Tower troubles

[jmstige]

I've got a Monster Tower and it's starting to rattle around a little bit...Everything up top is tight, but it looks like the passenger side mount to the boat is loose.

Does anyone know if I have to get at that from the bottom side, or should I try to take a bar off to get at one of the bolts? I'll try to take a picture today if I can't make progress.

I tried to take the seatback (the large one that curves around) by removing the screws in between the seams. I took out about 8 screws, but it seems like it is still attached somehow towards the front of the boat. This is where I'm trying to get to to see if I can tighten up the tower from underneath.

Dog - am I reading your post right that you had to use a prybar on this section of the seating?

[TriValleyMarine]

Tower

If the base mount against the fiberglass is actually loose, you have to be able to get underneath to tighten it because it's through bolted. You will hex head wrenches. Or are you talking about the large hex nut bolts that secure the tower leg to the base? Do not use a pry bar on your upholstery. If in doubt, ask Lee in parts at Tige. I'm sure he can tell you how the upholstery is secured for that model and the correct way to take it apart. Be sure the 3/4" nuts on the heim joints on the legs are secure too. You can also call Monster Tower, they're good guys and they can give you specifics about their tower.

[jmstige]

Thanks TriValley...

In Dogberts post he says:

"I was able to get most of them with a screwdriver, but a few had rusted heads and disintegrated when I tried to unscrew them. I used a flat pry bar to separate the seatback from the side of the boat. I found the screws and used a hammer to tap against the screws, which promptly snapped."

I think this may be what the deal is...Many of the screws were rusted/broken that I got out - I just don't see anymore to unscrew...

And yes - it is the mount to the fiberglass - that's where its loose, so I'll have to get that seatback off. I'll wait a bit to hear from Dog or I'll call Lee before resorting to the pry bar

[scootc]

I've got the same boat and tower set up. The interior screws are within the seat seam, and a real pain to get to.
What worked for me, was take 2 extra screw drivers and shove them handle-end into the seam. This spreads the seam without damaging the vinyl so you can see what you're doing. There will probably be a few you can't get out. Leave those for last - you'll probably need a prybar to pop them out.

The tower has a big allen-head on top, and a lock nut on the bottom. You might want to check to see if the area has been beefed up where it's bolted. Might be a good time to add a plate or something to spread the stress - which might be the cause for the mount getting loose in the first place.
Have fun.

[dogbert]

If the base mount against the fiberglass is actually loose, you have to be able to get underneath to tighten it because it's through bolted. You will hex head wrenches. Or are you talking about the large hex nut bolts that secure the tower leg to the base? Do not use a pry bar on your upholstery. If in doubt, ask Lee in parts at Tige. I'm sure he can tell you how the upholstery is secured for that model and the correct way to take it apart. Be sure the 3/4" nuts on the heim joints on the legs are secure too. You can also call Monster Tower, they're good guys and they can give you specifics about their tower.

The only reason I used a pry bar was that Tige had used regular deck screws to secure my upholstery to the boat and the screws had rusted so there was no other way to get them out other than to cut them with the sharp end of a wonder bar.

If you took the screws out, then there may be some bolts that are used as well. I found bolts on part of my upholstery, so you may have to feel the back of it to know for sure.

It would be easier to tell you if you posted a pic of which tower mount.

[dogbert]

I've got the same boat and tower set up. The interior screws are within the seat seam, and a real pain to get to.
What worked for me, was take 2 extra screw drivers and shove them handle-end into the seam. This spreads the seam without damaging the vinyl so you can see what you're doing. There will probably be a few you can't get out. Leave those for last - you'll probably need a prybar to pop them out.

The tower has a big allen-head on top, and a lock nut on the bottom. You might want to check to see if the area has been beefed up where it's bolted. Might be a good time to add a plate or something to spread the stress - which might be the cause for the mount getting loose in the first place.
Have fun.

I found a tube-like cover for my cordless drill screw head and it doesn't spin with the screw head, so it works really well. I got it at Home Depot.

As for your comment on the screws, that's what I found.