeeze the tow ring just above the logo and below the handle, but I'm concerned that the tow ring would then get in the way of people's hands when they reach for the handle.
Just throwing thoughts out there. Comments invited. I'll report back when I have more data.
My new 24Ve didn't come with a tow ring (for towing inflatables). I do not want to use one of those straps that connects to the two transom lift rings because that arrangement puts enormous side load stress on the two attachment points; the leverage actually multiplies the straightline load. (Doing that is a common mistake when setting up a top rope anchor for rock climbing and has led to many failures, injuries, and deaths.) I don't want to put that kind of lateral stress on the transom, especially when it can be avoided with something as easy and proven as a dedicated tow ring.
Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of unused area in the center of my transom:
The grab handle is pretty high, and the Tige logo basically takes up the rest of the space down to the swim platform.
Then user "lwndr" here referred me to this photo:
...and its integrated handle/ring setup. The beauty here is that this arrangement would not take up any more room on the transom. If I could get one of these handles made with a tow ring integrated into it, the new handle would install into the existing holes and not take up any more room on the transom.
So I contacted Tige, and in another example of their absolutely awesome customer service they gave me the name and number of the company that makes their grab handles (they don't buy an off-the-shelf handle from one of the typical brands). That company called me back, and after explaining what I wanted they quoted me less than $90 for a new custom handle with an integrated tow ring. I consider that a very fair price.
However, there is a catch. If you look careflly at the reflection behind the handle on the Moomba, you'll see that there are two more mounting posts to give additional strength on either side of the tow ring. Tige's fabrication shop insisted that was necessary and theirs would have those two new bolts too. This means I'd still have to drill two more holes in the transom, and avoiding that was one of the reasons the integrated handle was so attractive.
Moreover, I believe my battery isolator is mounted directly behind my grab handle, up on the transom. If so, I'd have to relocate the battery isolator to make room for two new bolts, backing plates, washers, and nuts. Generally the heavy-gauge cables associated with batteries and isolators aren't left any longer than necessary, so there's probably not much slack available to just shift the isolator to one side.
(Another alternative is to just tow from the grab handle itself. I'd need to check its backing plates to see if there is sufficient strength there.)
My next step is to visit my 24Ve in storage and dig into the transom area to see how things are actually arranged. Since I'll have to drill two new holes anyway, if the isolator is where I remember then the logical thing to do is to remove the Tige logo and put the tow ring just below the isolator. I might instead be able to squeeze the tow ring just above the logo and below the handle, but I'm concerned that the tow ring would then get in the way of people's hands when they reach for the handle.
Just throwing thoughts out there. Comments invited. I'll report back when I have more data.
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